I have been noticing lifted little FWD cars for some time now, and they undoubtedly were something of an inspiration to lifting my xBox. I ran into this bright blue diesel Rabbit a month or so back, and added it to my collection. Speaking of collections, I bet I’ve shot and posted a good dozen or more diesel Rabbits over the years. There’s still more to find, but a “Trailhawk 4×4” edition is not likely to be repeated.
Here’s the Trailhawk part.
And the 4×4 part.
My favorite one is this Golf “SUVW”, which I posted back in 2016, and saw regularly out our popular close-by trailhead parking lot for a couple of more years before it fell…off a cliff. Or maybe moved away.
When I first saw it, I thought maybe someone had brought over one of the very rare “Country” AWD Golfs only sold in Europe. But the self-aware “No Country” sign on the roof top carrier made it clear that it was just a pretender. That’s a pretty healthy lift. I just finished mine, and took it for a bit of a drive in the country, and it feels about like I expected: a bit less planted, but not at all problematic or scary. I took it through some fast sweepers at ever higher speeds to make sure it was not going to do something untoward.
This one could use some wheels and tires that are a bit more mission-appropriate. With 54 hp under the hood, it’s not going to be charging up steep hillsides at great speed, but the key is in getting there.
This one has the four speed. I’m trying to remember how the gearing worked in these diesel Rabbits: was the 5-speed the same plus an overdrive fifth, or where the intermediate gears a bit different too? It’s too late to dig that up right now. And does anyone care?
This looks to be a 1.5″ lift like mine; maybe 2″.
And as to the spiritual antecedent part, the xB does remind me very much of a gen1 Golf/Rabbit, with a taller and roomier body. But not the diesel version; I’m thinking more like a good-running FI 1600 (78 hp) or even the 90 hp GTI. The engine is willing, the steering is tight, the handling…was superb. But now they’re both ready for some new and different adventures.
Excellent rear overhang and approach angles on this one!
Here’s a lifted, but I think just FWD Golf Diesel I photographed a while back. If I recall correctly the owner was planning to swap in an AllMotion 4wd drivetrain. I haven’t seen it around since then, though. And yes, that trailer is attached.
My recollection on the older gas engine cars was that the 4 speed was direct in 3rd, overdrive in 4th. The 5 speed was actually the same ratios plus the 5th gear was a deeper overdrive. I think the diesel used the same transaxle.
Seeing this car reminds me how much I dislike the Westmoreland Rabbit interior, the German built cars are much classier looking
Classier is a strong word.
Rectangular headlight, four-speed diesel Rabbits had 3+E transmissions, where first, second and third were the same ratios found as first, second and third in the five-speed while “E” was the same overdrive ratio as fifth in the five-speed. Fourth gear was apparently an option.
I used to know these ratios by heart, but have lost a few details over the years. Here’s what I can remember:
Early (’75-’79) 4 speed- 4th: 0.91
Five speed(’81-’84)- 5th: 0.71, 4th: 0.91 3rd?…
Five speed GTi (’83-’84)- 5th: 0.91 4th? …
3+E(’81-’84) 4th: 0.70 3rd: 1.03 2nd?…
First gears were all the same, and I’m pretty sure that third on the 3+E was higher than third on the five speed. Having a five speed with a 1.03 third and a 0.91 forth would have put those two ratios too close together.
So third on the 3+E was a bit of a compromise, but it’s not like they just left 4th gear out of a five speed.
I’ve been told that you can find the gear ratios in a table in the:
BENTLEY REPAIR MANUAL – VW MK1 RABBIT/JETTA DIESEL 77-84
SKU: LPV 800 122
Also been told that they are as I described for for the 1981-1984 US-spec cars with 1.6 liter diesels.
These are starting to grow on me. A few weeks ago I saw a lifted Miata three days in a row on my way to work. It looked about 80% done just needing an altered rear bumper and two wheel quarter panels. Looked like a very high quality job and he was cruising at 75 on the highway rock steady. I thought about following him into his specific office park but decided not to. A Miata is too space compromised for me. The Xbox seems like the best balance of size and space utility. If I won the lottery (that I’m too cheap to play) I always thought an original Mini with hydraulic jumping shocks would be hilarious oddball small car conversion.
Crikey! I didn’t think there could possibly be any Diesel Rabbits left in existence. My experience with them was of dread and horror. In 1985-1986 I was a salesman for a Chrysler Plymouth Isuzu dealer in the SF Bay Area. The worst possible trade-in, at that time, would be a VW Diesel Rabbit in any condition. If it were possible they would have had a negative trade value. The actual cash value was 50 dollars. Creme puff or scab encrusted, rusting, trash-filled, ashtray with doors, it didn’t matter. $50.
