THE SCIROCCO, which means a hot desert wind that the Sahara sends in the direction of the Mediterranean, made its debut in 1974 just after the premiere of the Passat and it was the successor to the Karmann Ghia.
It was a radical change from the Ghia, signalling the end of VWs with boxer engines and rear- mounted engines in Europe. The car was designed by Italdesign in Turin and featured transverse-mounted engines which were water- cooled. Engines were a 1.1-litre with 50bhp, a 1.5-litre with 70bhp and a 1.5-litre with 85bhp.
The second-generation model followed in 1981, based on the Golf Mk 1. The Scirocco grew longer and more aerodynamic and the GTi of 1985 got a 1.8-litre 16v engine with 129bhp. In 1989 there was the introduction of a 1.6-litre engine with 72bhp and a 1.8-litre with 95bhp. Across the two generations, 795,650 units of the Scirocco were sold by the time production ceased in 1992. The Corrado came next and though it was a wonderful car to drive, it never really captured the hearts of the buying public, not helped by its high price tag.