The coupé icon

‘We can do that, too. And better,' they say back in 1971 in Wolfsburg – providing the starting signal for the development of a coupé designed to turn all heads. The buzz surrounding the project was going strong and Volkswagen wanted the Scirocco as an answer against its competitors' recently launched, Ford Capri and Opel Manta. This is achieved with brilliance, because while the aforementioned models still used a rigid axle and rear-wheel drive, the new Scirocco won admirers for its transverse engine, front-wheel drive and modern chassis – all at an attractive price. It proved a worthy successor to the highly successful Karmann Ghia Type 14 Coupé, which had been produced for 19 years.

The first GTI was a Scirocco

It just has the edge on the Golf here: the sporty Scirocco GTI entered production in the summer of 1976, while the later cult Golf GTI wasn't unveiled until the autumn of the same year. Its high-revving, 81 kW / 110 horsepower 1.6-litre engine featured mechanical fuel injection and – just like on the Golf GTI later on – was a constant source of pleasure for drivers. The smaller engines were capable of between 37 kW / 50 horsepower and 63 kW / 85 horsepower.

The chassis was modified as a result of the higher power. From the outside, the GTI and GLI models were primarily recognisable by their front spoiler. The inside featured a sports steering wheel, rev counter and centre console with clock and oil temperature gauge. Particularly pleasing, however, were the sports seats with the characteristic check pattern. The GLI was the luxurious version and came with tinted windows, carpet inlay in the door panels and height-adjustable front seat with special seat upholstery.

‘I count on 16V'

The engines familiar from the Scirocco I were initially fitted, although real power appeared under the bonnet later on, when the 16-valve engine capable of 102 kW / 139 horsepower from the Golf II GTI made an appearance in 1985. The powerful engine praised by the trade press for its high revs was available on the new top-of-the-range Scirocco GTX 16V.

The Scirocco special editions were always a cut above

White was the new black in 1985, when Volkswagen produced the ‘White Cat' special edition. The completely white paintwork, rims and seats, the rear lights featuring white stripes and the all-round spoilers and Zender rear spoiler turned this Scirocco into a real sporty eye-catcher. The ‘Scala 16V' took a similar line, but was also available in other colours. The dynamic GTS special edition came with powerful engines, but was somewhat cheaper than the GTI. Around 290,000 cars were built of the Scirocco MK II

The latter had been presented two years previously and proved highly popular. The powerful Viper Green Metallic colour in particular was so well received that it was later used for the Scirocco production models.

The Scirocco MK III built in Palmela (Portugal) was based on the platform of the Golf VI and was driven by modern turbo engines with power ranging from 90 kW / 122 hp to 206 kW / 280 hp (Scirocco R).

Scirocco R Cup – the eco-friendly one-make race series from Volkswagen

In the world of motor sport, the Scirocco III offered spectators plenty of action and thrilling entertainment on the racetrack. The Scirocco R Cup, held between 2008 and 2014 as part of the DTM, gave up-and-coming talent a welcome opportunity to get into motor sport and was the perfect career springboard for climbing through the ranks to higher series. Famous guest starters from Formula 1, DTM and rally sport also joined in. The old hands sometimes really shook up the field. The series was also eco-friendly, because identical Cup Scirocco cars capable of 173 kW / 235 horsepower were driven, whose engines were powered by compressed natural gas.