Did you know the name “Scirocco” was taken from the hot wind that blows from the Sahara towards the Mediterranean coast. German car manufacturer Volkswagen introduced a new sports car the Scirocco in 1974 at the Geneva motor show. It was a hit at the show but not an immediate hit in the showrooms as the Golf which the Scirocco shared a platform with was an all-out best seller.
The development of the car started in the early 1970s as the replacement for the aging but highly sought after till today, Karmann Ghia coupe. The car was penned by the Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro (ItalDesign) and used the platform of the Golf (Volkswagen Group A1 platform).
It was launched six months before the Golf, in order to resolve any problems before production of the high volume Golf started, the Scirocco went on sale in Europe in 1974. The car was manufactured by Karmann at the Osnabrück plant in Germany.
Scirocco was offered with three engines. L the base model had the engine 1.1 litre L4 engine. S, LS and TS models had a 1.5 litre L4 engine. Later models were GT, GLI and GL. In June 1976 Volkswagen introduced the Scirocco GTI with a 1.6 litre L4 engine.
Production ended in 1981 with the introduction of the Scirocco Typ 53B. Between 1974 and 1981 a total of 504,153 units were manufactured.
Volkswagen Scirocco 1.6L 1979 Model Specifications
Engine: Inline OHC four, cast-iron block and aluminum cylinder head
Displacement: 1,588cc
Horsepower: 78bhp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 83-lb.ft. @ 3,000rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual (four-speed manual standard, three-speed automatic optional)
0-60mph: 12.2 seconds
Top speed: 106mph
