The new Volkswagen Scirocco...

The new Volkswagen Scirocco is about to go topless, Auto Express can exclusively reveal. The German manufact­urer is plotting a coupé-cabriolet version of its two-door sports car to challenge the likes of the Porsche Boxster and Audi TT Roadster.

We have already caught the hotly anticipated fixed roof variant of the newcomer being put through its paces in the US. And when that car goes on sale in the middle of next year, it pro­mises to stick closely to the styling of the stunning IROC concept, which made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in autumn 2006. However, it’s the chassis of the new Scirocco that will be most interesting to cabriolet fans. As the sleek two-door shares its underpinnings with the attractive Eos coupé-cabrio, VW will go on to adapt a CC version, which is likely to arrive in showrooms in 2009.

The open-air variant has yet to be officially confirmed by bosses at the company, but as our exclusive pictures reveal, it will look every bit as good as its conventional brother.

The high waistline and low nose of the coupé will make it easy for the designers to add a complex folding hood mechanism without affecting the car’s distinctive styling. From the front, the differences between the two models are difficult to spot, as the smart contrasting grille surround and neat headlamps won’t change.

Both the design and engineering teams are using lessons they learned during the development of the Eos to ensure the newcomer sets new stan­dards for this sector. Owners will be able to transform the Scirocco from a refined, sporty coupé to a dazzling convertible in a matter of seconds, and once the hood is stowed, the car is left with a clean rear deck. This will allow the smooth profile of the coupé to be carried over, while a pair of neat inte­grated roll-over hoops mounted behind the seats provide the model with strong safety credentials.

Inside, the rear seats are ditched to accommodate the roof mechanism, so there is an enormous amount of boot space available when the hood is in place. However, buyers should also expect decent luggage capacity when the roof is folded, with extra room provided behind the front seats.

While the IROC show model was clearly influenced by the original Sci­rocco – which was first introduced in 1974 – VW never officially produced a cabriolet version of that car. Instead, it was left to specialist coachbuilders such as German outfit Beiber to come up with their own take on a soft-top – and these conversions proved to be extremely popular with buyers.

The fact that Volkswagen plans to do the job itself this time shows how successful CC-style models have been over the past few years. And the new Scirocco cabrio is set to debut at a major motor show next year – only a year after the tin-top. For fans of wind-in-the-hair motoring, there has never been a better reason to start saving.