(first posted 2/3/2014) Volkswagen has endlessly tried (and still is) to replicate the brilliant success of the gen1 Scirocco. Ironic too, since they can’t really take full credit for its existence. Success has many fathers, but VW’s paternity is limited to lending its new Golf’s genes; a sperm donor of sorts. It took a bit more to actually develop and put the Scirocco into production, some major risk taking on the part of its progenitors. The result was well worth it.
The Scirocco is one of the most compelling examples of how the world was very different then: while Detroit was padding vinyl for landau roofs and Broughams, the Europeans were folding steel into some of the most brilliant designs ever. At least some of them made it here, thankfully. In the case of the Scirocco, it was a close call.
We covered VW’s protracted labors that finally birthed the Golf here. What is often lost in that story is how the Scirocco came to be, or almost didn’t. Giorgetto Giugiaro had the contract to design the original Golf, and approached VW’s board about a sporty coupe version. Given that he already had a very similarly sized coupe on the drawing boards for Alfa, the Alfasud Sprint, that certainly made sense. And as timeless a beauty the Karman Ghia was, Karman certainly saw the light at the end of that tunnel.
According to this (German language) source, the VW board turned down the sporty coupe proposal, given the company’s very precarious state at the time. And accordingly, Karmann fully took on the risk and investment of the Scirocco’s development costs. Karmann did need to keep their factory humming, which was always a challenge that finally overtook the firm in 2009. Since its bankruptcy, it’s a de-facto protectorate of VW. And now VW owns Giugiaro’s Ital Design. The days of the small independents is waning. But in 1974, the results were brilliant.
Another little detail that’s often overlooked too is that the original European Scirocco had large rectangular headlights (except the top-level TS model), perhaps to distinguish it a bit from the very similar Alfasud Sprint? Or too replicate the Passat’s look? But the most significant of the Scirocco’s milestones is that it appeared some six months before its donor Golf, in Europe anyway.
I remember vividly reading auto motor und sport’s excited review of the new Scirocco, not so much for what it was on its own terms, but in that it was the ultimate sneak preview of the upcoming Golf, itself the most anticipated car of the times. And the press was most encouraging indeed: the Scirocco’s superb handling qualities were there from day one, even if its full performance potential was still a couple of years off. Although for the times, it was already brisk.
I don’t remember ams using the Das Skateboard to describe the Scirocco’s love of carving, but it seems that everyone ever since has. Is there another competitor to having that analogy used so consistently? It does it justice, especially from the perspective of the times. The whole “hot-hatch” segment hadn’t really been properly birthed yet, and except for the original Mini’s inadvertent handling prowess and perhaps the Fiat 128, most FWD small cars up to that point were more about practicality, function and even comfort, like the Simca 1204. Of course there were exceptions, like the Saab Sonnet, but that was hardly mainstream.
The Scirocco previewed the Golf formula, that would soon be replicated endlessly across the globe: struts in front, a twist-beam semi-independent rear suspension with coils, and of course the transverse engine-transmission layout. Lower the body (and center of gravity) a bit, stir in a dash of suspension firmness, and you have a skateboard. Just supply a bit of extra kick, unless you had the right engine available. In Europe, there were always choices. In the US, not so much so.
If you had strong (European) legs, you could get a Scirocco with the 50 hp 1.1 L EA111 four from Audi 50. The EA827 was available in 70 and 85 hp 1.5 L trims, the top version being reserved for the TS model, which also carried the tell-tale round headlights. The 85 hp was pretty zingy for the times (0-60 in 11.0 sec) , and a nice preview of coming (GTI) attractions. In the US, only the 70 hp version made the EPA cut, with its problematic carburetor. That makes the ’75 versions less than ideal. Road & Track’s ’75 took 12.7 seconds for the zero to sixty. But help was just a phone call to Robert Bosch away.
A larger 1588 cc engine fitted with the injection not only upped the rating ti 76 hp, but made a world of difference in its driveability. The Scirocco had arrived, and it arrived at sixty in 10.5 seconds (Road Test). Pretty heady stuff for the times, considering that while German cars were improving their performance in the mid-late seventies, American cars were totally losing theirs.
Unfortunately, the brilliant 110 hp European GTI version of the 1.6 motor, that appeared in the Scirocco for the 1977 MY (over there), never made it stateside. It has to be the ultimate VW of that whole era. We paid quite a price for our clean air, and when the Federalized 1.8 L GTI finally appeared with all of 90 hp, it was too late for the gen 1 Scirocco, which ended its career with the 1981 MY.
Of course, that’s all largely irrelevant now, since EA827 swaps of every possible permutation have been SOP for VW enthusiasts for decades. This particular Scirocco (the bronze one) has a 1.8 SOHC, and with a few mods to give it a nice snarl but its a totally tractable daily driver. The enthusiasm for these cars is still high, but its low roof makes it something I’m now more inclined to enjoy mentally from the outside. That gives quite a bit of scope, as I never get tired of letting my eyes glide over the lines of that superb folded-origami style that Giugiario perfected. That’s hardly the the case for its less-loved successor Mk2 (designed by VW itself). Some things are just irreplaceable.
