Plans to resurrect the Eighties badge will be confirmed at next month's Paris Motor Show, when the German brand unveils a low-slung sporty four-seater coupé called the Concept S. We have discovered this model is designed to preview the Scirocco road car, as VW has given it the codename IROC!

After the Concept S makes its public debut, potential buyers will have to wait until 2008 before the roadgoing version arrives in VW main dealers here. When it does, the model will be the maker's first mid-sized coupé since the Corrado was axed in 1996.

The Scirocco is likely to have a similar face to the new Eos, and incorporate the familiar VW corporate grille.

A wide range of powerful engines is being lined up, including the new 1.4-litre turbo and supercharged TSI unit from the Golf GT. The GTI's 197bhp 2.0-litre will also be available, as will a 170bhp TDI oil-burner. A range-topping model could use the Golf R32's 3.2-litre V6 or a new 260bhp version of VW's 2.0-litre turbocharged FSI engine.

There will be a choice of either six-speed manual or DSG clutchless manual transmissions. The car is to be built on an all-new platform which will also underpin the next-generation Golf - although in the Scirocco this will be tuned to offer a more sporty drive.

Volkswagen won't sell its Scirocco hatchback in the United States, despite the popularity of the original coupe in America. VW isn't willing to risk cannibalizing sales of the GTI, says Adrian Hallmark, executive vice president of Volkswagen of America.

"It is economically suicidal for us to risk the sales volume and the potential for GTI," Hallmark told Automotive News. "We don't want it," Hallmark said of the Scirocco.

The Scirocco will have the same engine, chassis, and suspension as the GTI. It will be based closely on the Iroc Concept, which debuted in August 2006.

The market for hatchbacks isn't large enough in the United States to support another model. "The coupe/hatchback market is so small that having six different coupes and hatchbacks would be crazy," Hallmark said.

In late April, Volkswagen of America executive Adrian Hallmark said the new Scirocco hatchback would not come to the United States. "We don't want it," he said, suggesting it would cannibalize sales of the GTI. Not so fast says the home office.


Bringing the Scirocco to the United States is still a top consideration, VW spokesman Hans-Gerd Bode told AutoWeek. He said the final decision will not be made by Volkswagen of America, but rather by VW CEO Martin Winterkorn in Germany.

A final decision will come in 2008. The Scirocco would arrive in America at the end of that year, assuming VW decides to import it.

The Scirocco will have the same engine, chassis, and suspension as the GTI. It will be based closely on the Iroc Concept, which debuted in August 2006.

Volkswagen’s Scirocco will only come with force-fed measures. VW is working around the clock to prepare the car for its first public appearance at the upcoming Geneva International Motor Show. From there it will do the rounds including to shows like Paris in September and Auto Africa in Johannesburg this October. The two turbo engines to play hero in the lightweight sports car are the 1.4-litre TSI of 122 bhp/ 91kW and a TDI choice. Small turbo engines are currently the most sensible to use as they are light, yet powerful and somewhat economical compared to the bigger powerblocks.

Seven-speed DSG transmission is the logical cog to pick, because it allows for super quick changes in both automatic and semi-automatic. During heavy traffic instances it’s smooth, yet still responsive when situations change.

Expect some body-hugging sport seats, not dissimilar to the ones offered in the RS 4, RS 6 and S3, but more compact. A panoramic roof is an option for those akin to checking out the skies while they drive at 200km/h. ESP will be standard so there’s very little to fear at that level.

VW says weak dollar the "only reason" Scirocco not U.S.-bound

The 24 Hours of Nürburgring (May 24 - 25) is an endurance race of huge proportions pitting motor sports’ finest GT cars and Touring Cars against race prepped street cars. VW has announced they will compete in the 2.0-liter turbo class with three racing versions of the all new Scirocco coupe spewing 300 hp via their TFSI engine.

In support of the Scirocco market launch this autumn in Europe, VW really wants to prove that the new Scirocco is a real performance car. And what better way to prove it than enter a grueling 24 hour endurance race. On top of that, get the winning driver’s from the previous year (2.0-liter turbo class - 8th overall – with Golf GTI) plus a couple of the world’s most famous race drivers such as two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz and two-time Le Mans winner and overall Nürburgring legend, Hans-Joachim Stuck, and see what happens.

Europe is waiting in great anticipation for the new Volkswagen Scirocco which will hit showrooms this autumn. Before that time comes Volkswagen wants to underline the following point, that the Scirocco is not just a revived icon but a revived icon that can hold its own in the Green Hell. After all, thats where most VW enthusiasts will take their new Scirocco every chance they get.

Yesterday VW took the Scirocco race version to the Nurburgring for the first time, after being tested at the Spreewaldring and Oschersleben track in April. Volkswagen factory driver Dieter Depping was the lucky person to lap the (in)famous track in Germany.

Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen said: "The new Scirocco was in its element from its very first lap around the Nordschleife. The car also ran perfectly on this unique and difficult track. Now it's a just a question of preparing the three Scirocco perfectly for the race. After all, the 24-hours is a merciless test for man and machine.”

The three race Sciroccos will enter the race, the first driven by Carlos Sainz, Giniel de Villiers and Dieter Depping, the second by Jimmy Johansson, Thomas Mutsch and Francois Verbist and the third by Nurburgring legend Hans-Joachim Stuck, Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg and Bernd Ostmann.

In preparation for the 24 Hours of Nurbirgring the three teams will have a chance to practice at the four-hour endurance race at the Nurburgring in VW Golf GTI R-Line's this saturday May 10.