Volkswagen Scirocco II

Even before the Golf, the Volkswagen Scirocco heralded Volkswagen's new design style. The second generation of this elegant and sporty iconic design is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the Autostadt's ZeitHaus presents a very special second generation model as its October Classic of the Month: the Volkswagen Scirocco II GTX 16V.

With its streamlined design and state-of-the-art technology such as a transverse engine, front wheel drive and chassis, the Scirocco I turned the motoring market upside down. The iconic coupé soon became known as Volkswagen's "fun car" for the younger generation and proved extremely popular, with more than 500,000 sold worldwide. In March 1981, the second generation of the elegant and somewhat stark looking 2+2 seater was launched on the market; most of the technology remained unaltered. There were some differences, compared to its predecessor: The second generation was equipped with a four-valve, rather than a two-valve cylinder engine, and also featured an aerodynamically efficient "Kamm tail" and a rear spoiler. The Volkswagen design studio also gave the Scirocco II a new body design. Both models, the Scirocco I and II, were manufactured by Karmann in Osnabrück.