This was my car! Out front of my house in Eugene Oregon while I was going to colllege. The car’s name was “Otis” we had a lot of good times. It had a 2.0l ABA swap and a close ratio trans with a .73 5th gear for freeway flying! Loved that car, it is a show car now in Pennsylvania, hope it is still on the road.
“Ein weiteres kleines Detail, das oft übersehen wird, ist, dass der ursprüngliche europäische Scirocco große rechteckige Scheinwerfer hatte (mit Ausnahme des Topmodells TS),…”
That’s true. But almost no one chose such a basemodel – called “Scirocco LS”. As far as I remember, approx. nine out of ten (I didn’t really count them) were badged “TS”. At least until they launched the “GTI” version.
My father bought a limited edition ’76 in dark metallic brown/ tan interior. It was an automatic trans and had a crank sunroof. He traded it for a limited edition ’79 in dark silver with the medium red leather seats and single wiper in front, pop up moon roof and manual trans. What a blast to drive. I learned to drive stick on this car. Unfortunately, the car had an accident in the summer of 1982 or 83 and that was the end of the ’79. We had a temporary replacement, a 1980 VW Rabbit diesel for a while until my father trade it for a SAAB 900.
I’ve written about my short and painful ownership of a 1977 Scirocco, so I’ll leave it at that. I am pleased to see here a confirmation of my memory that the Scirocco pre-dated the Golf. It was shown at the Geneva Show in March of 1973 and made it into an issue of Road &Track that I picked up just after my high school graduation in June. I still remember reading it on a memorable trip with a friend’s family to Southern California just after graduation, and being amazed that VW would introduce something not just modern (and yes, I knew about the K70) but also truly sporting. Which the KG was not.
I’ve gone on at length several times about my infatuation with this car, but there were downsides.
Maintenance of course – even by standards of the time it was a money pit. Also, front seats that may have ruined my back for life. A disappointing sound system. And the exhaustion inherent in driving a non-ac car on summer road trips. Overall it could be a tiring car for long distance drives, at any time of year.
But for zipping around town, or afternoon two-lane blacktop excursions, it was a joy. I remember several occasions when it was new, strangers coming up to say what a beautiful car it was.
“Yeah, it really is, isn’t it!” Maintenance fades from memory when a car looks like this.
One of the most iconic designs of the 1970s. I never get tired of this classic.
I’ve never really warmed to the ’70s Giugiaro aesthetic, and so always come away from the Scirocco feeling like the Golf/Rabbit GTI hatch made vastly more sense. The Mk1 GTI had the same attributes as the Scirocco (peppy performance, sporty handling, reasonable economy, maddening unreliability, money-pit tendencies) in a more sensible package. While I don’t love the looks of the Golf either, it’s at least a practical box, which the Scirocco really isn’t.
Giugiaro kept doing variations on this shape (Alfasud, Scirocco, Isuzu Piazza), and my reaction to them is always about the same: They seem tailored just deliberately enough that you can tell they made it look that way on purpose, begging the question of why they didn’t make it attractive or interesting in the process. They’re not ugly cars, really, just calculatedly underwhelming to look at in a way I find vaguely perplexing.
+1
These cars are just not beautiful or special enough, and never were. I remember school mates loving these cars, not me.
I really liked the looks of these when they came out and I like the looks of them now. I don’t think of myself as overly tall at 6′ 0″, but these cars were cramped. When I test drove one I had to tilt the backrest so my head did not scrape the ceiling. I think that VW probably lost a lot of sales just because tall people didn’t fit in them very well. These were popular with women (who tend to be shorter than men) and I back in the day I recall seeing several articles about various celebrity actresses (Erin Moran, Betsy Palmer) owning them. The Rabbit and the GTI offered much the same handling and performance in a more comfortable and practical package.
The second and third generation Sciroccos were disappointing style-wise. The Corrado had a lot of first-gen Scirocco influence, but even it didn’t quite capture the best of the first-gen Scirocco.
I agree with you on all accounts. These were sexy and the best looking of all the generations. Nice and simple and squared off tastefully with the round headlights. A ball to drive. They were a bit cramped for larger Americans. It was a sleeker body on the Rabbit chassis. Miss them.
I’d forgotten about that “one big windshield wiper”. Remember a lot of them being that “bronze” color.
I remember one from college days; always got the impression that the windshield defrosters didn’t do well in wstrn PA winters. It oten had frost on the inside. Recall the back window, where the electric wires were, was clearer.
It was “yellow”.” Had “NJ” plates.
My best friend bought one of the first Rabbits in Denver in ’75, bright yellow, and my brother had a silver ’76 Scirocco. Both brilliant in their own way but fragile, no surprise. Their secret performance ingredient, which can’t be duplicated today, was their lightness and simplicity. With all the gimcracks and complexity of modern cars, there’s no chance you’ll ever see their like again.
Owned in 1976
Being 5’6” the Mk1 was a perfect fit.
Sold it too quickly then in later years looked for another one without much luck.
Finally found a low kilometres Corrado G60 that brought back memories of my Mk1 Super Scirocco, some of the quirks too.
The Corrado now has only 52k kilometres, it’s my keeper.