New VW Scirocco Spied on the Road

Here are photos of the the new VW Scirocco. Debuting as the IROC Concept sports coupe at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, the concept car’s name, IROC, is taken from the middle letters of the name Scirocco. The new Scirocco is expected to keep the bold, aggressive look of the IROC. During the IROC's debut VW noted that a production model was planned to follow. Now these latest photos from Death Valley capture a prototype of the new coupe as it undergoes hot weather testing. Under the skin, the Scirocco will share the powertrain and platform of the Volkswagen Eos convertible.

The Scirocco is a revival of the sporty hatchback coupe that Volkswagen sold in Europe from 1975 to 1991 and in the US until 1988. During that time, the Scirocco went through two model generations and now, 20 years later, maintains a dedicated cult following.

The successor of the Scirocco was the short lived Corrado from 1992 to 1996. The Corrado was an excellent car but its high price tag during a time when consumers weren't responding to small sport coupes caused VW execs to kill it prematurely. Now, with the success of the GTI and Golf R32, VW feels the time is right to bring back such a vehicle. VW had stated they had no plans to bring the Scirocco to the States, but since the car is testing on US soil, hopefully, they have changed their minds.