The Volkswagen Scirocco was a clean design when it was originally launched, and in my mind is even cleaner today. The pretty simplicity of the design really sets it apart from the more recent offerings from pretty much every car manufacturer. While the Scirocco was never intended to be a race car or scorch you with light-your-hair-on-fire performance it is a neat package that combined a pretty Italian design with reliable German underpinnings. Three decades on, finding these cars in any state is pretty rare – but especially rare in the state we find this 1981 Scirocco today:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Volkswagen Scirocco on VWVortex.com
Year: 1981
Model: Scirocco
Engine: 1.7 liter inline-4
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 77,000 mi
Price: $9,500
Hi guys,
I just got the car, after searching for more than 15 years… sadly also lost my job… so need to thin out the herd.
Original paint (sand metallic), 125k km (just about 77k miles).
I have all of the maintenance records since new.
Original bill of sale, Owners Manual and Warranty booklet as well as the dealer brochure (Canadian).
Just completed full tuneup and timing belt change.
Drives like new.Asking $9500… here are few pics:
Though not a tremendous amount of detail is offered on the overall current running condition of the car, it certainly looks pretty impressive and like a time capsule. Beige metallic over tan cloth probably wouldn’t be everyone’s first choice, but it’s not as if these cars are plentiful and the condition is very impressive for older Volkswagen paint. The original alloys are there and look neat – if painfully small, right down to the spare wheel secured in the trunk. From the images presented, critically no rust is showing and this looks like a dry car. As a survivor and now show quality driver, they just don’t turn up in this condition often. We’ve seen some pretty incredible prices turn up on second generation Sciroccos in the past few months, as well as a few high-teen A1 GTis. The last first generation Scirocco we wrote up turned $7,800 at auction and wasn’t original – making this car’s asking price of $9,500 seem well within reason. Think it’s too expensive? Go find another….
-Carter
it’s not quite original if it has the 1.8l. i believe the gen 1 scirocco never got the 1.8 stock. a lot of people certainly dumped the rabbit gti motor in them, though. a very good addition in my opinion, the jump from 75hp to 90hp (only 15hp) seems small in view of today’s motors. however, the 20% increase is amazing.
Hi Peter,
That’s my mistake – correctly, I think it should have a 1.7, but I mislabeled it. I’ll correct the post – thanks for the catch and reading!
Thanks Carter, it is the original 1.7L engine (a 1981 only) not to mention 81 sported electronic ignition rather than the points from the older cars (more maintenance). BTW this car is Canadian model and therefore does not have a catalytic converter, which might be a requirement for some markets. HTH
If it’s the Canadian model then somewhere along the way the stock (and more attractive) wheels were removed, it has the original style that came with NA Sciroccos 1974-77. I owned the 1981 model, and I don’t recall the vent wings either. That and some either minor details are telling me this is a ’78 or ’79 model.
Hi John, with all due respect this was the standard wheel on all Canadian Sciroccos up to the end of production in 1981, I’ve had 4 of them BTW. I know some markets received the Tarrantula wheel, however this was not the case in Canada. Also on the Canadian cars the vent windows were standard unless the car was equipped with A/C then the car would have come with fixed vent windows. Hope this helps… BTW I also have the original Canadian Brochure where the previous owner circled the color of the car they chose. Not to mention every single maintenance bill since new. Its a big pile.
BTW the VIN is a new for 1981 17 digit string so it can not be anything but 1981.
Hope this helps