Marshall’s Mk1 Scirocco Stash

This is a story for anyone who has been told “you have too many cars” or too many projects. Whilst that might be true in relation to your storage, family or financial situation, I doubt you are on a par with Heritage customer Marshall Foulds... this guy has 20 VWs and isn’t against taking on more!

We met on the Internet

Marshall got in touch with us at the beginning of 2018, when we put out a shout for a VW Scirocco to ‘shoot for an online buyers guide. Teasing me with a photo of his ’74 and ’76 outside his house, he also let slip that he owned a few more and a seed was sewn….

“The Sky Rocket Man”

A dozen of his collection are first generation Sciroccos. Sadly only 3 of which were in a road going state when we visited, but with two up on ramps, he’s working towards increasing that number pretty soon. The driveway to his workshop is littered with old VWs and nothing could prepare us for the moment when he opened the large metal doors for the first time.

It started with one…

“I had a Mk1 Scirocco as one of my first cars, which I sold. I found out it had been scrapped a few years later; It’s buried in a field locally as it happens” he tells us. “I bought the Orange ’76 in Germany and towed it home, before restoring it. Then I missed out on an early ‘TS’ model which came up for sale. I was gutted, but my wife gave me free rein to buy any other TS’s that should come up in the future….I found one and it’s spiralled from there”.

Support and understanding

Fortunately, Marshall’s better half also enjoys the VW and classic car scene and supports his hobby 100%. He shows me to his garage where the Split Bus resides “We’re arguing over what colour to paint this at the moment, she wants blue and white and I just want blue. Every time we go to a show, we get a new idea, but neither of us can agree!” That’s a nice problem to have, I guess!

The Keeper

Whenever I meet a car collector like Marshall I pose the question “Gun to your head, which one do you keep?” He answers without a second thought “I couldn’t sell the green one. I fetched this from Germany 10 years ago. It is definitely the earliest example on the road and one of the first built, in the first year of manufacture” says Marshall. We stand around in awe of his 1974 TS model finished in Metallic Palma Green, a hue that can also be found on Porsche 914’s of the same era. It’s tricky to take it all in, having had our senses shocked by his Mk1 Scirocco stash.

The others...

As hinted above, Marshall’s collection isn’t just limited to the Giugiaro styled coupe, he also cherishes a Mk2 Scirocco, a Mk3 Scirocco, a Scirocco fronted EOS, a T5 a Mk1 Caddy, a ‘67 Beetle and a Split panel van too, oh and an SP2. That’s 20 cars in total, 4 of which are in a purpose-built garage, but due to space restrictions, he’s parked a 20ft container in front of the double doors – leaving them trapped inside, with only a side entrance to gain access.

Bodywork first

A builder by trade, Marshall prefers the reconstruction work and welding over the mechanics. He’s sourced two convertible models from the same seller in Germany and toyed with the idea of going back for a third, but couldn’t negotiate the right deal. Prior to this, Marshall had already imported the green ’74 which was in original condition, with only one owner from new and the orange ’76 from a scrap-yard in Germany, which he brought back from the dead. “I’ve got an amazing friend who does all the mechanics for me, he needs to come back in and finish off the Viper green one up there, then that’s ready for paint”

Heritage Customer

Marshall’s been buying from us for quite a while and we’ve supplied him panels for most of his projects. Pointing at the ’76 above the SP2 he lists “rear corners, sills and floorpans on that car”. I question the floor pans “are they the same as Mk1 Golf?” “They fit the same” Marshall tells me “It’s just the pressing pattern that is different”. That’s something well worth knowing if you’re shopping for Mk1 Scirocco parts.

No need to sell

Despite saying the ’74 is a keeper, Marshall has also turned down a few very generous offers for his Nepal Orange 1100cc example too. “I don’t need to sell it and I love the colour” he tells me. Moving forward, I ask what’s next …“There’s three houses going where the workshop is, so I’ll have to move a few about” he says matter-of-factly. “If I tidy the garage at home I’ll get another one in and I’ll probably make a big car port too on the back too...” Even with the prospect of losing this wonderful workshop, Marshall isn’t fazed or considering downsizing his collection. We look forward to catching up again in the future, maybe he'll have a few more to show us too... Andy