The second generationWork began in 1979 to upgrade the original Giugiaro Scirocco. Herbert Schafer's in-house VW design group came up with a design that was approved in 1980. The second generation was 6.5 inches longer than the first and smoother, rounder and more aerodynamic, but was clearly recognizable as a Scirocco. It was an attractive car, more grown-up in appearance than the cheeky and cheerful original. The new Scirocco was introduced to the public at the 1981 Geneva auto show and came to the U.S. market in 1982. Its new 1,715cc produced 74 bhp at 5000 rpm, which didn't make the new car any quicker than the old one, but it was more refined and roomier.
Second generation models1983-1986-In 1983, a 1,780cc engine with 90 hp finally gave the Scirocco some much needed performance. Zero to 60 mph times fell to 10.7 seconds and top speed rose to 110 mph. Fuel economies of 30 miles per gallon were easily possible. The bad news was that the competition from Japan, notably the Honda Prelude and Toyota Celica, were doing the sport coupe that much better, and at a lower price. In 1984, the Wolfsburg Limited Edition came with 14-inch alloy wheels and larger tires, but something more drastic was needed if the Scirocco was going to stay in the game.
1986-1988-At the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show, Volkswagen had shown a 16-valve four-cylinder engine with a single overhead camshaft. By 1984, the 16-valve engine had become a twin-cam design. In a departure from most twin-cam, four-valves-per-cylinder engines, the VW engine had its exhaust valves placed vertically, while the intake valves were placed at a 25-degree angle from vertical. This allowed the cylinder head to be relatively narrow while still keeping the spark plug at the center of the combustion chamber for maximum efficiency. The exhaust valves were sodium-filled for better heat dissipation. Hydraulic valve lifters were fitted to reduce noise and for maintenance requirements. For improved reliability in hard use, the 16-valve Volkswagen engine had oil jets to spray cooling oil against the underside of the piston crowns. This required a higher capacity oil pump for the 16-valve engine. The new engine developed 123 bhp at 5800 rpm and 120 lb-ft of torque at 4250 rpm.
The Scirocco 16V accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds, faster than such highly regarded machinery as the Mazda RX-7 and Porsche 944. Ventilated disc brakes were used up front and solid discs replaced the drums at the rear. Tires were 185/70 HR14 sizes on 6-inch alloy wheels. There were front and rear spoilers and skirts on the lower body sides, while a distinctive "stinger" radio antenna was placed on the back part of the roof and angled backward. The Scirocco 16V was finally all that VW could make it and all that its seductive yet aggressive shape promised it would be. The 8-valve version was still available, but unfortunately neither were strong sellers and the Scirocco ended production in 1988, replaced by the more aggressively styled Corrado.
Scirocco in motorsportsUp until the appearance of the Golf and Scirocco in the mid '70s, Volkswagen had no real official interest in racing and motorsports. The Beetle wasn't particularly suited to the race track, but the new watercooled cars were. In the United States, motorsports manager Jo Hoppen created the Bilstein Cup racing series in 1976 and 1977 for slightly modified Sciroccos. The series was very successful in building a high performance image for VW in North America and for the Scirocco. The Bilstein Cup changed to Rabbit models in 1978, but the seeds had been sown. Numerous amateur road racers in America, impressed by the robust strength and tuning potential of the Scirocco, along with its excellent handling, built cars to compete in every level of racing. The cars were popular in Showroom Stock competition and endurance racing when they were new and remain a popular choice for the slightly more modified Improved Touring classes today, even though some of the cars are now older than their drivers.