BACK TO THE FUTURE

rabbit

Words: Josh Rainwater | Photos: Michael Tremblay

Throughout the roughly 115 year history of the mass produced automobile, there have been many note worthy examples of cars that steal our hearts by way of their styling, uniqueness, sportiness, and charisma. Cars like the 1961 Chevy Corvair with it’s Porsche-esque rear mounted, aircooled flat-6. Or how about the BMW 2002 Tii with it’s compact design but Barvarian muscle flexing 2.0L 130hp turbocharged engine. Finally who could forget the Volkswagen Rabbit with it’s economy car roots but pure raw passion that was designed at every aspect of the car. The Rabbit just doesn’t feel like it was drafted by a person trying to fulfill a certain size car for a certain market. It feels like someone with a heart and a feel for character, sat down to design a car for the ages. The VW Rabbit may not always be the most practical vehicles on the road but let’s keep it real; It’s not the destination that’s most important, it’s the journey.
The particular car we are featuring today is a gorgeous 1979 Rabbit L owned by Jarrett Belisle of Pennsylvania, the Mecca for Mk1′s. This immaculate 4-door has been among my personal favorites for a while now. Everything about the car just perfect in the sense that I would not change a thing about it. To most people who can even appropriately appreciate the model, it is a love it or hate it car. The modern consensus among your average 18-30 year old Mk1 owner is that to be any kind of upstanding modifier of a Rabbit you have to meet a criteria that isn’t limited to a mandatory round headlight conversion, shaving all body moldings and engine bay, 20v swap, roll cage, and 3-piece wheels. This car shuns all of that and exposes a humble guise that Jarrod likes to call “Period correct, original and classy.” As far as I am concerned this is proof that 4-doors and do it just as well as their coupe counterparts.
From the OEM lipstick red interior, to the (gasp) wheel gap to the badged grill, this car screams anti-PVW! Not that the car isn’t up to that kind of unabated quality, it just does not follow that type of styling expected from every watercooled Volkswagen these days. This is a car for the purist at heart. A car for that looks like it was built by that one guy everyone knows isn’t quite hip to the newest trend or fashion to besiege the VW community, but instead mods his car the way he likes. Its almost inconceivable that someone would still keep this style of staying ‘period correct’ alive. For going against the grain and doing what may be considered unpopular, I must truly commend the owner for preserving this amazing gift for the Mk1 populace.

The car is tattooed inside and out with so many rare, pristine, limited-production, and all around interesting parts that this should be a museum on wheels. It is undoubtly a time capsule from 1982 as it only contains parts that older than most of us.
At first glance the most prominent feature on the car are those nutty retro wheels. These were made by Vestatech, a company more well know for their Mercedes-Benz part supplements, and were actually the first set that I had ever laid eyes upon. Measuring 15×7 they are perfect for a rabbit of any style. A good compromise between looks and performance, although I wouldn’t want to go banging any corners with them due to the rarity. They fit extremely well and match the cars personality. I also appreciate that car isn’t slammed but instead sits at a cup kit ride height because that would of been the accepted modification way back when. Remember kiddies, this was well before the days or coilovers and you can just forget air ride as well.
The car was another lucky barn find, just like the ones we all lay in bed at night dreaming about. It was discovered off of a desolate dirt road by Jarrett’s cousin. He was originally slated to purchase the car but from a stroke of luck and the stroke of a pen, Jarrett became the timely owner. The older gentleman that originally owned it tried to show the car some love by ony driving it on occasion and housing it in a car port but needless to say, it was still a 30 year old Volkswagen in need of some TLC. Jarrett, who already owned an 8v turbo Rabbit truck and a G60 swapped 84 GLi, was in the market for an older rabbit or possible a Scirocco. This car definitely fit the bill and was a no-brainer for such a well versed enthusiast.  
In the two years of ownership, approximately one and a half were spent building, restoring, and sourcing parts. He stated that, “I wanted to build a car I would be happy with, but secondly I wanted something that when you saw it you knew you were looking at something special. Almost like a piece of art.” For the true A1 aficionados, we definitely see and appreciate the fruition of trying to preserve the legacy and history of a car such as this one. It’s not very often that a good looking early Westmoreland bunny comes around. When one does, it’s nice to see someone as well qualified to Jarrett, cherish this keepsake for many years to come.
The car exhibits a small duckbill spoiler that would of been extremely hard to come by here stateside in 1979. Now they are commonplace and can often be acquired for $30-$40. The European chrome bumpers look well finished and it goes a long way to clean up the front fascia opposed to the dampened and cumbersome US-spec bumpers. The hood itself is fairly uncommon as well in that it is a single mister nozzle hood. This is usually only seen on mono-wiper cars and Cabriolets. It would of been a coveted item to have in 1982. Another interesting item on the car is the Kamei A-pillar fairings. These were popular during a time when every well-minded owner was seeking to improve the aerodynamics of the car on every level. These would usually be coupled with an aftermarket air dam, fender fairings, Kamei rear wing, and even a mid-wing. Although considered somewhat tacky now, that was the trend of yesteryear and it is neat to see how owners used to style their rides.
The problem with the pre-GTi rabbits that rolled off the assembly line in New Stanton, Pennsylvania was that the cars suffered for inferior quality materials and what was noted as a drab styling. Honestly I don’t see any those problems plaguing this car. In fact I think the fact that any interior trim that can last 32+ years of use and still look this good is just a testament to the vehicle. I don’t see remnants of any ‘drab’ interior styling either. Back in the day, the red on red would of been the cats pajamas. Although it may not stack up to the heavily bolstered, 6-way lumbar supporting, heated seats of today, they are definitely rad and definitely red. The factory red dash was also a very rare option for any year. It is in an immaculate condition as most dashes are usually cracked on top while the speaker vent up front is cracked or torn. This dash has neither.

