The early UK Golfs didn't have reversing/backup lights. Putting the Rabbit/Golf badge on the left followed a trend at the time of naming cars by their model name first, such as "Vega by Chevrolet".
The early ones also had a reverse switch from an automatic gearboxes on them, even on the manual box, that had a reverse switch and a (non used) park interlock for the starter. Makes that gearbox a hard item to service, as that switch is a common failing point.
We had one of those when I was little. It was the first brand new car my dad ever bought. The year was 1974. It was the basic edition and had, as standard, no radio, no rear fog light, no clock and no brake servo. 😁 It was frog green. Sadly I don't remember what engine was in it. But I do remember my dad bragging to a friend that it did nearly 160 km/h when going downhill with a stiff breeze in your back. He sold it five years later and I remember distinctly him sanding and painting it in the drive, as it was full of rust. Those early Golfs were made from Eastern European or Russian steel and it must have had rust from the factory, but then again, it was the 70's. Cars rusted. It was a massive improvement in the Simca 1100 we had before that.
Not only the Golf, cars like the Alfa Sud and some Peugeot models as well. At that time there was a pretty severe supply crisis of steel. Hence the import of Soviet steel. Sad thing was that this steel was not very pure and probably had rust incorporated in de sheetmetal. That's why lots of 70's euro cars rust like a mofo.
I had a 1979 VW diesel rabbit we brought over from Greece . We ordered it from Boston and picked it up in Paris and drove all the way toGreece and then here in Massachusetts. We put on over 200,000 miles on her . The shock towers rusted so we got rid of her . In my opinion it was the finest automobile. Diesel is the way to go if you want your car to last
Something that you may not know is that the first generation Volkswagen Golf was produced (not only assembled) in Mexico under the name of Volkswagen Caribe between 1977 and 1987. Logically, there were no mexican swallowtails, but actually, the Volkswagen Caribe, together with the classic Beetle and Bus are some of the most iconic cars south of the border.
I’m a die hard VW fan but did not know all the specifics of the early mk1 cars but the most surprising to me was the front drum brakes so from what year to what they had front drums?
Great video Jamie. Love seeing a proper VW geek making great videos. I had a few swallowtails as parts cars and it’s great to see someone appreciating the small details. Ours (Australian) are different to American ones on a few points too and it’s interesting to see those little differences.
My first VW was a 1977 no automatic seatbelts.... second one 77 with deluxe interior.... no auto seat belts..... my 3rd was a Westmoreland diesel.... that one had the door mounted seat belts I really liked my sciroccos best from the mk1 era
@JamieOrr The reason behind this was that some markets/countries like the US and others had larger height license plates and in order to accommodate this the swallow tail was used. In the home market it didn't look as finished with the long thin European license plates so they decided to drop that look and not worry about the overhang for larger height plates in the other markets. I also think originally VW planned for the license plate lights to be on the BUMPER itself shining upwards and this also cleared the path for that lighting, but that idea was nixed in the design stages because it was illegal to have license plates lighted from the bottom. VW redesigned the hood to strengthen it (prevent twisting ) by putting the crease in at the front. Also the reason or thought behind placing the model name on the left instead of right was that as left hand drive cars, and this being a new model, VW wanted to get that Golf name in front of the eye sight as many drivers on the European roads as possible, and that made it as clear as possible when a driver coming up behind this Golf was within close traffic you would see it very easily. Marketing 101 and very logical and rational thought.
in my neighbourhood here in germany in the 90s a old man had a 83 Pirelli GTI in original condition he wont to sell it for 1500 DM i was too young no money and the car lands in bad hands bad tuning another owner change and he wrecked it. this was so sad for me :( !! here in europe this swallowtails and other early Golf 1 are very hard to find. sorry for my bad english
I am 56 years old. My 1st car bought used at age 16 in 1982 was a 1973 super beetle auto stick and second car was a very clean 1975 VW rabbit 2dr in orange. It had a dash pad and clock, 4spd man trans 1.5 4cyl. It was so fun. I put on an after market 2bbl weber carburetor, bosch points-plugs-wires, headers, ansa exhaust, etc. 20560R13 Goodyears on wide steel rims. I ran that car for a few years and then purchased a 1977 VW scirocco. I put in a donor built 1.6 with head work, camshaft, headers, single sidedraft carburetor, lowered, etc. Fun times. You could buy these cars for $300-$1,000 all day long in great used condition to near mint.
