Newbie on the forum from the states with rare 77

Hello,

Thought I would join to help with the restoration of my 1977 factory sunroof US Rabbit with the WHITE RABBIT package. Also I have to test out a new photo service sine photobucket ruined the internet.

https://pix.sfly.com/tE52S5
https://pix.sfly.com/DnVS0T
https://pix.sfly.com/EoH-ij

Joe

Welcome! A rare bunny indeed! I look forward to following the progress of this one!   

whtrabbitjoe77

Welcome to the club first of all Joe.
Please tell us a little about yourself and lots about your Mk1!

Do add some photos from your phone or computer by using the 'Add Image' lower right outside the text window.
To add any images just place the flashing cursor where you want to place a picture and then click add image and when you have located it click 'Add'. As I can done here in between sentences.



It's really simple to use and we store the photos directly so no need to use a third-party party service like photobucket! 😉 👍🏼

Sent from my Smartphone ☃️

Hello,

Thank you for the welcome and the advice on the photos, my name is Joe and Philadelphia is where I call home.  I joined in hoped to find parts and information to help with the restoration of my 77.  The 77 was the first MK1 I bought, but is the 3rd I have owned.  The other 2 are a brown 78 and a black 84 GTI with blue interior that I regret selling.

Now onto the story of the 77 WHITE RABBIT, My father bought one from the showroom floor from a VW dealer in upstate NY for $7,000.  When he had his car he saw 2 others on the road and traded the car in for a Ford in 1982.  The photo below is my father's car minus the spoiler, he broke it off the first week he had the car.

I found my WHITE RABBIT in 2003 since I have owned it I went to college and moved 4 times. The package was part of a sales/Public Relations by VWOA they hired another company to produce the conversion kit and do the PR work. The package had a custom front spoiler, Cibie driving lights, Appliance wire mag wheels with 215-50-13 BF Goodrich tires, and custom die stamped side panels to turn the car into a "Bunny van".  Also the bumers , hood/fenders, rockers, and body line created by the addition of the panel were painted semi-gloss black, and the graphics.  The car was on the cover of the October 1976 issue of Hot Rod Magazine, the car on the cover was built by a shop in CA called Creative Car Craft. I think that car was used to make noise and get the idea moving that you could own one of these showcars.  That car had similar but diffrent graphics, paint, and a one off widebody fenders.  That issue also launched a Lifesavers sweepstakes where 4 were given away as prizes.  Another 5 were also given away to the top winners of the 76-1977 ICAS ( International Championship Auto Shows). The others that were built were either converted by dealer and sold or someone walked into a dealer saw the sales paprwork and ordered one.


All the cars started as Alpine White L90A Rabbits with Tobacco brown interior.  The side panel went over the side of the car it was welded along the rain gutter on the roof, hatch and door opening, and rivits were used under the side molding.  Some cars had the kneebar dashlike mine but my fathers did not, my car might of been the only one with the sunroof. When I bought my car in 2003 another one came up fore sale on the VWVORTEX, It was all Alpine white with no graphics.  I could not afford to buy that car also or I would of, that car got cut-up in 2005 iirc.




I have never found any of the dealer paper work about this package, I have a micro film that lists the package but there in no data of the package breakdown.  I have the birth certificate for my car from VW in Germany.  its lists the car as a Alpine white sunroof car, EE code 1.6l 4-spped with sunroof tinted glass and CA emissions.  I have contacted VWOA a given them the VIN numbers of 3 cars that have this package, they have no records.  From what I was told the plan was to build 100, it was easy for the dealer to convert a car from the shipping truck to a WHITE RABBIT and with the publicty brought people to the dealer.  that was untill someone in VW made a connection to a old song by Jefferson Airplane of the same name.  I guess the drug refrences in the song scared someone at VW because they cancled the program.  I have heard 50 were built, but I was told it was only 18 in total, maybe some were finished as panel vans and sold off with out the graphics or repainted I dont know.  I was told by some one That worked at a dealer that had one in the show room that they could not sell it because the sticker price was so high.  They used the car as a car to run parts around untll the mid 80's and sold as a used car.







My car came from Califorina and when it was new was heavly optioned.  The car started with the factory sunroof, dealer installed A/C, and when the car was converted to a WHITE RABBIT that the hatch was painted black and a BAE turbo system was installed, and louvers were added.  The wheels, spoiler, lights , A/C, louvers, and turbo system were missing when I bought the car.  The engine had been replaced with a 1.5EH running a weber carb, the door panels had been changed and the sunroof was stuck closed. , but it still had an 8-track.  Currently the car is a rolling shell, I am saving to send the car to the paint shop and collecting parts for the restoration.  Also I had the car at a shop to replace the rusted sunroof and they changed the curve of the roof skin, so that has to be fixed.  I found the wheels, Cibie lights, turbo system, most of the A/C stsyem.  Iam still missing the spoiler I was told it was a european part,  I have photos of one on a car but the story to that one is no one knew where it came from, it just fit.




And a photo of the spoiler in question



Joe



 

Awesome story and information Joe!  
Perhaps that spoiler is a Zender one? It's a bit of a difficult angle from the picture above, but here is one for your comparison

Welcome Joe

That's a nice MK1. I look forward to updates on your progress  

interesting story joe--welcome to the club and good to meet you

Welcome Joe,
Great information and history of your car.
Be good to see how you progress with this.