Mr. Belisle touts about the fact that the wood grain AM-FM radio is not only original to the car but is also fully functional. If only VW would wire their cars like old radios then they would be set for life. Another rare piece in this time capsule filled with them is the Kamei center console. It was a dealer option for vehicles that didn’t have A/C installed at the factory. The fact that it is red with a wood grain switch panel is just icing on the cake. Another notable item I simply cannot pass over is the red wiper stalk. Me being a fine connoisseur of everything rare, dealer-only, obscure, obsolete, and unobtanium pertaining to Mk1 culture, this is the first one I have ever seen. Although I would not have much use for it, I would love the get my claws on this nifty piece just for posterity sake.
Finally we have the engine bay because what full restoration would be complete without addressing the heart and soul of the car itself? When asked what was the most difficult aspect of the build Jarrett stated that it was keeping the entire car period correct, and the engine bay was no exception. He affirmed, “Instead of putting a 16v or an ABA 2.0, we fully built an 8v from that period with all period correct mods.” At the time of production the 16v would not of been available for another 7 years. Jarrett chose to go with the tried and true 1.8L JH mated to a 4k 5-speed. He decked the head for an 11:1 static CR. Feeding the motor is an Audi 5000 throttle body and Bosal header. Special lengths were taken in preserving the originality of the bay. Everything was removed, rebuilt, sandblasted, and repainted to look factory original.
I would just like to applaud the owner for being different. There are too many people in the scene that are just trend followers and not staying true to themselves. Jarrett Belisle saw these type of Mk1s at area shows and most were so heavily modified or had so many new parts on that they subtracted for what the Rabbit was intended to be. He set out to make a car that would fit the standard of a Mk1. I’m sure it wasn’t easy and I know it wasn’t popular but I’m glad he had the skills, know-how, and drive to build such an astonishing different car. One a secondary note, he revealed that few people get to drive his car but they have always been other Mk1 owners. I would love to be given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the piece of Mk1 tuning history. God willing, maybe this coming year at H2O, we could swap cars for an afternoon as long as he wouldn’t mind driving a 43k original mile Scirocco. Please get back with me Jarrett on you thoughts concerning this matter.

Car Specs: 1979 rabbit L duck bill Diamond Silver Metallic Clearcoat (L97A)
Exterior: A pillar fairings 15×7 Vestatech wheels imported from Germany- made in 1984 Small duck bill Basket rack European bumpers Door handle scratch guards Fuel Filler neck ring Early clear glass Chrome trim Factory optional single mirror
Interior: Kamei console Lipstick red interior Momo wood wheel Working original mono radio system
Engine: 1.8 8v jh-engine code 11:1 compression Close ratio 4k 5-speed trans Decked and clearanced solid lifter head 280′/276′ cam Adjustable cam gear Bosal header Audi 5000 throttle body

Thanks: Jarrett would like to to thank his friends for their support especially Andy and Nick who were the old school Mk1 geniuses behind the build.