Cammisa Schools Leno on the Finer Points of the VW Scirocco

YouTube/Jay Leno's Garage

Few people are as knowledgeable about automobiles and their unique driving characteristics than Jay Leno, so it’s a rare occurrence when he needs help to “fill in a gap.” In the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Jay decides it’s high time to learn about the Volkswagen Scirocco. And who better to school Jay than award-winning automotive journalist, YouTube host, and Scirocco aficionado Jason Cammisa?

The question is, what took him so long to take one for a spin? As Jay explains, he was pretty busy building his comedy career in the 1980s and had little interest in most Volkswagens at the time. In fact, he’d just purchased a year-old 1986 Lamborghini Countach for $70,000, which “seemed like crazy money at the time … I was so captivated by that whole Italian thing and Ford Cobras, so Scirocco just seemed like a regular car.”

Volkswagen VW Scirroco Jay Leno Jason Cammisa front three quarter
YouTube/Jay Leno's Garage

Cammisa admits that it is—and isn’t. The knowledgeable and hilarious host of three Hagerty YouTube seriesIcons, Know It All, and Revelations, where he has racked up more than 450 million views—has owned his 1987 Scirocco 16-valve since 1997. He went to high school in Germany and was a fan of German cars, but he knew nothing about Sciroccos. He wanted a Golf. But when his father “kind of reneged” on a promise to buy him a car in college, he used his dad’s credit card—designated for emergencies—to buy this second-gen Scirocco for $1500 (in the U.S.).

Somehow, he survived his father’s wrath and never let go of the car.

Volkswagen VW Scirroco Jay Leno Jason Cammisa side
YouTube/Jay Leno's Garage

“I’ve driven literally thousands of cars for work, basically everything in production for the last 30 years, and this is still the one that makes me laugh the most,” he says, “which is weird because it shouldn’t. It’s a common car for common people.”

“And you were pretty common, as I remember,” Jay says.

“I still am,” Jason admits. “Trash, complete trash.”

“To me, Volkswagen was always nice, and there was a cute aspect to the Bug and the hippie van and all that kind of stuff,” Jay says. “And then the next gen, the Rabbit, didn’t do much for me. And I didn’t pay much attention to the Golf. The Scirocco just seemed like another version, but it’s not. This is much more sophisticated.”

Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro and bodied by Karmann, this Scirocco began its life with a 1.8-liter, 123-horsepower four-cylinder engine mated to a manual five-speed transmission. It still has that gearbox, but it is now powered by a 2.0-liter with European cams and intake, which boosted horsepower to 170.

Volkswagen VW Scirroco Jay Leno Jason Cammisa Karmann detail
YouTube/Jay Leno's Garage

“This is a Mark II Scirocco, but it’s the same exact platform underneath,” Jason says. “And the Scirocco was a first-gen GTI—the original Golf GTI with a lower roof.”

Jason dives even deeper into the car’s styling and lineage. “Look at the rear window … this looks to me like a BMW Hofmeister kink,” he says, then continues to explain some of the car’s finer points. When Jason is finished, Jay says, “More information than I wanted to know, but that’s OK.”

Cammisa is undeterred. “This was the last of the A-1 chassis, so it got all the things the original GTI never got, like power steering, four-wheel discs, 16 valves …”

Jay is clearly trying to figure out exactly why this car is priceless to Cammisa.

“You bought it when you didn’t know what it was, and then you fell in love with it. So it’s like imprinting on a goose. The first thing you see when you open your eyes, that’s your parents. If you were driven home in a ’71 Pinto, would that have … ?”

“Nooooo,” Jason says, emphatically. There’s more to it than that. The thing “weighs 2356 (pounds) and has enough power to have fun. It loves to be sideways.”

Volkswagen VW Scirroco Jay Leno Jason Cammisa front
YouTube/Jay Leno's Garage

Cammisa even shipped it to Germany and cut it loose on the Autobahn. Top speed: 135 mph, “which is horrifying. Don’t do it.”

The car is also a rare sight on the West Coast, Jason says.

“In 15 years of living in California, I’ve seen two Scirocco 16-valves on the road. You just don’t see them. They were fast and cheap, and they snap oversteer. Fast, cheap, and sideways means tree. So they’re all gone. It’s been a challenge to keep this one [on the road].”

Volkswagen VW Scirroco Jay Leno Jason Cammisa rear three quarter
YouTube/Jay Leno's Garage

Jay asks, “Is this a car you’re keeping your whole life?”

“This is it,” Jason says. “No. 1. Bury me in it.”

Offered the chance to find out if the Sirocco is everything that Cammissa says it is, Jay slides behind the wheel and turns the key. Did he enjoy driving it? Check out the last half of the show to see the verdict, but you can be sure that Jay’s knowledge gap has been properly filled.

 

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Comments

    This video just made me smile the whole time Jay was driving. I love the fact that he is a real deal car guy.

    I had a ’79 MK1 German spec model that I bought used (3 years old, low Kms on the odometer) while stationed in Germany. Great car that held its own on the Autobahn but really shined on the other, typically excellent German and European roads (including a memorable trip to West Berlin via the East German Autobahn under the restrictive US-Soviet control regime). At any rate, a great driver all around. Mechanically very reliable, but it did suffer from some rust issues (front fender/wheel wells) at an early age, though. Enjoyed the video.

    I owned a ’77 with fuel injection, bought with about 60k miles. Just loved it, especially the motor which just kept on pulling hard well past 100, although I never tested top speed which is not so easy in the SF Bay area. I remember one memorable trip up hwy 101 to go camping in the redwoods, left SF about 11 pm and assigned my friends observation duties – one to look up each on ramp we passed, one to look at the opposite side of the freeway where possible, and I would examine the road ahead and all overpasses for law enforcement. We made it to the redwoods in record time, after getting through the north bay it was 85-95mph the whole way. Trusty Scirocco didn’t miss a beat, and more left in it, if I wanted. Only real drawback was the starter mounted under the exhaust manifold, which eventually cooked the solenoid. Had to make and install a heat shield. Engine was a gem!

    I guess I’m the sick one. I had a Mk1 and a Mk2 Scirocco. Rust killed them, I lived in salty Toronto at the time. Now I still have my ‘90 Corrado. Bought new with the nasty G60. Now it’s a 2lt 16 valve turbo. It’s my forever car along with a Mk6 GTI and a Mk7 R. See, sick. Regular maintenance seems to keep these VW’s going, I sold my Mk2 S with 300+ kms to a friend who kept it for another 3 yrs until it became too rusty. So far the 6 & 7 are rust free but I live in somewhat rust free Alberta.

    I love the segment on it Volkswagen scirocco my very first car was a 1982 Volkswagen scirocco my second car was a 1984 scirocco the first one was that presenting Brown metallic and the second was that beautiful several server metallic I love them I wish Volkswagen still made the scirocco and that same style but yet a little bit bigger best car I ever had thank you Jay Leno and Cassar for the segment on the Volkswagen scirocco it was a very unique automobile still stays in my head to this day.

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