Volkswagen Scirocco 16V
By any measure, the 1980s were a watershed decade. From the political (Ronald Reagan's presidency, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the Tiananmen Square demonstrations) to the cultural (Gordon Gekko, the rise of hair bands, Michael J. Fox's astonishing ascent as matinee idol) to the delightfully absurd (Miami Vice, jelly shoes, astonishgly hairsprayed bangs, Van Halen's shifting lineup, Alf), the 1980s have left an indelible mark on the world in which we live. A weird mark, to be sure, but an indelible one.
So, of all the touchstone events of the 1980s, of all the impactful developments of that wild decade, what was the most significant of them all? Well, that's easy--the mass-market introduction of the 16-valve four-cylinder engine.
Okay, so maybe that's a little over the top--16-valve engines weren't more important than Alf. But if you'll bear with me, I'll explain why I feel this way. Don't worry, I'll try not to get too technical.
The key is this--most engines made in the 1980s and before had two valves per cylinder, one to bring in air and fuel, and another to exhaust the combusted air and fuel. Because the optimal position of the spark plug in the cylinder is in the middle, a two-valve setup results in two big valves that squeeze in on either side of the spark plug and a lot of wasted space. With four smaller valves instead of two, two each for intake and exhaust, the total area of the valves can be increased while keeping the valves themselves small. The benefits are more power, better efficiency, and engines that rev more eagerly.
Okay, enough theory. Before and during the 1980s, most four-cylinder engines were fortunate to exceed 100 horsepower--they were also generally ill-tempered, buzzy, and gutless. Most four-cylinders were lackluster lumps of metal, automotive hair shirts that saved gas at the expense of massive irritation.
Today's four-cylinder engines power virtually every kind of vehicle--economy cars, family sedans, sports cars, and even SUVs. Today's high-performance four-cylinders are bona fide horsepower superstars, but even run-of-the mill family car four-cylinders generate more horsepower than V-8s did in the 1980s, all while consuming dramatically less gas.
The difference between then and now? Today's engines certainly benefit from computerized engine management systems and turbos help out on some cars, but the common foundation is the 16-valve head. The idea isn't new--the highly tweaked Chevrolet Cosworth Vega is just one high-profile example of a 16-valve engine made before the 1980s--but when the decade began this technology was still considered exotic. By the late 1980s, 16-valve fours were at the leading edge of that decade's performance boom. By the 1990s, 16-valve engines were ubiquitous and today the majority of engines, four cylinder or otherwise, sport four-valve-per-cylinder heads.
Volkswagen was among the earliest to push these controlled substances in bulk to a rabidly eager enthusiast marketplace. Thanks to its original 8-valve GTI and Scirocco, Volkswagen already had a small but fierce performance following in the 1980s. Given the excellence of even those underpowered cars, the potential addition of an exotic, high-revving, high-horsepower 16-valve four inspired manic anticipation. The GTI 16V was a nice piece and re-established the GTI at the top of the hot hatch pecking order, but the really remarkable transformation came on behalf of the Scirocco.
The second-generation Scirocco was already a nice sports coupe--a slicker, more substantial, more rounded update of its sharply-creased origami progenitor. Suddenly, with a powerhouse 16V engine, gold BBS wheels, and high-class interior, the sporty Scirocco morphed into a 1980s automotive action hero--an upscale and powerful grand tourer and priced accordingly.
Even today, the 16V Scirocco impresses. The power level is no longer as revolutionary as it once was, but the power level is still modern. Figures of 123 horsepower and 8-second runs from 0-60 don't sound particularly amazing today but were respectable for the time--the Scirocco 16V was as quick as a Porsche 944. More importantly, the 16V engine feels and sounds great, giving a nice snarl as it shoves the car around. The exterior detailing might be a bit dated, but in contrast with today's extremes of overdone and dull, the Scirocco's basic smoothed wedge shape is still lovely in both profile and execution.
Unfortunately, the Scirocco 16V was only produced in a limited run for the U.S.--between the 1986.5 and 1988 model years. Thanks to the 16V Scirocco's combination of rarity and dynamic prowess, nice used 16V Sciroccos are much coveted and eye-wateringly expensive. That's too bad, but at least we can all benefit from the good news--nearly every four-cylinder car has a 16V engine. Power to the people, indeed.
