Story Mike Spicer
Photos Mike Spicer and Volkswagen AG Media Archives
Volkswagen Mk1 Sciroccos have all but disappeared from the automotive landscape. Every once in a while, one will pop up on a car auction website hosting a flood of stories filled with love and nostalgia. I attend many car events and unless it’s a Volkswagen specific event you have a better chance of seeing Bigfoot in the wild than seeing a Volkswagen Scirocco Mk1.
In 1983, I was fortunate to have as my first car a Sand Metallic (Gold) Volkswagen Scirocco Mk1 with a factory sunroof. I didn’t realize then that the sporty driving experience was so unique to these cars. I just fell in love with the car as it subconsciously became part of my DNA.
Fast forward to present day. While bouncing around the Internet looking at cars, a gold Sirocco Mk1 catches my eye. With the old passion freshly reignited, I take a deeper look and find that it’s the exact color, year, and model that I had back in the day, complete with the factory sunroof! This is too good to be true so I proceed with skepticism as I don’t want to set myself up for an emotional letdown.
In communicating with the owner, I discover that he bought the car new and has loved it ever since. Buying an old car is like an adoption so I talked with him all summer, collecting information on the car when his busy schedule allowed. Normally time kills deals and to be honest, part of me questioned whether I needed to go back in time and relive my youth with this car . . . but then I pulled the trigger.
Driving this car felt like finding an old baseball glove that fit perfectly. All of the years I spent driving one around quickly came to the surface. I knew I was attracted to Sciroccos but had no idea that driving one again would elicit such a strong emotional experience. I was warmed deep inside.
The first thing I do when I get an old car is stand back and let its personality sink in for a few months. I look for its heart and soul to get the full picture before I do anything to it. An earlier version of myself would just dive in, erasing all of the car’s history in trying to make it new, which is a very common approach. I have been down that road and have since learned to appreciate a car’s history wrapped up in the metal, glass, and rubber.
Approaching restoration is different for every car. It’s important to identify how you intend to use it. Being sensitive to this I started with the mechanicals, replacing anything neglected or out of order. The car had spent its life in Michigan where they salt the roads, but fortunately it was nicely protected with an undercoating. Some of the wheel arches and lower body panels were affected by rust so I had my painter correct the rust spots and respray the car. He told me when he was done how surprisingly solid the car was. This purchase was motivated mostly by emotion, not logic, so when he said that I breathed a sigh of relief.
Having driven a wide spectrum of cars over the years I’m not sure if the enjoyment of piloting this one comes from the sheer fact you don’t see them anymore or the deeply ingrained passion from my youth. Whatever the reason, the Volkswagen Scirocco Mk1 is a driving experience that stands alone.
