We forget the excitement when the VW Scirocco was launched in 1974, now that so many examples are shabby castaways. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and built by Karmann, the sport coupe arrived underpowered but still sold over half a million units worldwide, thanks in part to its good looks. The advent of Japanese competition threatened to relegate the Scirocco to the dustbin, until a tuning company called Oettinger revamped the engine with a 16-valve head. Once adopted for production, output rose 37% to 123 hp, giving the Scirocco a few more years of sales in the US. Here on craigslist is a 1985 Scirocco 16V looking for a new owner to restore its mechanical prowess. The seller wants $4,999, and the car is in Mullins, South Carolina. Jack M. sent us this tip – thanks, Jack!
The Scirocco and the slightly later-arriving Rabbit/Golf represented Volkswagen’s shift from economy-oriented, air-cooled vehicles to a more conventional but sporty portfolio. The Golf has sold millions of copies over its decades of production, and though the Scirocco wasn’t nearly as successful, it led the Golf to market and provided a test bed for validation of mechanical and market experiments. The first GTi was a Scirocco, and VW installed its first 16V four-cylinder engine in a Scirocco. This example doesn’t run, a major drawback – but also an opportunity: Sciroccos are great raw material for vintage racing, with nearly endless parts supplies and plenty of headroom in the performance department. Factory merits included a five-speed manual transaxle sending power to the front wheels, disc brakes all around, bracing to stiffen the suspension, and a curb weight of only 2300 lbs. Sounds like a race car to me.
The interior is ripe for ripping out. This is what I have in mind. But hey, if you’re not ready to hit the track with a full roll cage, you can repair or disguise this Scirocco’s interior faults without much trouble. The seller is representing the car nicely: it’s been cleaned up and even the driver’s side carpets are protected with plastic.
The second-generation Scirocco was redesigned to offer more interior room and a lower drag coefficient. The spoiler and skirting were hallmarks of the 16V. Cosmetically, this car is average, with a few noticeable flaws in the front bumper and generally faded paint all around. Setting aside appearances, if I have to apply mechanical talent to get this guy running, I’m going to want to pay less. That said, vintage Scirocco prices are on the rise. Not that the $38k paid for this example is anything but crazy – even lesser cars are selling for mid-teens nowadays.
Check the fuel pump relay. My GLI had rainwater follow a lead through the firewall and onto the relay at the fuse box. Always had to keep a spare!
I drove a 16V Scirocco when it was new. The little thing was a real canyon-carver with a rev-happy engine and superb build quality. Better than average for more sedate driving, too.
Granted, it won’t perform like a modern car, but it was definitely a case where numbers (like horsepower, acceleration, skidpad, etc.) were meaningless. It was a delight in every driving situation.
I regret to say $5K doesn’t strike me as a terrific deal considering the not-running status. It could be as simple as Fahrvergnugen suggests — in which case I’d certainly make an offer — or anything up to and including a ventilated engine block. Plus, who knows what sitting idle has done to other vital systems?
Still, the Scirocco was a nifty piece. I’m a fan.
Something’s fishy here. The VIN shows it was born with an 8V engine. An owner in its history must have come across a wrecked genuine 16v and swapped over SOME of its goodies.
Oettinger designed a 16v cylinder head for the VW engines long before VW itself made a 16v head and did not participate in the latter’s design. The Oettinger head, on a VW 1.8L made about 150hp, compared to the VW-designed 1.8L 16v at 123.
The genuine VW 16v engines appeared in the US in mid-1986 in the Scirocco, followed by the GTIs and GLIs the next year.
I recall years ago reading about a VW official criticizing the Oettinger head’s “square combustion chambers”, and some other engine guru pointing out the “lazy engineering” of the VW unit’s valve angles– in particular, the vertically-positioned exhaust valves.
Looking at HP/L, the power proof appears in the proverbial pudding.
Counterintuitively, it’s better to be a square than to stand tall.
Definitely a swap on this one!! Missing 16V body cladding.
Clean Rocco though!!
I have owned a few 16V Sciroccos and they are a blast to drive!!
I wonder if a white Starsky and Hutch stripe down the sides would help it sell? 😝😜😝