My wife has always had vw vehicles and I had never had one till recently she bought a Tiguan se r line. I fell in love and bought me one as well with the 4 motion and am very happy.
As a mk1 nerd this made me geek out so much... the variations you can get in mk1s around the world is insane... on the citi the rear pillar has an L in it where all other mk1s around the world are smooth
I thought you were going to forget about the drum brake set up. The first shop I worked in New Holland PA and they had a warehouse full of early MK1 parts. I remember the drum brakes on the early. My favorite rabbit was the 77 model year. It had the 1.6 K-Jet. We had a 77 with the 4-sp. I loved to trash it back and forth to work while I was building a 16V Golf with the Zender body kit. That was way back in 1989. Good times!
My Mum in New Zealand had a green MK1. It was ex England. No glove box. 1.1 engine. Swallow tail. Hood stay bar. Beetle gear knob. Basic car but sound. I fitted a Golf sport rear muffler; that alone released a bit more torque and power.
Excellent video!IMO one of the best cars ever made!We used to own 2 Golfs like this.A white 5-door model made in 1976 and a lofoten green 3-door model made in 1975.The lofoten green had the swallowtail like the one in the video.Fortunately for us,we didn't deal with rust problems as many owners did.Maybe we were lucky.By the way,when swallowtail was withdrawn?Early 1976?Because our green made in summer 1975 had a swallowtail whilst our white made in 1976(i don't remember month)hadnt.So I believe that only 1974,1975 and very early 1976 models had this "feature".
Jaime, I love these episodes. The research and history-the nerdy quality-and the story telling are amazing. I really look forward to them. Please do a history of the VW Wagen. From the Squareback to my baby-the Alltrack. Also, would love an episode where you hit the junkyard again and go looking for treasures...especially wheels.
My base model, 10/77 rabbit had a swallowtail hatch and defrosterless glass, brake lines run through the car, no knee bar. no radio, just a blanking panel. Very cool car.Lots of early parts.
I owned 14 of them at the time from 1975 swallow tails to 1984 GTI's...loved those cars and they were everywhere! used to buy them for between $100 to $600 bucks in good running condition...Used them to deliver pizza in and also used to Ice race them professionaly in winter on circuit tracks!, nothing could beat them! perfectly balanced on the ice..typically in the top 10 of every race there would be 6 to 8 Rabbits!
VW were the air cooled rear engine guys, we only got the Golf because of the AUDI hook-up by VW. Then the Giugiaro magic of 1970s was done on it. Golf, call it a Giugiaro Audi. The Golf Mk1 is the nicest design, Mk2 went flabby and they grew in size from there.
Thank for the info! I've been into VWs for 30 years, mostly air cooleds but am now fixing up a Mk2 Jetta. I always wondered where the swallowtail nickname came from. It's a pretty neat car! I hope it gets a nice proper restoration.
i had the same car in 1980 i live in England and bought it from a old lady who had given up driving . it was a 1974 mk 1 golf with a tiny 1.1 L engine i payed 100 pounds for it [ about 200 bucks in the day ] it had no mot [ road worthyness test ] it did not run and the brakes were seized up . after a weekend freeing things up charging the battery and cleaning the points and plugs along with a few gallons of fresh petrol she ran :) , I took it for a MOT [ road worthyness test ] she pased first time , the car had done 16000 miles from new . OMG i wish i had it now it would be worth a fortune here in England . [i sold it for 400 pounds a year later to a freind who owned it for the next 5 years with no faults ever :( i should have kept it ..
Awesome cant wait for build !! I had a 74 yellow rabbit in 1993 in high school i bought for $250 bucks. Fixed and cleaned it drove it for 6 months and sold it for $550. Which i put towards my 83 gti black with red interior which i picked up for $1100 .. Wish i had both today . would love to build an OEM plus 74-77 rabbit with some euro golf gti theme and a 2.0 16v .
