Old, smile-inducing Volkswagens aren’t just aircooled, as this 1980 VW Rabbit diesel shows us. Sure, the Beetles and Buses have a little more in the way of character going for them, but this Rabbit is downright charming. This example remained in the long-term care and storage of a college professor before changing hands after his passing, and as you’ll see here on eBay, it remains mostly stock aside from some suspension modifications.
Of course, the first thing I noticed is that great dealer-applied stripe going down the sides. It’s amazing to see it still intact after all of these years, but the seller points out that it remained in indoor storage for many years after the professor could no longer operate the clutch. You’ll also note the square headlights which indicates this is a “Westmoreland” car, or one of the models manufactured at VW’s short-lived production facility near Pittsburgh. The polished bumpers still shine up nicely.
Inside, the cockpit is better than expected. This mainly because the mileage on this car isn’t particularly low at over 164,000, but the clean dash, carpets and seats all look like they belong in a much newer vehicle. Although the seller has already modified the car with a set of coilovers, he thankfully has left the remainder of the car in as-found condition. The suspension is at least reversible, and I can’t say I wouldn’t upgrade to a more sporting setup myself.
The period-correct details of this Rabbit are what make it so pleasing, along with the very believable story that a college professor drove a tan diesel-equipped VW for years before only turning over the keys once his knee gave up the ghost. Finding a Westmoreland car in preserved condition like this one is a rare treat, and this one will hopefully stay in stock condition for years to come.
Now this car I would love to have.
Bring some ride height. Find a set of period correct wheels to match the groovy stripes.
Is it me or is it the normal ride height on one side but low on the other?
I thought so, too. Tho it may just be the camera angle, as the car seems level, normal height in the ‘garage’ photo
I don’t think it is an illusion.
There is a space between the tire and the wheel well on the right side, but it looks like the tire is touching the fender on the left side. The front tire on the left side looks like it is at an angle and not straight up and down.
It looks odd to me.
As for the door lock not working, it was a common fault as the little hook that operates the lock breaks off. New locks are as cheap as chips and take about 2 minutes to fit.
Very nice rabbit and the only things I would change would be to add a set of period Correct 1983 GTI snowflake wheels and change that god-awful steering wheel to a scirocco 4 spoke! Lol that has to be the worst simple designed steering wheel ever.
1st year of the “Malibued” Rabbit, fake wood and all. Wheels are from a MkII. A bit of trivia: we Canucks got German Rabbits for 1980, and we even had the GTI! Then, in 1981, we got the US cars with “color coordinated” interiors, square headlights and full wheel covers…
I was working at a local VW dealership when the Westmoreland cars started arriving for sale. I’d been there for several years and we were all afraid of what the quality was going to be like. Overall, they weren’t bad although the front seats were really hard compared to the german cars.
We made a good profit on those stripes. There was a local guy who had a crew of 4-5 guys who put those on and they’d do anything we asked. I remember “designing” one for a black Rabbit demo that was red/silver with a thin white stripe and had them run it down the side and over the top, about 18 inches from the back end. Turned out very popular with customers.
My least favorite of the cars I had as a demo was an automatic diesel. Yes, it was slow. But by then, VW was adding A/C at the factory (before that, it was all dealer installed) and guess what, it made the car even slower.
owned two Rabbits.One a 75 the other a 79. I’d love to have another one of these as a collectible.
Here goes a picture of mine
Hmmmm….the Westy you can’t lie down and sleep in.
Professors are not normal people –
I bought a Ford Fiesta from one,it was a base
model,with no radio or antennae.As I’d planned
on making it into an SCCA ITC racer,it was perfect,
as it was the lightest one I could find.
Before I bought a ’79 FiestaI looked at
Rabbits.I hated the interiors,as they looked like they
were poured into a plastic mould.
And here is mine too
I had a 1981 diesel Rabbit (white/blue interior) that I bought cheap in 1985 because it had a warped head. Had a machine shop fix it and installed a new gasket and it ran fine. Slow, but fine. It was great until the block cracked in 1986. Kind of left a bad taste in my mouth on them, but when I first got the car and got it running, I really enjoyed it.