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Ratty Rescue: Stretched Rally-Ready Rabbit

This week we’re excited to share this radical Rabbit. It’s yet another Ratty Rescue: a rough ride in need of a rehab. If you’re looking for something interesting to wrench on, this may be just the car for you.

Have you ever wanted to go to a car show and take five of your friends along? Have you wanted a small car your surfboard could fit in with the hatch closed? Want to make some extra money toting around prom-goers? Then feast your eyes on this 1979 Volkswagen Rabbit limousine. This stretched bunny is the perfect car to confound people at the next Cars and Coffee. Better yet, this may be the ultimate ride for March’s Radwood car show.

[See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com]

For reasons that will never be clear, someone with too much time on their hands took a perfectly good Rabbit, chopped it in half, and added, like, 2.5 feet to the middle of the car. To make things more interesting, the builder threw on a slew of performance bits as well. To start, a 1.8L four cylinder with a ported and polished head and performance cam replaces the original 1.6-liter unit. The hopped-up engine mates to the original 4-speed manual. Exhaust exits through an Ansa exhaust tip that is connected to a straight-through system. The seller states it “has a very mean sound.” The Rabbit also has a new catalytic converter.

Upgrades don’t end there. Upfront there’s Koni yellow struts and H&R sport springs. Out back the limo has Koni red struts and OEM springs. It rides on some very wide (and period correct) 15″ MOMO wheels. And cross-drilled rotors have been added. Imagine the looks you’ll get at the next SCCA event. Grab 5 helmets and bring your friends for an autocross ride they won’t ever forget.

While the mechanics are well sorted out, the interior and exterior are far from wedding-party ready. The outside of the car could use a fresh coat of paint. The seller says the center section could use some extra attention. The interior needs a good scrubbing and a trip to the upholsterer: there are three rows of seats, and none of them match.

Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first odd Volkswagen limo. Back in 2015, VWVortex member Jamie Orr found and fixed up a six-door Jetta limo and drove it from Philadelphia to Las Vegas. The Jetta limo also made an appearance Southern Worthersee.

So if you’re in the market for a track-ready limo (and who isn’t?), then check out the ad on thesamba.com. Or go see the car in person in Yorba Linda California. The seller is accepting all reasonable offers.

The post Ratty Rescue: Stretched Rally-Ready Rabbit appeared first on VWVortex.



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