Even more rare .. Here in the UK ..we had the very first mk1 Golfs.. with no reverse light on the rear light clusters.. just the indicator / red brake/backlight and rear reflector..Saw one many many years go - 1974 registered model in yellow .
I bought a 1975 VW Rabbit in January 1975, It was the same color as yours. Let me tell you, its name should be Grief-mobile. It was my 1st new car, because my 1967 VW square back was totaled. Where do I begin I. had had from new for 5 years, 50,000 and the following happened. 3 Catalytic converters 5 catalytic converters sensors, The catalytic converter heat shield broke. The radiator broke, the sides were plastic and the hose snapped off one day. The cluch went out. The head warped. The brake master cylinder went out. Carberator problems, there was a short in the dashboard headlight switch, one of the window cranks stopped working. Brake linings only last 10,000 miles. The knit fabric seats rotted. It was garage kept and Im a very slow careful driver. I had more problems with that car then all the other I have had since put together. Thats why you dont see them, they were terrible, I will never buy another VW product again. I hope VW enjoyed my $3,462 because that is the last dollar they will ever see from me
The Golf is so much in a class of it's own that in Germany, the segment is called the Golf-Klasse. Not compact, subcompact or whatever. Golf-Klasse. His main rivals (and always 2nd and 3rd place) were the Opel Kadett / Astra and Ford Escort / Focus. My first car was a 1980 Rucksack-Golf (aka Jetta).
The upper part of the early rear hatch is different. The seatbelts do less injury, that was the reason for the invention. The later hood was more rigid and less prone to dents in the middle. The knee bar is part of the 2 point belts restraint system. The seatbelts were available as an option in europe. - - Good job recovering it. Nice video.
Have you been to Mexico to get a Caribe GT? It is not a GTI because it has no fuel injection. The car came with factory Recaros with the Caribe name all over them. They are pretty neat cars. They are very reasonably priced.
The Caribe GT is so cool, and produced longer than the Mk1 in USA and Europe! I’ve been to Mexico for VW things many times, and once drove a factory watercooled Type 2 bus back from there. We were held by the cartel at Nueva Laredo for a while..!
@@JamieOrr Just as a general rule, you should stay out of the territory controlled by Los Zetas, which is where you were. I live in Sinaloa and it is very calm here and they don't bother anybody. As far as the Caribe, production started in 1977 and finished in 1987 so we never got the model you feature in this video.
From Providence, Rhode Island-never had a V-dub of any kind or any "foreign car" for that matter, but can totally appreciate the nerd factor-rock on-looking forward to the video evolution-Peace!
The door mounted shoulder harness and the knee bar must have been a VW workaround. Similar to the "mouse track" belts in early 90's to avoid airbags. 1974 was the first ( and only) year of the seat belt interlock. There was a switch/relay that wouldn't allow the car to crank ( or start) unless the driver's seat belt was fastened. A lot of people would fasten the belt before they sat down and would just sit on the belt. A system so throughly hated that Congress removed the interlock for 1975. Despite what our Serbian friend says, I'd bet this was a German built car, ASIK, all US market VWs were built in Germany until the Westmoreland plant opened and Beetle production moved to Mexico. Source- I worked in the parts department of a VW dealer in 74-75. It would also be highly unusual to get production from what we in the US considered the Iron Curtain. Even if Yugoslavia didn't fit the Soviet mold. I do find it interesting that you've chosen to add a 20V motor and improve the suspension but fit front drum brakes. Not the usual route.
I CANT WAIT TO FOLLOW THIS UP! i just got my first car wish is a MK1 rabbit!, i really want to see where you go with this, so i take notes and see what do i wanna do to my mk1, taking notes from this new series, THIS NEW SERIES IS WHAT I NEED!
Very nice car ...im a rabbit fan too got a 2door 1983 golf GT mk1...so I definitely have a soft spot for these cars...cant wait to see what plans you have in store for it...wishing u best of luck with the build
Something I learned from this - the old AMT Rabbit model kit (not the reissue which is from the Esci tool) has a swallowtail-style smooth leading edge hood but is otherwise a 1977-78 fuel injected car.
