By the time the late 1960s rolled around, Volkswagen saw the writing on the wall when it came to the Beetle. It was time to plan for its replacement. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Golf (or Rabbit as it came to be known in the US), was one of the first mass produced front engined, front-wheel drive, transverse engined compacts to gain success after the introduction of the trailblazing Mini in 1959. In 1978, Volkswagen began to produce this compact hatchback in the US at the Westmoreland, Pennsylvania manufacturing plant under the Rabbit badge. But before the domestic Rabbits began to roll off the line, the very first Rabbits to appear in the US were distinguished by their curious rear bodywork, with a drooping panel line around the rear tail lamps. These early Rabbits became known as the “swallowtail.”
It’s rare to come across these early Rabbits, but this 1975 model for sale in Florida is one of the earliest we’ve featured here on GCFSB, with a build date of December 1974. For the purist, this is certainly a chance to snag what has to be one the earliest, most well preserved Rabbits on US shores.