We didn’t want them and neither did any of our wholesale buyers. We had to bribe the wholesalers to take them, usually by packaging a diesel VW with another vehicle that they actually wanted.
When someone showed up with one we knew it meant an almost automatic sale BUT on the condition we take the the trade. $50.
And you’re telling me now that people actually want them? That is a strange reversal of fortune.
Oh my; where have you been the last 20 some years? Diesel Rabbits (and old diesel Mercedes) became a huge thing with a demographic that cared about fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. There was a huge boom in biodiesel, made from organic fuel stocks and vegetable oil. Surely you remember hearing about biodiesel, and running diesels on used vegetable oil?
Anyway, all those diesel Rabbits that were traded in became sought after in the 90s and 00s, and were snapped up in the Bay Area to be brought to places like Eugene and Portland. And there’s still a number of them left here.
They really are very durable and of course economical.
Well now I’m going to be looking for them all the time. When I was looking into biodiesel a few years back I had something in mind like a Cummins Dodge or Mercedes 300D. VW never crossed my mind, I had presumed them to be extinct. I wasn’t paying any attention to VW at the time for any reason. I’ve discovered that when I set my mind to ignore something I do a pretty good job of blocking it out. Unfortunately. It isn’t always a good thing.
I am quite certain there are more of thos 1st Gen Rabbits, including diesels, still running around in the SF Bay Area now than any of the Chryslers, Plymouths or Isuzu’s that they were traded in for.
You might be correct although the Isuzu P’ups are pretty sturdy.
That brings back memories of my ’75 Rabbit gasser! Mine also was yellow on the outside. Where this one is green inside, mine was black vinyl and gray cloth. The photo shows the top of the line model. Mine was the midline model, which got only a single circular instrument cluster treatment (no clock or tach). Also no armrest, just a thin diagonal door pull.
Fun car, when it ran.
This should have been posted in response to Paulson’s interior photo.
I had a neighbor with a orangy-yellow ’75 that I assume was the base model. It had black vinyl, lots of exposed body-colored metal, and an interior that was no fancier than that of its contemporary base Beetle. It even had that burning grease/burning paint smell endemic to air-cooled VWs. It’s the only one I ever saw that was so stripped, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the four-wheel-drum-brake models. This was in spite of their being thee other round-headlight Rabbits owned by people I knew well in the quarter of a mile between our her house and mine.
Another neighbor had an injected 1977 Rabbit that seemed to split the difference between the 1975 and a 1985 Jetta GL in refinement and trim.
The base model in 1975 (with the advertised price of $2,999) had 4-wheel drum brakes, a rear seat that didn’t fold down, and no security cover over the cargo area. Interior trim was very spartan. I spent an additional $330 for the next trim level that included front disk brakes, the fold-and-tumble rear seat, and the security cover.
The interior was still very plain, but the seats were gray cloth and black vinyl. Only the vertical portions of the floor pans were “carpeted,” in quotes because it was more like a felt material. The horizontal portions (where you rested your feet) were covered by black vinyl.
I don’t know if they’re still selling them, but there was a Chevy Spark ‘Activ’ that was essentially a regular Spark with some fender flairs and a lift kit from the factory. Frankly, it seems like a better way to go than spending the premium for an actual AWD CUV.
My brother still drives a rabbit Diesel series 1 here in Germany from 1979. He also has the four speed and the 1.5 liter 50HP engine. Later they had a 1.6 Liter 54HP engine. The five speed has an overdrive. If you need more power but still want the gas mileage you could use the Turbo Diesel version with 70hp.
One of my best friends had a 1982 Diesel Rabbit with an automatic transmission from around 1996 until 2001. She needed a car and put her father on alert to find her a cream puff trade in from Victoria BC, we live in Vancouver. He called her one day and told her few details other than he found a 82 Rabbit in mint condition with very low mileage. She was hoping it was a convertible and when he brought it over to the mainland for her she was horrified. It was a 4 door beige with an equally unappealing brown interior. She hated it at first, but it grew on her. It was super slow and loud and she had to plan her trips to avoid steep hills. The most surprising part was everywhere she went she was approached or had notes left on it from people who wanted to buy it. I was with her one day and this older fellow came up to her and was quite pushy about wanting to buy it and said name your price. She declined, he gave her his contact info in case she changed her mind. After five years ownership and over a year with that encounter with that gentlemen, she called him up and asked if he was still interested. He was and offered her $5,000.00 which she gladly accepted. $ 3,000.00 more than she paid.