Founded in 1937, the German automaker Volkswagen began out by catering to the general public’s transportation wants. After all, the phrase Volkswagen is German for ‘individuals’s automobile’. Volkswagen’s first-ever model was the Beetle, also called the Type 1, and shortly thereafter adopted the Type 2, and so forth. The first few VW fashions that got here to mild shared massive quantities of components between one another, had been rear-engined, and had a rear-wheel-drive format.

The first era Beetle was supplied till 2003 for the worldwide market, however North American Beetles had been discontinued earlier in 1979. During the manufacturing of the Beetle, VW constructed some of the iconic VW automobiles ever made, the Volkswagen Golf. With a variety of engines and physique types, the Golf, also known as the Rabbit, disrupted the automobile market.

In order to provide the newest and correct info attainable, the information used to compile this text was sourced from the official Volkswagen producer web site and different authoritative sources, together with Haynes, Hagerty, and Classic.com.

10 Intended To Replace The Volkswagen Beetle

Introduced In 1974 For The U.S.

Considering the Beetle was one of many most revolutionary cars ever, VW determined to enhance upon its system in hopes of attracting much more prospects. Instead of getting its engine sit over the rear axle, and energy despatched to the rear wheels, the Rabbit hatchback utilized a front-engined, front-wheel-drive format.

Further variations included the introduction of water-cooled expertise, versus the Beetle’s air-cooled tech. As a outcome, the previous Volkswagen hatchback was even smaller than the Beetle, and had extra cargo area and inside area consequently.

9 One Of The Very First FWD Hatchbacks

The Austin Mini, constructed by the British Motoring Company, is the primary mass-produced hatchback that utilized a front-wheel-drivel format coupled with a front-mounted engine that is transversely mounted. Not solely did this improve practicality, but it surely additionally introduced manufacturing prices down. Such was the case with different front-wheel-drive compact automobiles, just like the Fiat 500 and numerous Citroën fashions.

As a outcome, a brand new 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit value between $3,330 and $4,030 again within the day. Adjusted for inflation, because of this a brand new ’75 Rabbit would carry a beginning MSRP of $19,207.91. Thanks to its innovation, to today, many trendy automobiles make the most of the identical cost-saving measures to maintain costs down, however not on the expense of high quality, therefore why the cheapest new cars are inclined to share the identical philosophy.

8 Volkswagen Rabbit And Its Aliases

Rabbit/Caribe/Citi Golf

The Volkswagen Rabbit hatchback offered beneath completely different names throughout completely different areas. Across a lot of the world, the Rabbit went beneath the Golf title. Since the Mk8 VW Golf exists at the moment, it is for sure, the Mk1 Golf is an internationally acclaimed classic car today that’s surprisingly affordable to own.

The U.S. and Canada had a particular title for the Golf, referred to as the Rabbit, in fact, however two different main markets had a singular title for the Golf. With some delicate styling adjustments, Mexico and South Africa each had distinctive names for the first-gen Volkswagen Golf.

Different nomenclature:

• Volkswagen Rabbit (U.S./Canada)
• Volkswagen Caribe (Mexico)
• Volkswagen Citi Golf (South Africa)

7 Body Styles Of The Volkswagen Rabbit

Four Distinct Variants

The Volkswagen Golf Mk1 aimed to please all completely different consumers, it doesn’t matter what their wants had been. Therefore, Volkswagen constructed 4 distinctly various kinds of Rabbits for the world. First and foremost was the hatchback physique fashion supplied with both a three-door or five-door design. In 1978, Volkswagen made a tiny pickup truck model of the Rabbit, which had the title ‘Caddy’ for different areas just like the U.Ok. and South Africa.

Thereafter, in 1979, Volkswagen supplied the Rabbit as a sedan with the ‘Jetta’ title, and to today, the Jetta sedan has quite a bit in frequent with the Golf hatchback, particularly the Jetta GLI and Golf GTI. In the identical 12 months, Volkswagen launched the fourth fashion of Rabbit, a cabriolet. Named the Golf Cabriolet in Europe, and the Rabbit Convertible within the U.S. and Canada, the drop-top model of the Mk1 Golf offered up till 1984.

6 Volkswagen Rabbit Engine Choices

Three Different Engines

Modern-day compact automobiles are inclined to characteristic both three- or four-cylinder engines, whereas the high-performance variations characteristic a few of the most powerful four-cylinder engines ever built. Back within the ’70s and ’80s, expertise nonetheless had a protracted strategy to go, and inner combustion engines did not have the advantages of pressured induction.

