AMT VW Scirocco - Dual Build

Vehicle History

The Volkswagen Scirocco stands as an enduring symbol of 1970s sport-compact design - a sleek, Italian-styled hatchback that blended everyday usability with engaging performance. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and built on Volkswagen’s front-engine, front-wheel-drive platform, the Scirocco delivered respectable performance for its era. Equipped with an overhead-cam inline-four and paired to a four-speed manual (with some markets offering a five-speed), the Scirocco could reach around 100mph and sprint to 60mph in approximately 10 seconds in the more potent trims, making it competitive with many small European sport coupes of the day.

Inside, the Scirocco’s cabin was straightforward yet purposeful, offering comfortable, well-bolstered seats and driver-focused ergonomics that mirrored its sporty intentions. The hatchback layout provided functional cargo space despite a compact footprint, though rear headroom was somewhat limited due to the car’s low, aerodynamic roofline.

Underneath, the suspension - featuring MacPherson struts up front and a twist-beam or trailing arm setup in the rear - balanced ride comfort with nimble handling, and rack-and-pinion steering gave the Scirocco a responsive feel that endeared it to drivers on both public roads and tight backroads.

While not a factory-dominant force in international motorsport, the Scirocco did find its way into competitive arenas that underscored Volkswagen’s performance aspirations. Volkswagen supported racing programs such as the Scirocco/Bilstein Cup in the mid-1970s and campaigned Trans-Am entries in the small-bore class, demonstrating the car’s potential on track. Additionally, Scirocco models competed in endurance events like the 1978 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, where privately entered Scirocco GTIs represented the marque among a diverse field of competitors.

Kit Overview

About a year ago, my dad offered up his collection of model kits for me to build - one of them being the original AMT VW Scirocco from the 70's. However, when seeing the new AMT re-release of the kit (new box art, decals and updated plastics color - see the unboxing video below), I decided I'd get that kit and build it instead. Well, that turned into a 'why don't I build his original kit first'. And then that turned into a 'let's just do a dual build!' - and here we are.

With that in mind, I started my dual build with both kits at the same time, working through each section together to not only complete both cars at the same time, but also see if there were any differences in build quality with two kits that were produced almost 50 years apart.

:: Chassis, Suspension and Engine

I started off the original build by refreshing the paint on the engine (dad had previously painted it and it was in bad shape), keeping the fuel injection rail, belt system and alternator. I opted for stock colors and added a bit of Tamiya's Panel Liner to help bring out the details. I did a bit of research on Scirocco's that were track ready and found that most of them had ditched the fuel injection for a set of dual carbs - I can't imagine those would be easy to tune but ok. So, with that, I prepped the fresh race engine with some updated paint and a set of dual carbs I pulled from a spare Datsun 240Z kit, cut down to only a pair of carbs (the Z is a 6-cylinder and had 3 dual carbs). A set of aluminum intake horns were installed for that Pro Racer look.

The chassis' are pretty simple and were painted and detailed the same. The stock car got a matching silver engine compartment while the race car got a medium grey treatment. Speaking of the engine compartment, my suggestion is to wait to install this until the you're about to put the body on the chassis. There are tabs and grooves in the chassis and 3-piece engine compartment that require a perfect fit to allow the body to sit square on the chassis - if they are off, the body is off. Assembling this all at the same time is tricky but leads to a better final fitment. Thankfully I had two cars to build so one was, unfortunately, the guinea pig...

Other than the shock 'length' (race car has shorter shocks), the suspension systems are exactly the same. Both have less-than-exciting brake discs/drums and metal rods that allow the wheels to rotate. I painted the chrome rods flat black to help hide them - came out quite good, actually.

:: Interior
I matched up the interior of the stock Scirocco based on some pictures online - flat black with light grey interior accents. I also added a bit of black flocking on the floor and rear deck cover and a simulated wood-grain dash insert. I also added the 'sport' steering wheel to the stock build.

The race version, however, got a bit more of a custom look. I sanded down the mold release 'pin' marks on the interior insert and painted it to simulate aluminum. Since most race cars remove (or replace) a lot of the interior pieces, I 3D printed new door panels and dash, adding a row of gauges add gauge decals. Those two pieces, along with a racing seat, seatbelt decals, custom steering wheel and steering column and that pain-in-the-a$$ roll cage, completed a really nice race interior.

:: Exterior
The stock ride was relatively simple - silver paint (like my dad's car), bare metal foil around the windows and door handles, flat black mirrors and bumpers and the stock wheels and tires. As usual, Panel Liner was added where a little bit of detail was needed. I found that attaching the front and rear valances to both cars prior to painting (as well as the fenders to the race car) worked great for perfect paint coverage, but also found that Tamiya's Extra Thin glue wasn't the best to hold these older plastic parts together. In the end, super (CA) glue was needed to keep everything together. Just a heads up.

For the race version, a bit of internet sleuthing found a white Scirocco with these (almost) exact decals - and man did it look good in white, so that's the livery I went with. Flat black grille, silver/gold BBS wheels and some additional stickers (aside from those that came with the kit) balanced out the look.

:: Final Thoughts
This was an exciting build for me more because our family had one of these - a semi-custom street Scirocco that was really fun to drive. I'm glad I had a chance to build both but, to tell you the truth, there's not much difference between the 1970's version and the new re-release. The build is almost exactly the same with the same 'issues', however I do like the white plastics now instead of the red.