Rare MK 1 Golf looks sound this one in the UK there will nothing left of this car in our English climate same age as me this car 46 years old good luck restoring this car Jamie
As far as the signature rear panel goes, there were two different stamps of that panel. A more smooth one and a more pronounced sharper stamping. My Delft Blau 75 swallowtail, 11/74 had drum brakes in the front. Extremely bare bones Rabbit.
Interesting! I had several of these Golfs in my youth. The latest was a 1982 GTI. Loved them. Now they are almost impossible to find and the ones that are out there are priced very high.
When I was 15 back in the early 90s I had a 1975 orange rabbit just like that one. The paint was Immaculate but the interior was beginning to crack but was in decent condition. I had the best stereo system in the back. You could hear me coming from three blocks away. One thing that you want to check on these first type 1 bodies is the floor pan right where the wishbone connect to the body on the driver side. They will to crack if you don't catch it early. This can be hell trying to repair. Ask me how I know. 🤣 Usually a stress bar that connects both wishbones prevents this from ever happening so I recommend you get a stress bar. I believe 76 and newer have been reinforced from the factory. So this would be an issue on newer type 1 bodies.
I might have subconsciously see the swallow tail design but never really paid attention to that. Crazy how sought after those are. I guess because they're more rare, that makes them more valuable. Everyone always wants something they can't get, or that's hard to get. And, I think the swallow tail design looks better than the straight line.
This Golf reminds me of the "Gol BX", witch is a really interesting car, it is worth knowing it and it's curious engine it had on it's early days of development too.
hello jamie congratulations on that rare VW golf. Here in Portugal we have some at clubgolfportugal. I have a mk1 GTI from 1982 in this photo and a cabriolet from 1982. They are my passion Embrace of Portugal 🇵🇹
Awesome, yet they were everywhere when I was a kid. I owned a 75 in the UK many many moons ago then had seven more mk1's. Today down to just one 1983 GX...cool as!
Love the swallowtail. My dad had a 76 silver 5 door auto with scirocco 1.6gt engine in it. Lovely car sadly written off in the 80s by a Austin maestro eek. I later had a 79 gti loved the seat belts no clip on the belt. Your single headlamp chrome grill is also quite rare tho not swallowtail specific.
A few more details are internal door hinges are different. The profile for the wing were it meets the door is different. No front towing eye. Smaller rain tray. Fuel pump/filter goes in the side of the tank not the top. Should have drum brakes all round. The washer jet on the bonnet/hood should look like a little lady bug
The early UK Golfs didn't have reversing/backup lights. Putting the Rabbit/Golf badge on the left followed a trend at the time of naming cars by their model name first, such as "Vega by Chevrolet".
The early ones also had a reverse switch from an automatic gearboxes on them, even on the manual box, that had a reverse switch and a (non used) park interlock for the starter. Makes that gearbox a hard item to service, as that switch is a common failing point.
We had one of those when I was little.
It was the first brand new car my dad ever bought. The year was 1974.
It was the basic edition and had, as standard, no radio, no rear fog light, no clock and no brake servo. 😁
It was frog green. Sadly I don't remember what engine was in it. But I do remember my dad bragging to a friend that it did nearly 160 km/h when going downhill with a stiff breeze in your back.
He sold it five years later and I remember distinctly him sanding and painting it in the drive, as it was full of rust. Those early Golfs were made from Eastern European or Russian steel and it must have had rust from the factory, but then again, it was the 70's. Cars rusted.
It was a massive improvement in the Simca 1100 we had before that.
Fantastic! It was probably Lofoten Green, which is one of my favourites!
Very cool on the Simca too!
Not only the Golf, cars like the Alfa Sud and some Peugeot models as well. At that time there was a pretty severe supply crisis of steel. Hence the import of Soviet steel. Sad thing was that this steel was not very pure and probably had rust incorporated in de sheetmetal. That's why lots of 70's euro cars rust like a mofo.
