24 Jun 08
The Scirocco - built for VW by Karmann - was unveiled at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show, with sales directly afterwards.
Word was that Volkswagen wanted to make sure that the mass-market Golf was absolutely right from the get-go, so launched the Scirocco first; as a relatively niche model selling in much smaller numbers, any teething troubles could be sorted out with a minimum of fuss and publicity. No matter: the engineers had done a good job, the Scirocco was acclaimed by press and public alike, and it was awarded the Car of the Year Prize.
So good to start with, few changes were made to the Scirocco during its generous lifespan.
Mk2 models (1982) were substantially overhauled, but remained on the same platform; engines got more powerful, the initial 1.1- and 1.5-litre units making way for engines including the 140bhp 1.8 18v, but the solid engineering, nimble handling, civilised ride and all-round usability continued to endear the Scirocco to coupe buyers.
