US 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI

The car and all the parts have been sold. Thanks!

You can click on the photos to open a larger image.

1983 was the first year of the US model Volkswagen Rabbit GTI. I bought this car in March 1983. For you history buffs, I have the original sticker and it says:

By the way, the opening front vent windows still work and their rubber seals are good.
I don't have the original am/fm radio. It was replaced by a newer Kenwood am/fm/cassette.

The original factory paint is still looks great. There are a few door dings, but nothing you'd be embarrassed about. In particular, there are no signs of rust anywhere.
You can tell this car has been garaged and cared for. The interior is very nice. The dash isn't cracked and the fabric isn't torn or faded.
The black paint on the front bumper has started to wear.

The rear hatch lock suffers from a common problem: a small screwdriver or some similar tool was used to force break into the hatch.
The doors already have pry-guards installed.

The roof has a Specialized-brand bicycle rack. This rack holds two road or mountain bicycles.
The rack has many colorful decals and stickers, mostly bicycling related. There are no decals or stickers on the car itself.
It would be easy to remove the rack if you wanted.

As you can see these aren't the original wheels. Unfortunately I traded them in for 15x7J wheels, and then I gave those wheels many years ago.
Whats on the car now are standard VW 13x5.5 steel rims with 175/70HR13 nitto tires. The original spare tire and tools are still in the car.
Available separately, I have a set of Rota 13x6J allow rims. These Rota rims have some extremely rare B.F.Goodrich All-Terrain TA 175/75R13 tires. These tires were bought prior to 1994 so the rubber is probably not very sticky.
I also have an unmounted set of Goodyear R8 slicks that I bought prior to 1985, therefore these slicks are only good for decoration now, e,g. use them to hold up a glass coffee table.

another view

another view

another view

another view

The interior is in excellent condition.
In particular, the seats are still supportive, the adjustments still work, and the original velore-like fabric is in excellent condition.
The headliner is original. It isn't torn and it doesn't hang loose either.
This is a non-smoker car.
Also visible in this photo is the Hurst shift lever. Not visible is the Pulsar shift-linkage under the car. This eliminates the spongy feel that the original shifter had, and lets you shift faster.

Also notice that the dashboard is in excellent condition. There are no cracks or rips anywhere.
With some detailing this car would really shine.

It occured to me that I neglected to mention that the engine is still very strong. It runs well and doesn't smoke. I have a current smog certificate for the car (expires in March 2002.) The car has always passed emissions tests - even when the turbo was installed - but I had to remove the turbo parts when I brought the car into California.
The engine has stock compression, a european exhaust manifold and downpipe, an "N" grind cam, re-curved distributor, matched injectors, ported audi throttle body and intake manifold. I'd guess 110-115hp which with this car's light body (1918 lbs when new) makes for lots of fun. (Think power to weight ratio and suspension efficiency with a lightweight car.)
You can see a Mecca auxillary oil filter on the left side of the engine compartment. At present this oil filter is inline with the high pressure side of the oil cooler.
Another Mecca spin-on oil filter serves as the engines main oil filter. These Mecca filters are great - they're widely used in competition vehicles because of their filtration, full-flow, inspection, and magnetic traps.
In this photo you can also see the upper stress bar across the shock towers. The car also has lower stress bars, upgraded anti-roll bars, shocks, stainless brake lines, repco brake pads, and so on.
I have a pretty complete history of the car and the parts it in.

	1983 was the first year of the US model Volkswagen Rabbit GTI. I bought this car in March 1983. For you history buffs, I have the original sticker and it says: By the way, the opening front vent windows still work and their rubber seals are good. I don't have the original am/fm radio. It was replaced by a newer Kenwood am/fm/cassette.
	The original factory paint is still looks great. There are a few door dings, but nothing you'd be embarrassed about. In particular, there are no signs of rust anywhere. You can tell this car has been garaged and cared for. The interior is very nice. The dash isn't cracked and the fabric isn't torn or faded. The black paint on the front bumper has started to wear.
	The rear hatch lock suffers from a common problem: a small screwdriver or some similar tool was used to force break into the hatch. The doors already have pry-guards installed.
	The roof has a Specialized-brand bicycle rack. This rack holds two road or mountain bicycles. The rack has many colorful decals and stickers, mostly bicycling related. There are no decals or stickers on the car itself. It would be easy to remove the rack if you wanted.
	As you can see these aren't the original wheels. Unfortunately I traded them in for 15x7J wheels, and then I gave those wheels many years ago. Whats on the car now are standard VW 13x5.5 steel rims with 175/70HR13 nitto tires. The original spare tire and tools are still in the car. Available separately, I have a set of Rota 13x6J allow rims. These Rota rims have some extremely rare B.F.Goodrich All-Terrain TA 175/75R13 tires. These tires were bought prior to 1994 so the rubber is probably not very sticky. I also have an unmounted set of Goodyear R8 slicks that I bought prior to 1985, therefore these slicks are only good for decoration now, e,g. use them to hold up a glass coffee table.
	another view
	another view
	another view
	another view
	The interior is in excellent condition. In particular, the seats are still supportive, the adjustments still work, and the original velore-like fabric is in excellent condition. The headliner is original. It isn't torn and it doesn't hang loose either. This is a non-smoker car. Also visible in this photo is the Hurst shift lever. Not visible is the Pulsar shift-linkage under the car. This eliminates the spongy feel that the original shifter had, and lets you shift faster.
	Also notice that the dashboard is in excellent condition. There are no cracks or rips anywhere. With some detailing this car would really shine.
	It occured to me that I neglected to mention that the engine is still very strong. It runs well and doesn't smoke. I have a current smog certificate for the car (expires in March 2002.) The car has always passed emissions tests - even when the turbo was installed - but I had to remove the turbo parts when I brought the car into California. The engine has stock compression, a european exhaust manifold and downpipe, an "N" grind cam, re-curved distributor, matched injectors, ported audi throttle body and intake manifold. I'd guess 110-115hp which with this car's light body (1918 lbs when new) makes for lots of fun. (Think power to weight ratio and suspension efficiency with a lightweight car.) You can see a Mecca auxillary oil filter on the left side of the engine compartment. At present this oil filter is inline with the high pressure side of the oil cooler. Another Mecca spin-on oil filter serves as the engines main oil filter. These Mecca filters are great - they're widely used in competition vehicles because of their filtration, full-flow, inspection, and magnetic traps. In this photo you can also see the upper stress bar across the shock towers. The car also has lower stress bars, upgraded anti-roll bars, shocks, stainless brake lines, repco brake pads, and so on. I have a pretty complete history of the car and the parts it in.