Hot Cars

Volkswagen Reveals The Scirocco Concept

August 27, 2006 on 3:29 am | In Sports Cars |

Volkswagen has revealed its Iroc sports car concept at a special event in Berlin. The Iroc marks the return of the Scirocco, Volkswagen’s iconic sports coupe, which made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show 33 years ago.

Even in color, with its Viper Green metallic paint, the Iroc harks back to the Scirocco, where this exact shade was available in the 1976 model range. The Iroc has distinctive dimensions, with a very long roof and steeply sloping rear, which not only gives it an aggressive and sporting appearance, it also liberates space in the back for two adults plus luggage.

In size, the Iroc is slightly longer (1.4 inch) than the Golf, measuring 165.4 inches and 2 inches wider at 70.2 inches. Its wheelbase is over 4 inches longer than that of the Golf at 104.5 inches; however with its squat coupe-like stance, it is 3 inches shorter at 54.6 inches. The Iroc has 19″ alloy wheels.

The design of the Iroc is distinctive and eye-catching. It uses a Volkswagen ‘face’ which is not yet common to other vehicles in the range, though the honeycomb-shaped structure of the radiator grille is undoubtedly a link to the GTI. Another notable feature is the lack of obvious A pillars, due to the wide windscreen which overlaps them at the front.

Inside, the Iroc has four seats, as well as a spacious boot of 300 liters, which can be increased if the rear seats are folded down. Despite this practicality, the Iroc has been clearly designed inside as a sports car, with features such as front bucket seats and integrated five-point seat belts with central buckle.

Most distinctive, however, are the gauges and controls in the Iroc’s cabin. Two large and newly-designed round instruments form the visual centre of the cockpit. The driver looks into two cylinders with twelve illuminated bars which create a three dimensional segmentation within the instruments.

Under the bonnet, the Iroc features Volkswagen’s ground-breaking TSI petrol technology, which uses a turbocharger and a supercharger to produce diesel-like consumption with impressive performance. Designed to maximize driving fun, the concept has a 210 bhp TSI engine, but a range of TSIs, starting from under 150 bhp, are also feasible.

The Scirocco was a huge success for Volkswagen, with over half a million examples of the Giugiaro-designed first generation produced.