Queer looking Rabbit GTI on ebay

Never seen one before I guess they must be rare. What do you all think?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=9873&item=4532856560&rd=1

Seats, front and rear lights, bumpers are different for a start.

A rare item for sure. But not keen on the bumpers, lights, trim and instrument cluster. The GTi had a detuned engine for the US too. Nasty tear in the driver seat.

Cheers
Rajan

The engine, front and rear panel, front and rear lights, front wings, exhaust, seats, trim, instrument, cluster, dashboard, wheels, seat belts, wiring harness, radiator grille, bumpers, struts/springs....are all different

Cricky dub, you're a walking encylopedia!

I think the glove box is also different. My guess is that rabbit will fetch good money.

wouldnt say theyre rare,well maybe in the uk but theres plenty in the usa 8)

and they all go mad to convert to our (euro) style front end!

i think they can look fantastic!


another
one more

neil.

Looks better with normal sized bumpers (as above) rather than the US style railway sleepers , but dont' think square lights look that distinctive.

markwon said

…but dont' think square lights look that distinctive.

Ironically, Georgetto Guigaro (world's most prolific car stylist/designer, who did the Mk1 Golf & Scirocco) wanted it to have rectangular headlights, and the only reason that it got round ones was that VW found that they were cheaper to make. Note the "cut-out" on your euro-Golf's front panel, into the area below the grille, which allow the round headlights to fit in with Guigaro's original styling.

The US-spec one got the rectangular ones due to local legislation, as did a lot of other european cars of the time (Mercedes looked especially awful - http://www.mbz.org/cars/pictureguide/81300sd3.jpg)

Mercedes looked especially awful

What horrible lights  8O . Sure I read that sqaure lights(at least in the 70's) were not as efficient as round ones? I'd imagine must be a few US fans of european cars who import the euro parts to return the car to original spec. Although fed law might not allow them to do this? In some states you aren't allowed to adjust the mixture or idle of your car  :dontknow: thought it supposed to be land of the free .

Cheers

isnt the front end just the same as a mk1 jetta? on that note, anyone know how easy (or hard) it is to convert a series 2 to a jetta grille/ lights/wings? cheers.

The Jetta lights are flush with the grille, and much bigger than the Rabbit ones, and the grille is also different as a result.

To put the Jetta front end on a Golf, I think that you'd need to change or at least modify the front panel - the struts around the headlights are different(?)

If changes are required, I wouldn't do it - not as many people like the Jetta look, so you might effectively devalue your Golf.

i bought the rabbit off ebay, turned out to be a 2 owner car thats never been welded and only needs a bit the size of a 5p piece to mot it!
i think the headlining is strange as it is velour with a interior light in the centre. and yeah the bumpers were sh1te….they've been removed, they were gold coloured chrome effect! def had to go, looks far better without. and i think the wheels are same as uk golfs but i aintno expert.
just need to find the time to mint it up again now

Got yourself a bargain in my opinion, not many Rabbit GTI's about in the UK.

On a separate note has anyone got a Rabbit GTI badge for sale?

http://search.ebay.com/rabbit-badge-vw_W0QQfnuZ1


lhasa plenty in the USA !

Cheap because of the exchange rate… Don't think the "bunnies doing it" will be a top seller though ?

cheers …

Cheers Chudd

Your Rabbit looks to me like a 1983/4 Model

While in Seattle, we a had a brand new 1979 Rabbit "C" (first of the "westmoreland" Rabbits (no GTIs available then) )  which had Square Headlights but not the wrap around indicators.  It had a 1500 motor and velour interior.

We later got a 1964 Rabbit Auto for the missus which apart from not being a GTI looked as  your e-bay version with the smaller rectangular headlights and wrap-around indicators but without the wheels/stripes.  Those wheels iirc are original.  The motor should be approx 1751 cc…VW used to supply Dodge Omnis/Chrysler Horizons with those motors, but after Chrysler got into bed with Mitsubishi, they finished up with Colt engines whilst the 1750's went into the Rabbits.

None of the badges listed on yer e-bay links are real Mk1 Rabbit GTI badges….whilst revisting over there last year, I tried to get a slack handful of those but failed miserably..they are as rare as rocking horse sh*te.  All Rabbits died with the (much later intro of the Mk2 which were sold as "Golfs" and hence finished up with a Golf GTI Badge.  I think some Mk3's were also sold over there as GT's…iirc they were all autos but had some sporty trim.  The Mk1 Rabbit GT also preceded the Mk1 GTI..they were the equivalent of our Mk1 "Driver"..(ie all the trim but none of the real suspender and engine tweakery)

Cheers

you can buy the rabbit logo from awesome gti.

http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=44_35&products_id=767&osCsid=0891787e92c2cfdc58202a55fb544fd5

http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=44_35&products_id=934&osCsid=0891787e92c2cfdc58202a55fb544fd5

hope this helps.

Yo Ivan

The badge listed at awesome is a "regular" Rabbit badge (Rabbit Injection) as fitted to original (non-GTI) Rabbits….note all early "Westmoreland" Rabbits had K-Jet fuel injection…the Carb models came later and only the Rabbit GTI kept the K-Jet unless you paid extra.

The badge where there are two or more rabbits "at it" in a fornicating sense are, imo, legit since they are a "period" modification…several of my buddies had them back in the eraly '80s.

What we're after is a genuine "Rabbit GTI badge" like on the back of my GerTIe….I'll just have to buy a digi camera and post a piccy of it so you'll know what I mean

Cheers

i'll take a pic of my badges on my rabbit if i get chance, its also got factory mats with the rabbit logo, only badge thats missing is the gti one off the front….is it the same as a regular golf gti item? would love to have it just to add the finishing touch.
is the engine same as a golf gti? :dontknow:  just wonderin if i decide to get a bit more power from it,
thanks for the info superworm seems that very few ppl know anything about em. :y:

Methinks that even the GTI's had the 1750 ish engine, the 1800 came in with the Mk2 Golfs.  The cam wasn't quite as "sporty" as the euro spec GTI and there was also the Emmissions cr*p draped all over the engine.  (May have has smaller ports in the throttle body ….Wifeys 1984 had a carb so I'm not so sure.  Methinks that folks over there were buying eurospec cams from a company called "GMP". (I still have a copy of their 1979 catalogue!  ..methinks they still exist:

http://www.gmpperformance.com/

For working on it, "Poor Richards' Rabbit Book" is great but most "bentley" manuals were written for us spec rabbits:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/offer-listing/0837601843/ref=dp_primary-product-display_1/104-2989848-3847118

I would guess that the GTI badge on the front was same as our Golf but rear badge reads "Rabbit GTI" preceded with yer little Rabbit logo (only one of 'em). On mine the Rabbit logo and "RABBIT" are chromed and "GTI" is red (mars red no.2 ??!!) all on the usual black plastic base. I'll try and get piccy's of my badge at the weekend…its my birthday next week so I should have a digicam as a present eh ???

Check out:

http://s87762315.onlinehome.us/parts.htm

also

And.. the following e-bay item is a) available,and b) displays the badges (emblems if you are a colonial)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7965609258&category=34234

Cheers