A Hot Desert Wind
What's in the box?
- 1982 Volkswagen Scirocco
- 1.7 SOHC 8-Valve engine
- Vented Discs
- Neuspeed Sport Progressives
- Boge Shocks
- Sebring Exhaust
- 15" Rota Antares
- About 100K miles
Blown Along
- Ah yes, the lovely Volkswagen Scirocco; a sight to behold. This vehicle brought forth the development of the Corrado and may once again re-enter this world as the Scirocco. It has been more than a mode of transportation. It has been the excitement, joy and love of my driving career. Sometimes, I like to think of it as the wonderful driving experience once known as that word whose spelling has slipped my mind, but you know what I mean. It is FUN.
Experience It.
- As you drop it into third, the rattles emanating from the dashboard are drowned out. The engine spins up to 3500 on the VDO's and you feel the smoothness behind the purr. Feeling the point of entry, you push off of the outside, push it into the apex, and gun the throttle on the exit. This is when you feel yourself trembling slightly as you ease off of the rack and pinion steering. Looking at the speedo, you realize that you have just doubled the speed-limit on the turn and you are having fun...
- A lot of fun. As I said earlier, the smoothness of the engine isn't apparent until it spins up to the higher RPM's. With only a 1.7 liter in there with a slightly modified exhaust, there isn't too much umph, but it's there and can be found. I also find myself getting a work-out with the man-powered steering, but it's all good. The responsiveness on the road is amazing. The car corners like it's on rails. It is AWESOME.
What more?
- The beauty of Volkswagens as with most of the German cars is the abundance of aftermarket parts. You name it, it's there. Euro headlights would be nice. Neuspeed stress and sway bars would be nice. A VR6 in the Scirocco (I hear that it fits) would be nice. Even the G60 or a Callaway Turbo would be nice. Vented, cross-drilled discs all around would be nice. Better tires would be nice. It's all there. You might want to see it as a sleeper sports car with good gas mileage. It can move.
Problems
- There are a few problems I think are inherent in most of the Sciroccos.
- When taking hard right turns with less than half a tank of gas, the engine cuts out but restarts itself. It's a problem with the fuel pickup. The gas runs to the left side of the tank and it seems that the pickup isn't on that side.
- Electrical problems. The stock Volkswagen grounding cables are pretty thin and should be replaced or reinforced. The bad grounding causes some electrical problems such as premature battery aging (the alternator isn't charging the battery efficiently... New Dimensions sells kits that are quite easy to install that fix this problem.
- Cooling problems. I find myself always filling the radiator. This is just due to old age, mainly. Probably a few leaks or maybe a bad thermostat. Tried replacing the thermostat, but not much luck.
Go to the Scirocco Home Page
Go to New Dimensions
Go back to Evance's Home Page