Volkswagen Scirocco GL Automatic

Click Here for Full Screen Image - Click Here to Download Image

Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro and named after a fierce desert wind, the 1974 Scirocco was based on the platform of the outstanding Golf MkI but actually came out six months prior to its less sporting sibling so that VW would have chance to iron out any teething problems before production of the high-volume hatchback started.

With sleek coupe styling and fine chassis dynamics, the Scirocco was aimed squarely at the man about town and came with a range of engines from a rather underwhelming 60bhp 1.1-litre to, eventually, a much more satisfying 139bhp 16v 1.8-litre, the latter capable of sprinting to 60mph in under 8 seconds with a top speed of 129mph – mighty impressive for its day.

The Mk2 version, as here, came out in 1981 and although it was not quite as sharp looking as its forebear, it was an even more accomplished motorcar with superb build quality and a reputation for utter reliability that VW still trades on to this day. Never a high-volume car, Scirocco production was always outsourced to the craftsmen at Karmann in Osnabruck rather than to the robots at VW in Wolfsburg.

This 1983 Scirocco 1.6 GL Automatic has had only two owners from new but has been in the vendor’s possession for virtually all of its life as he bought it 29 years ago when it was just a couple of years old. Always meticulously maintained, the car comes with a good service history including two well-stamped up service books and many supporting invoices which chart its 65,300 miles to date.

In addition, the mature owner has kept a detailed log of mileage covered and petrol consumed throughout his entire ownership (a habit that speaks volumes about his relationship with the car and reminds your cataloguer of his own dear granddad who did precisely the same thing with his faithful Triumph Toledo, of which he was inordinately proud and which was strictly off-limits to the sticky fingers of his wayward grandson).

Never raced or rallied, the car is said to remain in generally good condition throughout (barring a few minor scuffs and paintwork blemishes that even the most careful motorist is wont to pick up over three decades, especially when he lives in London). Fitted with a Weber manual choke conversion in place of the temperamental auto-choke in 2003, the car is reported to run and drive well with an MOT until November 2015 and is supplied with the original driver’s handbook.

Little used in recent times due to the advancing years of the vendor, he is now more concerned that it should go to a caring new owner than raise any particular sum of money, so please only bid if you have a good home for this much-cherished machine to go to (and can keep it safe from sticky fingers).

A fine-handling driver’s car with everyday practicality as standard, this loyal VW will be sorely missed by its long-term owner. It has been delivered to Brightwells from London by low loader as the owner no longer feels up to such a long journey nor, we suspect, does he trust himself to retain his equilibrium at the moment of separation...