Economy and responsibility are great traits for a car to have, especially if you’re the kind who doesn’t like to go far or fast, and views transportation equipment as an appliance. For those with that attitude, the Automotive Dark Ages really weren’t that much of a letdown. Uninspiring econoboxes with poor drivability and no style wouldn’t, and didn’t, bother them at all. It showed in the bulk of the products on offer in those days, too.
However, for those who wanted some joy out of their driving, something more was needed. Sure, muscle cars were dead, but there’s a lot of wiggle room between an SD-455 T/A and an Omni hatchback. Thus, the sporty economy car was born to fill this gap. One of the earlier attempts to put some lipstick on some pigs, at least metaphorically, was the tarted-up Rabbit/Golf known as the VW Scirocco. This sporty hatch showed you could be responsible and fun at the same time.
Amazingly, Round 2 repopped the AMT Scirocco a few years ago. However, about the same time, I snared an original for cheap at a local model show. Check out this interesting little kit at the link below:
https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/amt-1-25-1976-volkswagen-scirocco-oob/
