1981 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel L 1.6 liter

This grumpy old man had 53 horsepower at the crank when he rolled off the assembly line in 1981, but I’m guessing it’s probably somewhere around 30 at this point.

It’s got hubcaps attached to the bumper mounts for style points. The electrical tape on the headlamps also serves a purpose as they’re actually glass, so when you smash a headlight hooning, maybe it won’t shatter into a thousand pieces and puncture all your tires. Maybe.

The car doesn’t technically belong to me, but a friend asked me to rabbit sit for him while he is living in another state, so I’m doing my best to make my new pal feel like one of the family. It’s the sedan body style, but the back seat’s been chopped out for weight reduction bro; planning on installing a mattress in the back at some point. The crank handle for the driver side window is an old wood clamp, and the passenger door doesn’t open from the outside at all. Radio is shot, interior is shot (original floor mats are still there though!), the suspension is currently hockey pucks, and the brake pedal feels more like a suggestion.

All in all, there’s definitely some work to be done before this rabbit will be roadworthy again, but I’ve never driven a car I had more fun in. The raw driving experience is like nothing else, and the “home-made straight pipe” exhaust actually sounds kind of pleasant for a non-turbo 1.6liter diesel when you’re sitting in the stripped out interior. Let me know what you think!

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Comments

Spencer Decoo

Dude super sick. Haha man I can’t wait to get back.

02/06/2016 - 04:52 |
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