@@JamieOrr if it was a frog green I’m going with rallye/cliff green 😉
A kid at my school didn’t let me buy his swallowtail then a few months later he proceeded to junk it without telling anyone
Damn kid
We all know pretty well a kid like thar
Save all the mk1's! scraping a mk1 should be a crime!
that's genuinely pisses me off
probably something embarrassing in it that he didn't want people finding
I had a 1979 VW diesel rabbit we brought over from Greece . We ordered it from Boston and picked it up in Paris and drove all the way toGreece and then here in Massachusetts. We put on over 200,000 miles on her . The shock towers rusted so we got rid of her . In my opinion it was the finest automobile. Diesel is the way to go if you want your car to last
That is SO cool! Thank you for sharing!!
This car is so cool, so many rare, quirky and weird parts. I love it. Thanks Jamie, Ralph and SoloWerks, you guys rock!!!!
Something that you may not know is that the first generation Volkswagen Golf was produced (not only assembled) in Mexico under the name of Volkswagen Caribe between 1977 and 1987. Logically, there were no mexican swallowtails, but actually, the Volkswagen Caribe, together with the classic Beetle and Bus are some of the most iconic cars south of the border.
I’m a die hard VW fan but did not know all the specifics of the early mk1 cars but the most surprising to me was the front drum brakes so from what year to what they had front drums?
Great video! didn't realise the swallowtails had all these rare things
Citroen GS was not a hatchback but was made into one in 1979...along time after the Golf Mk1 came out
Great video Jamie. Love seeing a proper VW geek making great videos. I had a few swallowtails as parts cars and it’s great to see someone appreciating the small details. Ours (Australian) are different to American ones on a few points too and it’s interesting to see those little differences.
My first VW was a 1977 no automatic seatbelts.... second one 77 with deluxe interior.... no auto seat belts..... my 3rd was a Westmoreland diesel.... that one had the door mounted seat belts
I really liked my sciroccos best from the mk1 era
Great video. I'm pretty sure the 'swallowtail' curves were there to incorporate the European-style rectangular number plates.
@JamieOrr
The reason behind this was that some markets/countries like the US and others had larger height license plates and in order to accommodate this the swallow tail was used.
In the home market it didn't look as finished with the long thin European license plates so they decided to drop that look and not worry about the overhang for larger height plates in the other markets. I also think originally VW planned for the license plate lights to be on the BUMPER itself shining upwards and this also cleared the path for that lighting, but that idea was nixed in the design stages because it was illegal to have license plates lighted from the bottom. VW redesigned the hood to strengthen it (prevent twisting ) by putting the crease in at the front. Also the reason or thought behind placing the model name on the left instead of right was that as left hand drive cars, and this being a new model, VW wanted to get that Golf name in front of the eye sight as many drivers on the European roads as possible, and that made it as clear as possible when a driver coming up behind this Golf was within close traffic you would see it very easily. Marketing 101 and very logical and rational thought.
in my neighbourhood here in germany in the 90s a old man had a 83 Pirelli GTI in original condition he wont to sell it for 1500 DM i was too young no money and the car lands in bad hands bad tuning another owner change and he wrecked it. this was so sad for me :( !! here in europe this swallowtails and other early Golf 1 are very hard to find. sorry for my bad english
I am 56 years old. My 1st car bought used at age 16 in 1982 was a 1973 super beetle auto stick and second car was a very clean 1975 VW rabbit 2dr in orange. It had a dash pad and clock, 4spd man trans 1.5 4cyl. It was so fun. I put on an after market 2bbl weber carburetor, bosch points-plugs-wires, headers, ansa exhaust, etc. 20560R13 Goodyears on wide steel rims. I ran that car for a few years and then purchased a 1977 VW scirocco. I put in a donor built 1.6 with head work, camshaft, headers, single sidedraft carburetor, lowered, etc. Fun times. You could buy these cars for $300-$1,000 all day long in great used condition to near mint.
I have also a VW Golf "Mark Wan". My Golf is from 1982 with the 1.5L engine. My car is also in red but has the big rear lights.
My wife has always had vw vehicles and I had never had one till recently she bought a Tiguan se r line. I fell in love and bought me one as well with the 4 motion and am very happy.
