The Volkswagen Scirocco was created in 1974 to replace the Karmann Ghia. It was introduced to the United States in 1975. Designated internally by Volkswagen as Type 53, the Scirocco retained its initial body style until 1981. 1982 featured a dramatic restyling of the Scirocco (Type 53B or MkII) with rounded body style, though it featured the same A1 chassis (shared with the VW Rabbit and early VW Jetta). The Scirocco's emphasis was sporting luxury, and options included leather interior, power windows and side view mirrors, air conditioning, sunroof, and other amenities. Engines in the MkI models ranged from 1.5 L to 1.7 L four-cylinder 8-valve designs, while the MkII had 1.7 and 1.8 L 8-valve engines and the later Scirocco 16v had a 1.8 L 16-valve engine with enhanced performance. A mid-cycle redesign ocurred in 1984, with few outward body changes; the more significant changes were from a full-size spare tire to a space-saver with an accompanying increase in size of the previously 10.5 gallon fuel tank, and a change to a larger rear spoiler. Sale of the MKII Sciroccos continued until 1988 in the United States, 1989 in Canada, and 1992 in Germany, and was replaced by the Volkswagen VW Corrado.
Like the smaller Golf, the Scirocco was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. However, the 1982 redesign was done in-house by VW.
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