The Volkswagen Rabbit got here with both a selection of two gasoline-fed engines, or a diesel-fed one. The first gasoline engine, named the EA111, got here both as a 1.1-liter or 1.3-liter four-cylinder, whereas the opposite gas-powered EA827 got here as a 1.5-, 1.6- or 1.8-liter inline-four. And lastly, the diesel model of the EA287 had a displacement of 1.5 liter or 1.6 liters.

Performance Specifications

5 Engineered With Help From Auto Union And Daimler-Benz

Designed With Help From A Revered Italian Designer

Believe it or not, the VW Rabbit shared many components with Audis on the time, after the corporate was acquired by Auto Union. As a outcome, the water-cooled four-cylinder industrial motor made by Mercedes, and initially intended for use in some obscure Audis, discovered its means beneath the hood of the tiny VW hatch.

That mentioned, Volkswagen nonetheless remained accountable for almost all of the Rabbit’s engineering, such because the transmission, suspension, and styling. Speaking of, Volkswagen had the help of legendary automotive designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, liable for the Rabbit’s dashing seems to be.

4 The Volkswagen Rabbit Was Produced Until 2009

These are one of many only a few automobiles the place it does not essentially matter whether or not you’ve got an American classic car, or an imported version thereof.

Although the U.S. had the VW Rabbit hatchback on sale for a decade, components of the world noticed it available on the market for even longer. Markets that had the Mk1 Golf on sale past 1985 did not see many technological developments, and only a few exterior updates throughout the years. Yet, gross sales figures had been nonetheless robust, therefore why the Rabbit was offered in South Africa for 25 years.

Years available on the market:

• Volkswagen Rabbit (U.S./Canada): 1975-1985
• Volkswagen Caribe (Mexico): 1977-1987
• Volkswagen Citi Golf (South Africa): 1984-2009

3 Insane Aftermarket Volkswagen Rabbit Builds

American auto fanatics love to change Japanese automobiles. However, the previous Volkswagen hatchback additionally has its designated fan base. On the one hand, you’ve got those that love so as to add air suspension and getting caught on leaves as they drive down the highway. These fanatics additionally prefer to have the shiniest wheels, and essentially the most extravagant paint on their Rabbits.

On the opposite hand, you get these gearheads who solely care about energy. While you possibly can at all times go and match the most important engine attainable in its tiny engine bay, as somebody did with their 600-horsepower Lamborghini-beating VW Rabbit, you possibly can at all times add pressured induction into the combo as effectively. In 2021, a 200-horsepower Volkswagen Rabbit sold on Bring a Trailer for a whopping $62,000. And if you happen to had been questioning, this mighty Rabbit hatchback had a 1.8-liter inline-four fitted with a Stage II turbocharger by Callaway Turbo techniques.

2 The Volkswagen Rabbit GTI and GTD

Like with all traditional hatchbacks, a efficiency variant exists. The Mk1 Golf/Rabbit had two completely different efficiency variations, specifically a gasoline and a diesel-powered one. Unveiled in 1976, the gasoline-fed GTI basically gave beginning to the recent hatch phase as we all know it at the moment, together with high-performance hatches just like the Volkswagen Golf R, whereas the diesel GTD solely got here in 1982.

Both automobiles appeared barely sportier than the traditional Rabbit with the GTI having a crimson accent within the grille, black wheel arch extensions, bigger wheels, a decrease journey top, ventilated brake discs on the entrance, and anti-roll bars throughout. The GTD, alternatively, had a way more delicate design, however each fashions had extra highly effective four-cylinder engines to offer it some further punch.

Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from Volkswagen)

While a nine-second 0-60 mph time could sound gradual, again within the day, this previous Volkswagen hatchback was as fast as a C3 Chevy Corvette from the early Eighties, in addition to Japanese sports activities automobiles just like the Datsun 280ZX or and Mazda RX-7 from the identical interval.

1 The Volkswagen Rabbit Was A Sales Success

The Volkswagen Beetle is without doubt one of the best-selling cars of all time, with Volkswagen claiming more than 23 million units sold worldwide throughout its lifespan. The Volkswagen Golf, albeit not as robust of a gross sales large because the Beetle, additionally varieties a part of VW’s bread and butter. According to Volkswagen, within the first quarter of 2024, the corporate offered a complete of two,412 Golf GTIs, and 1,233 Golf Rs, which is greater than a 100% improve compared to the primary quarter of 2023. The Rabbit offered roughly six million items worldwide.