As a mk1 nerd this made me geek out so much... the variations you can get in mk1s around the world is insane... on the citi the rear pillar has an L in it where all other mk1s around the world are smooth
My daddy owned the Golf MK1 as his first car
Also took a diesel Rabbit with over 400,000 kms on the clock that I bought here for $50 to California and back with no issues!
Wow, this was fascinating!! Currently modding my mk5 rabbit & it was so cool to learn about its early ancestors :)
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
@@JamieOrr Greetings, I'm in need of a couple things how can I reach out? Email? I can hand over my email if needed.
I owned a 75 Rabbit and it was the same color. It was my first car and I paid $2500 for it in 1979.
Amazing!!
I love these nerdy videos, this car is so sick, looking forward to seeing the build
I thought you were going to forget about the drum brake set up. The first shop I worked in New Holland PA and they had a warehouse full of early MK1 parts. I remember the drum brakes on the early. My favorite rabbit was the 77 model year. It had the 1.6 K-Jet. We had a 77 with the 4-sp. I loved to trash it back and forth to work while I was building a 16V Golf with the Zender body kit. That was way back in 1989. Good times!
Watching your videos from South Africa 🇿🇦 awesome videos and the best automotive history on the VW’s...
My Mum in New Zealand had a green MK1. It was ex England. No glove box. 1.1 engine. Swallow tail. Hood stay bar. Beetle gear knob. Basic car but sound. I fitted a Golf sport rear muffler; that alone released a bit more torque and power.
liked and subscribed. This is the level of enthusiasm and nerdiness I need...
Nice video dude I have 1976 mk1 1500 diesel and love it, first owner is my grandfather :D.
That's SO cool!! Thanks :-)
Excellent video!IMO one of the best cars ever made!We used to own 2 Golfs like this.A white 5-door model made in 1976 and a lofoten green 3-door model made in 1975.The lofoten green had the swallowtail like the one in the video.Fortunately for us,we didn't deal with rust problems as many owners did.Maybe we were lucky.By the way,when swallowtail was withdrawn?Early 1976?Because our green made in summer 1975 had a swallowtail whilst our white made in 1976(i don't remember month)hadnt.So I believe that only 1974,1975 and very early 1976 models had this "feature".
Jaime, I love these episodes. The research and history-the nerdy quality-and the story telling are amazing. I really look forward to them. Please do a history of the VW Wagen. From the Squareback to my baby-the Alltrack. Also, would love an episode where you hit the junkyard again and go looking for treasures...especially wheels.
My base model, 10/77 rabbit had a swallowtail hatch and defrosterless glass, brake lines run through the car, no knee bar. no radio, just a blanking panel. Very cool car.Lots of early parts.
I owned 14 of them at the time from 1975 swallow tails to 1984 GTI's...loved those cars and they were everywhere! used to buy them for between $100 to $600 bucks in good running condition...Used them to deliver pizza in and also used to Ice race them professionaly in winter on circuit tracks!, nothing could beat them! perfectly balanced on the ice..typically in the top 10 of every race there would be 6 to 8 Rabbits!
VW were the air cooled rear engine guys, we only got the Golf because of the AUDI hook-up by VW. Then the Giugiaro magic of 1970s was done on it.
Golf, call it a Giugiaro Audi. The Golf Mk1 is the nicest design, Mk2 went flabby and they grew in size from there.
FWIW the seats were special also being horsehair and the rear seat had mounts that latched onto removable latches on the car
Very interesting pointers... Still got a love for mk1 golf have a few in my time. Small tail light models are becoming scarce here in sunny🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
They are out there in the boonies I've seen them when i was living there...
Awesome car. Just sold my mk1. Not an early one like this. Will be following this build
Thank for the info! I've been into VWs for 30 years, mostly air cooleds but am now fixing up a Mk2 Jetta. I always wondered where the swallowtail nickname came from. It's a pretty neat car! I hope it gets a nice proper restoration.
Thank you! Have fun with your Mk2 project!!
