Rabbits are fast, agile, and difficult to catch, just like this Volkswagen. The Rabbit was the leading small car during the latter half of the 1970s, with hundreds of thousands sold, though few remain today. This model is one of the early German-built versions with round headlights and has received a variety of appealing upgrades. Ask Dexy’s Midnight Runners what happened after “Come On Eileen” to see how hard it can be to follow up on a hit song. In the 1970s, Volkswagen was in the same boat. Beetle sales were going down in the US, but Opel was doing better in its home country of Germany. The company really needed a new, modern people’s car. Through a tough time, Volkswagen chose to play Golf. The original Volkswagen Golf, now 50 years old, is one of the biggest success stories in car history. The first Golf that sold in North America was the lively and cheap VW Rabbit, like this 1978 model, which was auctioned off on Bring a Trailer. More importantly, this Rabbit from 1978 was one of the first cars made in Germany with round headlights. The first place it was sold was in Canada. The German Rabbits were thought to be better built than many of the North American models made at Volkswagen’s Westmoreland assembly plant in Pennsylvania. The maple sugar washed off of this one before it was brought to California. In most states, this little Vee-dub is too old to have its emissions tested. However, it is not compliant with pollution rules in California, so it cannot be registered there. It’s mostly in stock, but it has some great upgrades, like a huge Wilwood brake package up front, a high-flow exhaust, and a throttle body from VW expert Neuspeed. With 15-inch steel Corrado wheels and H&R coilovers, the car looks like a small but restless terrier. Many people are likely asking, ‘Why not choose a GTI instead?’. The Mk 1 GTI is often thought of as one of the best driver cars ever made, along with the E30 BMW M3, the first Mazda Miata, and the early Mini Cooper. But here’s the deal: Values for Mk 1 GTIs have been slowly going up for a long time. The 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine in this car made a decent 70 horsepower right out of the box, but American cars only made 96 horsepower. Also, you rarely see a VW that is this well-kept. Also, this Rabbit has just a few small flaws that you would be okay with giving it a hard time around the turns, which is how many owners fell in love with these cars in the first place. Enter your numbers for the distance since the exact number is unknown. Then enjoy the trip. The only reason the GTI became such a wonder was because the base model was so great. This one looks like it will be a lot of fun, with its sleek round headlights and nice upgrades. October 29 is the last day to bid on this sale.
