Weekend Edition – Two-Liter Scorpio & Three-Liter Lupo

Antti Kautonen

/comment

Comments

lupo_scorpio_3

Lightening John’s weekend workload with a post of two German machines from the opposide ends of the spectrum, shot just a couple of streetcorners away from each other; a 1990 Ford Scorpio and a 2003 Volkswagen Lupo 3L TDI join the ranks of cars posted from my Jakobstad camera run.

lupo_scorpio_2

Am I correct in saying the Merkur Scorpio never came in four-door saloon guise? The original Ford Scorpio did, and the trunk on that one is formidable size. For some reason, I really like seeing Scorpios like this, even if they’re quite ordinary-looking. The car here has the regular 2.0-litre four, and pretty much the sole noteworthy thing about the specimen is that the rear window has a huge, wide sticker proclaiming its anti-lock brakes.

lupo_scorpio

The Volkswagen Lupo, then, is quite a bit smaller than the kingsize Scorpio. While the Ford consists about 33% of rear overhang, the Lupo practically has none.

lupo_scorpio_1

Lupos weren’t part of the official VW import program here, so all of them have swam here independently later on. A large number of those are 3L TDI:s like this one, and the 3L really doesn’t refer to the engine size. Apparently, you can manage 100km with only three liters of diesel fuel with this, or 78,4 mpg – quite a feat. The 1.2 turbodiesel is coupled with an eco-minded automatic gearbox.

On this car, note the moose whistles on the mirrors. They really don’t work.

[Images: Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen]

About

Antti Kautonen

Antti Kautonen

The resident Finn of Hooniverse. Owns old Peugeots and whatnot, writes long thinkpieces on unloved cars. These two facts might be related.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

10 responses to “Weekend Edition – Two-Liter Scorpio & Three-Liter Lupo”

  1. Devin Avatar
    Devin

    Yep, the Merkur was all 5-door, all the time, presumably because they already had the Mercury Sable across the hall for someone who wanted something with a trunk.

    Reply
  2. bhtooefr Avatar
    bhtooefr

    I'd rock the Lupo, although with a change to 5W40 oil (they ran 0W30 oil in them to try to reduce engine drag, and if it's like the 4-cylinders with the exact same valvetrain, they'll eat camshafts on 0W30), and ideally a delete of the mechatronics unit on the gearbox (underneath the electronics and all, it's the same 5-speed manual gearbox that gas Lupos and Polos used, as I understand).

    Reply
    1. Battles Avatar
      Battles

      Not sure how similar the gearbox is to regular Lupos, they're pretty rare as used items.
      Car Urban Myth: Renault found out that VW were working on a three litre version of their new hatchback and rushed the mid-engined V6 Clio into production to stay competitive.
      I've also heard the same story told with the names reversed, so who knows if either version is true…

      Reply
  3. C³-Cool Cadillac Cat Avatar
    C³-Cool Cadillac Cat

    All we received here in North America was the five-door Scorpio, which I always really liked. Sat in one at I think the 1985 auto show at the Texas State Fair, and it was, compared to other vehicles of the time, downright amazing inside.
    I'll never forget the feel of the turn indicator lever.
    I'd rock a sedan, all day long. The ones which made the trip over haven't aged at all well, unfortunately.

    Reply
    1. duurtlang_ Avatar
      duurtlang_

      Neither have the ones that stayed in Europe. Not the first generation like the one picture nor the second bug eyed one. They've become rare quickly, probably because almost nobody around here likes huge old barges without a luxury badge. To a lesser extent the same happened to the other relatively well sold non-luxury barge, the Opel Omega (Cadillac Catera…). Neither the mk2 Scorpio nor the mk2 Omega were replaced when they were discontinued 10-15 years ago.

      Reply
      1. Devin Avatar
        Devin

        The bug eye Scorpio seems to be the go-to vehicle when a film or television production in Europe needs a background vehicle to wreck, strangely enough. The only car I've seen get blowed up more is the Crown Vic, and that's just because cop cars don't fare well in American action movies.

        Reply
  4. Wolfie Avatar
    Wolfie

    Moose Whistles do not work
    Profound entertainment and informative.
    Happy Sunday to all.

    Reply
  5. dr zero Avatar
    dr zero

    There is a story going around that the 3L Lupo was VW's response to Renault building a 3L Clio. The Lupo and the Clio V6 ended quite differently though.
    <img src="http://www.daham.org/16vt/projects/clio_v6/james12.jpg&quot; width=500>

    Reply
  6. Ate Up With Motor Avatar
    Ate Up With Motor

    I would be intrigued by the prospect of a Lupo GTi. As I recall, they didn't sell terribly well, but I was always entertained by the idea, plus the fact that it looked like it should come with a squeaky toy to chase.

    Reply
  7. Hatchtopia Avatar
    Hatchtopia

    Call me biased, but dear God that Scorpio looks horrible without a hatch!

    Reply