AMERICAN RABBITS

Some nice pics to look at from our American VW friends across the Atlantic copied from vwvortex forum worth a look click the link below

Cheers……..


 American Rabbits

Nice one Chudd. There was some interesting interior trim there! (The blue/red/white stripe  8O )

More pics

 here

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Mk1 Golf Owners Club UK | VW Vortex - Volkswagen Forum

Mmmmm where can I get me some square headlights and a fake wooden dash surround?  8)

mcscrew said

Mmmmm where can I get me some square headlights and a fake wooden dash surround?  8)

Friend selling a US spec front end here, not sure how complete though, called a westmoreland 8)

http://vwcaddyforum.com/showthread.php?t=6952

Jay.

US front end looks awful… and what about those indicators??

Keep them over there!!!

Dano

Dano said

US front end looks awful… and what about those indicators??

Keep them over there!!!

Dano

Yeah, I gotta admit its not the best looks. In fact, most European cars which have US versions, have changes, probably forced by their regulations, which make them look worse not better. I am struggling to think of an attractive American car here…..

Its interesting that there is a trend amongst the American Mk1 owners, to make theirs into the "Euro-look". Lets hope its not a two way thing.

dub-ha8 said

mcscrew said

Mmmmm where can I get me some square headlights and a fake wooden dash surround?  8)

Friend selling a US spec front end here, not sure how complete though, called a westmoreland 8)

http://vwcaddyforum.com/showthread.php?t=6952

Jay.

Thanks for the link and sorry for being a pain in the you-know-where Jay - I was being sarcastic but I didn't make it clear  ops:

LMFAO…….I was wondering TBH as it's not the greatest look IMO, hence being sold on

Hang on a minute youse guys

I have owned 3 Rabbits (and a Mk2 16v with the square headlights)

Whilst not exactly pretty in their own right, they are quite pretty when you compare them with the Dodge Omnis, Mk2 Mustangs, etc and those awfull up-ended blanc-mange moulds that AM used to send out into the wide world.  

The only US car that ever turned me on was my 1971 Mach 1…bit of a lump in the handling dept but had that wonderful burble when you floored it..just like Steve McQueen's Bullit machine.

I still think my Mk2 16v was prettier than any european Mk2 anyways

btw Westmorland (Pennsylvania) was the place that US Rabbits were built (1979 ish and on) after they quit shipping them in from Deutschland.

Cheers

superworm said

Whilst not exactly pretty in their own right, they are quite pretty when you compare them with the Dodge Omnis, Mk2 Mustangs, etc and those awfull up-ended blanc-mange moulds that AM used to send out into the wide world.

T'is a fair point!

Have the American's ever designed a beautiful car? IMO only the Dodge Viper or a Mustang would come close, but compared to the equivalent Ferrari or a BMW coupe of the time (for example) I'd still say the Americans should stick to what they do best…

Come to think of it, what is it that American's do best? Hmmm I'm rambling… Time for some lunch I think!

At one time I had a built '84 Rabbit GTI and right next to it was my newly required 1982 Golf GTi 1600.  
The 1600 rocks over the Rabbit in interior build quality & driving quality revs to the moon.  Sucks for me to get specific interior parts, big thanks to Crazy Quiff! for accepting my money for parts!!  Can't ask for anything better from him.
The Rabbit has a bit more low end-its only plus in my experience, it's heavier, the engine is more restricted, US headlights suck, and all of the US Westy aka Westmoreland built VW have the worst interior fabrics, plastics and constrution.

Scoty

Have to agree with you Scoty…my third Rabbit was an '84 Auto for the missus…I had the Mk 2 16v "Golf".

The '84 was pile of sh one t (and uglier with the smaller rectangular headlights) compared with my first ('79 er).. that was. I thought, pretty well built since one of the first batch out of Westmorland.. It did have placcy seats which I stuck to one hot day (I was "toppless" at the time)…wifey had to wash the seats off me!

Cheers

Wicked thread, its good seeing wat there up to, and the money they spend 8O

Its a good read, (thank good we,ve got the round head lights  :wink:

redpetemk1 said

 (thank good we,ve got the round head lights  :wink:

Welcome to the trend for MKI in the US.  

I will say that it's proven that a round headlight makes for a better beam pattern than anyother shape.

My 1600

euroowner - is that a standard colour on you Rabbit?

Or has it been re-sprayed at some point?

It's not a Rabbit  :x .  Man, I get that all the time in the States
It's been resprayed Volvo flat green.  It was Lahasa Green Metalic.

Must be pretty cool to be the only mk1 "GOLF" owner in the US. 8)  
On your sig euorowner you've put "UR" what's this? I've heard the original audi quattro's reffered to as UR quattro's but never a golf.

It looks a cool car mate which is the more recent pic single or twin lamp?

I'm not keen on the volvo flat green paint job but if you like it then thats all that matters :wink:

I always new the cheeky little critters could swim! ha ha

After I rebuilt the motor, I took it to the 3 shows here in Colorado and being "the new kid", I got a lot of under the breath "man that Idiot spent a lot of cash to make his Rabbit look euro" crap.  I think that some people did not believe that it is a true Golf even with the VIN plate on the radiator support and not on the dash.  It was funny to keep up with a stock MKIV 1.8t GTI this summer above 100 mph and gaining on him.  Later, he came up to me and asked, " What you got under the hood?"  It's a 1.6l……….It's not a Rabbit Dude!  "ohh…"  

I bought it off the Sister whose brother bought it in Hanover in 1982, brought it to California and drove it until 1987 selling it to her.  I got it in 1999.  Absolutely NO Rust!

"ur" is German loosely translated means "original".  And has the heavy distinction of being European.  
The Audi URq was imported for sale in the US in 1984-1986 IIRC, though there are '82s & '83s that are driving around with legal plates on them.
So with a strong background in VW's,  I decided to give the 1600 a nickname that would differentiate from the US Rabbits.  All I have ever owned in Motor vehicles are VAG product since 1990.  I have done almost all of my own work on my cars including being a Certified Parts Master, Service manager & Certified Tech at the VW/Audi dealership in Flagstaff, AZ [the only VW/Audi dealership on Historical Route 66] for 3+ years before it closed.

Yeah, the colour sucks, but I don't have the cash to get it totally torn down and restored.  I like my rides to be mechanically perfect underneath and decent on the eye; stretching that one .  Plus I like to drive it, so if I had a $5k restoration job, I would almost be horrified to drive it.  In Colorado, we have a lot of idiot drivers and tons of wildlife that ramble on the pavement.

On vortex, the argument now is round versus square again…..

Scoty