The gorgeous silver 16V Scirocco pictured above belongs to Jan Folkson and was spotted in the photo gallery of Scirocco.org. The red Scirocco came from the same site, but with an unknown owner. The two remaining pictures come from Flickr; the nice juxtaposition of the two Scirocco 16V derrieres comes from Flickr user cybertect, while the stunning sunset silhouette comes from Flickr user Andrew Holliday.
Besides Scirocco.org, another fantastic resource is DriversFound.com, which has original Scirocco dealer brochures and dealer videos. Login and download of the videos is required before viewing, but for anybody who loves or loathes Chris Economaki those dealer videos are great fun.
--Chris H.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on October 24, 2008 at 07:21 AM
SP, you are exactly right. My wife's Mazda 5 has a four-valve 4-cylinder with VVT that makes 153 HP. My GTI has a four-valve turbo 4-cylinder that makes 200 HP. Both are lighter and more efficient than the V-6 in my old Monza wagon a generation ago that made a whopping 90 HP.
Mochi Mochi on October 24, 2008 at 03:40 PM
Steaming Pile: "I'd buy another '91 Civic hatchback".
Right there with you buddy.
Brian on October 24, 2008 at 04:49 PM
Chris:
Your links to the scirocco 8-valve and GTI both point to the cosworth Vega, FYI. As a fan of fine German engineering I can't help but rave on the Scirocco 16-valve. It looks fantastic. Slightly retro, which is awesome, and very practical, as a good VW should be. I certainly get the Porsche 944 analogy there, I think it's a similar evolutionary design step from the 924 to the 944, though the 944 didn't have 16 valve engines until 1986. If only we could get something like this from U.S. automakers in 2008!
Chris Hafner on October 27, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Brian: "Your links to the scirocco 8-valve and GTI both point to the cosworth Vega, FYI"
Ah, geez. Thanks for the heads-up - should be fixed shortly.
Sarah Are on October 28, 2008 at 05:10 AM
wow! how I love readingabout cars. I agree that the Scriocco 16 valve is fantastic. my father used to own one and now I'm in the process of getting my own. I just love them!
stevengray on October 16, 2011 at 03:21 AM
I had an '88 Scirocco 16v in 1991.
At 24,000 miles the dashboard rattled and vibrated like a semi-trucks
i was told the motor mounts tended to fail on these cars
and being more money than i wanted to pay to fix the car with such low miles, so I sold it.
I did love it though, it was very cool
Did any of you have similiar issues?
B Stewart on October 22, 2011 at 11:45 AM
Can I use regular anti freese in my 88 Scirocco?
Nigel on February 05, 2012 at 02:53 PM
"I had an '88 Scirocco 16v in 1991.
At 24,000 miles the dashboard rattled and vibrated like a semi-trucks
i was told the motor mounts tended to fail on these cars
and being more money than i wanted to pay to fix the car with such low miles, so I sold it.
I did love it though, it was very cool
Did any of you have similiar issues?"
Dude these cars are so easy to work on and even with a newer engine in my mk1 the parts are cheap as hell
All 4 motor mounts are less than 30 dollars and take a hour or 2 to change saving me several hundred dollars from paying some idiot who doesn't know my car like I do.
The most awesome thing about these cars was the ease of working on them, I changed a transmission in a hour and a half with the engine still in the car.
All of these cars require care it's just a matter of someone learning to work on em or not.
I'm on my 3rd scirocco and I've driven across country many times happily in these cars
Nigel on February 05, 2012 at 02:59 PM
Oh yeah the dash is only 4 bolts you could have tightened it and stopped the shaking
and 24000 miles was mint of a find. Considering motor mounts don't fail until 80000 or even 100000 miles
And the motor isn't totally worn in until 100,000
The mk1 with a 2 liter will embarrass a wrx sti, anniversary corvette, bmw, newer Porsches and audis
Don't talk crap because Ive done it and it felt exhilarating to burn some Guido pricks in their macho machines