- When Volkswagen took a can opener to the Rabbit, it created an ’80s icon.
- With a 90-hp 1.8-liter engine, like the contemporary GTI, the Rabbit convertible was a quick and nimble runabout.
- With just 37K miles on the odometer, this example will let you relive those synth-pop dreams.
The original Volkswagen Rabbit (first-gen Golf in other markets) wasn’t an obvious candidate for a convertible body style, being a hatchback and all. But VW did it, with a basket-handle roll bar and a folded cloth top stacked behind the rear seat. Introduced in 1979, the pint-sized convertible with seating for four was virtually impossible to beat for fun in the sun.
It’s also a Wolfsburg edition with 13-inch alloy wheels and sports seats, and while there are a couple of cosmetic wear marks on the seat, it presents very well. The options are impressive for the era too, with cruise control, air conditioning, and even an aftermarket Craig graphic equalizer. It’s just made to blast that synth pop.
Volkswagen doesn’t build anything like this kind of car anymore, having killed off the Beetle convertible in 2019. Imagine if Wolfsburg decided to make a little EV droptop on the skateboard chassis of the electric ID.2. It’d inject a dollop of whimsy back into the company’s lineup more than even the retro-microbus ID.Buzz can manage.
For now, though, here’s your own chance to recapture that fizz of 1980s youth. This car previously sold on BaT two years ago for $26,900. Here’s another chance to grab it, especially if you missed out on cabriolet ownership back when the only thing bigger than your dreams was your hair.
The auction ends on April 24.
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.