Diesel Rabbits (Golf Mk1) are an institution here, a classic Eugene-mobile. We’ve done a number of write-ups on them here, like this one by “Canucknucklehead”. I even showed one pulling a trailer of broken concrete, with all of its 52 hp but plenty of torque. But I’ve never come across a lowered one, as they all seem to be in the hands of the kinds of folks who are more into biodiesel than into lowered cars. But here it is…
Or at least it says it’s a Diesel. I suppose it could have had an engine change.
Except for waiting to hear it run, there’s no easy way to tell. I could have stuck my finger in the exhaust to see if it came out black, I suppose. And look, there’s a VW bus in the street down the block. Welcome to Wolfsburg, Oregon.
A lowered diesel 4-door sedan just screams, “I wanted a better car, but my grades weren’t good enough, so Dad gave me his old Rabbit instead.”
A lowered Rabbit diesel is an odd enough thought, but in that color, with those wheels, and mud flaps and no bumpers…just boggles the mind what someone intended to achieve there. Each to their own.
The thing is so slow it doesn’t need bumpers.
just someone trying to have fun with what they have/could afford/was given.
There will always be the guy who says “I don’t understand this stupid car”. Curmudgeons all of them! ha ha
Not into the slammed look but I DO like how it still sports its original color though, and one you don’t see too much anymore.
Strange: the only Rabbit I see on a regular basis in my area (MA/RI) is exactly this color. (It’s not lowered, though.) Very few other MkI VWs are left around here, save for a few Cabriolets and GTIs (the latter often “stanced”) only seen in the warmer months.
Never understood the desire to lower a car so much. Can’t imagine the ride is comfortable. I heard there are handling benefits, but the drawbacks seem huge. I see BMW lowered so much they need to stop and scrape over speed-bumps… seems counter productive. I think the hydraulic level control seems a better option.
There is a benefit for sure in a lowered car, but not this low in how it improves handling.
Also, another reason is firming up the suspension also helps, even if you don’t lower it much, if at all.
Just drive something like a stock Mazda Protege 5, or BMW Mini that is more a driver’s car, and you’ll see what I mean. The ride firm to hard, and yet the handling is much like a go-cart and feels like it’s on rails when going around turns.
I’ve heard the Mini is a bit too hard for some for daily driving, and so can the P5 for that matter, though I don’t think it’s as bad.
I have a BMW 318ti with staggered 17″ Michelin SuperSport tires… feels like its glued to the ground. Granted it has new shock absorbers. But other than that its totally stock. I think the great tires would make a bigger difference then lowering a car and sticking on Pep Boys Cooper Special tires. Tires mean more than height.
I actually bought the car I bought because it had not a single mod with the exception of door window vent moldings which I added.
The valence panels looks like they were almost made to leave the bumpers off.
Lowering usually just removes any ride comfort the car had it can improve cornering though not always, this is too low to be of any use here though on nice smooth roads it might be driveable.
I too see lots of lowered BMWs why bother BMW did a reasonable job of making them corner out of the box and once sideways they handle well, just what makes some backyard bogan think he can improve on that is beyond me but it doesnt stop em trying and discovering that bumpsteer makes em drive even worse.
Its a diesel well I drive one of those and its main trick is soft long travel well damped suspension and very clever steering 90hp and 150ftlbs are quite enough to see off anything as I dont need to slow for tight turns. No bumpers less weight old school tricks
I hate this whole ongoing “stanczed” craze as much as the next guy, but I think this would look great at an appropriate ride height.
It doesn’t look like there is much clearance to turn the front wheels, the police here would have to be pretty busy not to get you with this car.
TDI swaps have become popular in these. A chipped 1.9L TDI can put out well over 100 hp, which will make this thing scoot, yet still get great mileage and keep the badge on the back honest as well. 😉
Looks like BMW (rwd) alloy wheels….
Neat VW, but I want to really see a CC write up on that Econoline bus in the background.