In July 2023, Rich Rebuilds gave us a sneak peek at their latest project: a turbo Suzuki Hayabusa Volkswagen Rabbit pickup. The idea was to take a lightweight VW Caddy from the 80s, install a Gen One Hayabusa engine in the bed, and make it a mid-engine truck. Sounds simple, right? Well, not really.

Problem-solving has been a major theme in the past two episodes of this series. In the previous episode, they encountered issues with mounting the ‘Busa engine due to the angle not aligning with the driveshaft. They also had to address the lack of a reverse gear and the imbalance caused by the rear-wheel power. But the team has been hard at work finding solutions.

One solution they came up with was to convert the VW into a hybrid electric vehicle. They added an electric motor and battery setup to power the front wheels and handle reverse gear duties. This solved the problem of reversing and improved control of the front end.

Another major breakthrough was the decision to cut out the entire bed and create a subframe to mount the ‘Busa engine lower down. This allowed for better shaft angle and the possibility of incorporating a fuel cell.

In the latest video, we get to witness the Turbo Hayabusa Hybrid VW Caddy Pickup running under its own power. Although the engine and electric motor are not connected yet, the build is coming together nicely. There are still some challenges to overcome, such as figuring out how to shift the ‘Busa engine, but the Rich Rebuilds team is up for the task. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting project!