Buying Guide: The rakish VW Scirocco MkII
Coupés were big business in the 1980s, and the Scirocco was one of the very best. Despite this, it has a surprisingly low profile – here’s how to grab a good example while prices are still low
‘A handful of 16-valvers made it to the UK from Europe’
The original Volkswagen Scirocco of 1974 was much admired for its svelte Giugiaro-penned lines, but by the time a heavily revised model appeared almost a decade later it was long overdue; a more refined, better packaged car was desperately needed and the Scirocco MkII didn’t disappoint.
Now, a quarter of a century after the final MkII was made, the model has started to fade into obscurity, even though the name is still a part of the current VW range. While the Scirocco enjoys a cult following, the German coupé has a lower profile than many more established classics so values are still ridiculously low, although good, unmolested examples can be hard to find.
The Scirocco is one of those cars that will become almost extinct at some point – and only then will classic car fans who may have been considering buying one realise that it’s too late. If you want practicality, style and strength in one affordable package, then few cars deliver like the MkII. Less rust-prone than its predecessor, the second generation Scirocco is also completely usable in the cut and thrust of modern traffic. For everyday use, it’s best to seek out something with an injected 1.8-litre engine; UK cars got only an eight-valve version of this but European buyers were offered a 16-valver too, a handful of which made their way here. While some Scirocco MkII s are now cherished – and as a result have cash lavished upon them – there are many examples out there that are hanging on by a thread. And although any Scirocco will go twice round the clock if it’s looked after properly, many have been heavily abused over the years and more still have been clocked. Try to buy a car with a thick history file and cherish it, because survivors are getting rare.