[Image Source: CAR]

By Gunnar Heinrich

V-dub's has kicked the wheel chocks away and (quietly) declared full speed ahead for what was the rockin' IROC concept at the 2006 Paris Auto Show and what will be the new Scirocco.

CAR Magazine has captured some shots of the new hot-hatch doing hot laps at the Nurburgring.

The name "Scirocco" - pronounced "Sheerocko" - refers, according to dictionary.com, to "a dry dusty wind but becoming moist as it passes over the Mediterranean."

Sounds like the recipe for cement, but it does clue us into the direction Volkswagen is headed with the model that's meant to spike the entire lineup into a younger, sporty image.

Further clues are provided in what the world's been meant to see in the shots of a heavily wrapped Scirocco. Which is to say not much, though CAR provides some helpful insight on what lies beneath.

"This white paint job reveals more of the curvature of the body and you can see the sculpted lower flanks and small glasshouse. These shots also show the production Scirocco keeps the concept's slim wing mirrors, and a low, angular snout and aggressive headlights. This car is supposed to be VW's TT."

We'll see if VW matches aggressive looks with aggressive might - i.e. - the 210 horsepower four banger that powered the IROC.

[Sources: CAR, Dictionary.com]