by Jo Borras

What you see here is the 1986 VW “Scooter” concept car, first seen at that year’s Frankfurt Auto Show. This little car – I think you’ll agree – is something really special, and (unless you share an apartment with David Hasselhoff or drive a gold Porsche 924) it is surely the most awesomely 80?s German thing you’ve seen all week!

Powered by VW’s then-new 1.4L engine, the small 2-seater offered brisk performance and acceleration, courtesy of its low weight and the engine’s solid low-end torque. The little engine could pull the Scooter to a top speed of more than 130 mph (about the same as an ’86 Mustang or Camaro), all while delivering fuel economy well in excess of 40 mpg … and this compact commuter was built twenty-five (25) years ago!

This little VW, then, is the great grand-daddy of cars like VW’s ultra-efficient, 260 mpg XL1 trike and the minimalist electric Nils (which is being marketed as more “motorcycle” than “car”), and deserves some appropriate, green-pioneer reverie, don’t you think?

VW agrees, and the car currently resides at the VW Museum in Wolfsburg, Germany, where it was recently restored to the excellent running condition you see here – which is excellent enough, apparently, to merit a photo shoot with HP Baxxter, of the German techno group Scooter (really).

Try to enjoy that, I guess?