Minneapolis Street Sighting: Volkswagen Rabbit L Diesel

In the heat of the rising gas crisis, foreign cars took America by storm--and that gas crisis was only the beginning of what would happen. In 1975, the Volkswagen Group brought out a new small car that would eventually replace the Beetle--and develop a following of its own. With the rise of the Volkswagen Golf, came all of its Variants (okay so that one came a bit later. There was the GTI for the performance minded, there was the regular three and five door, and then there was the legendary diesel. In 1975, the Golf came over to the US as the Volkswagen Rabbit; in its first iteration, there were two doors, four doors, automatics, and manuals, and the hot-hatch favorite, the GTI. Throughout the models' ongoing history, the basic formula stayed the same--a premium compact car with enough value to wow even the most meager shoppers, but have enough engineering gusto to impress the motoring press. Since the car's introduction to the US, it has always been called the Golf--expect the first generation, which was badged as a Rabbit in the 'States. Briefly, it returned sometime in the last ten years but I don't care to remember exactly when. This vehicle I'm showcasing here is an example of the often-rusted-to-death first generation three-door diesel. In L trim, this one was not quite the most expensive model offered. For that reason, the L was stuck with a lethargic 1.6 diesel that pumped out a tune of either 52 or 68 thumping horses. Worse yet, was the torque rating. The 52 horse engine made do with 69 ft/lbs of torque, while the 68 horse version had a whopping 88 ft lbs. Not terrible for a vehicle this light, but I'd think something with less than a 100 ft lbs wouldn't scoot along very fast--and it didn't. Gas mileage was decent, though, as long as you consider sub 40 mpg decent. In its day, the diesel got 48 mpg highway, and 33 city, which equates to 43 highway and 35 city. Not terrible, but definitely not what I was expecting. Still, though, one could do worse when it comes to economy motoring.

As I explained up top, this version of VW's wondercar is far from the fast version; so to see it still in tidy condition is no big surprise. No rust, no dings or other mishaps mar the straight panels--heck, the original wheels are still on it. I don't think I have seen a first gen Rabbit this decent since the green one I blogged awhile back. Oddly enough, that green one I've seen multiple times since I shot it. Sadly, I've only seen this one once. I'm quite intrigued about the life this one leads, because I've never seen it parked at this house again--though the Mecury lynx I see parked there I see driving from time-to-time. I'm also curious to see how this little guy fares in the winter. I know older diesels aren't known for surviving the cold very well, and I do know that skinny tires do better in the snow. Will winters eat this thing alive, or does it have enough to make it through? I can only hope I get to witness it puttering through snow to find out. Till then, happy VW days, be safe Rabbiting along the roadway!