Intersting,I never knew about the swallowtail detail differences!
i had the same car in 1980 i live in England and bought it from a old lady who had given up driving . it was a 1974 mk 1 golf with a tiny 1.1 L engine i payed 100 pounds for it [ about 200 bucks in the day ] it had no mot [ road worthyness test ]
it did not run and the brakes were seized up . after a weekend freeing things up charging the battery and cleaning the points and plugs along with a few gallons of fresh petrol she ran :) ,
I took it for a MOT [ road worthyness test ] she pased first time , the car had done 16000 miles from new .
OMG i wish i had it now it would be worth a fortune here in England .
[i sold it for 400 pounds a year later to a freind who owned it for the next 5 years with no faults ever :(
i should have kept it ..
Greetings from Germany and Dankeschön für das Video .
Have Fun with your project and good luck ^^
I knew about the rear end oddities, but I had no idea on the hood/ sheet metal stuff!! Awesome!
Awesome cant wait for build !! I had a 74 yellow rabbit in 1993 in high school i bought for $250 bucks. Fixed and cleaned it drove it for 6 months and sold it for $550. Which i put towards my 83 gti black with red interior which i picked up for $1100 .. Wish i had both today . would love to build an OEM plus 74-77 rabbit with some euro golf gti theme and a 2.0 16v .
Even more rare .. Here in the UK ..we had the very first mk1 Golfs.. with no reverse light on the rear light clusters.. just the indicator / red brake/backlight and rear reflector..Saw one many many years go - 1974 registered model in yellow .
my 1979 rabbit have brake lines running through the inside. great video
I bought a 1975 VW Rabbit in January 1975, It was the same color as yours. Let me tell you, its name should be Grief-mobile. It was my 1st new car, because my 1967 VW square back was totaled. Where do I begin I. had had from new for 5 years, 50,000 and the following happened. 3 Catalytic converters 5 catalytic converters sensors, The catalytic converter heat shield broke. The radiator broke, the sides were plastic and the hose snapped off one day. The cluch went out. The head warped. The brake master cylinder went out. Carberator problems, there was a short in the dashboard headlight switch, one of the window cranks stopped working. Brake linings only last 10,000 miles. The knit fabric seats rotted. It was garage kept and Im a very slow careful driver. I had more problems with that car then all the other I have had since put together. Thats why you dont see them, they were terrible, I will never buy another VW product again. I hope VW enjoyed my $3,462 because that is the last dollar they will ever see from me
The Golf is so much in a class of it's own that in Germany, the segment is called the Golf-Klasse. Not compact, subcompact or whatever. Golf-Klasse. His main rivals (and always 2nd and 3rd place) were the Opel Kadett / Astra and Ford Escort / Focus. My first car was a 1980 Rucksack-Golf (aka Jetta).
My boss had one in 76. I drove it a couple times. Long gone to the scrap yard in Detroit
The upper part of the early rear hatch is different. The seatbelts do less injury, that was the reason for the invention. The later hood was more rigid and less prone to dents in the middle. The knee bar is part of the 2 point belts restraint system. The seatbelts were available as an option in europe. - - Good job recovering it. Nice video.
Have you been to Mexico to get a Caribe GT? It is not a GTI because it has no fuel injection. The car came with factory Recaros with the Caribe name all over them. They are pretty neat cars. They are very reasonably priced.
The Caribe GT is so cool, and produced longer than the Mk1 in USA and Europe!
I’ve been to Mexico for VW things many times, and once drove a factory watercooled Type 2 bus back from there. We were held by the cartel at Nueva Laredo for a while..!
@@JamieOrr Just as a general rule, you should stay out of the territory controlled by Los Zetas, which is where you were. I live in Sinaloa and it is very calm here and they don't bother anybody. As far as the Caribe, production started in 1977 and finished in 1987 so we never got the model you feature in this video.
I learn so much regarding the history and even the new model Volkswagen's from Jamie! Great video 👍
This has been always my favourite
From Providence, Rhode Island-never had a V-dub of any kind or any "foreign car" for that matter, but can totally appreciate the nerd factor-rock on-looking forward to the video evolution-Peace!
The door mounted shoulder harness and the knee bar must have been a VW workaround. Similar to the "mouse track" belts in early 90's to avoid airbags. 1974 was the first ( and only) year of the seat belt interlock. There was a switch/relay that wouldn't allow the car to crank ( or start) unless the driver's seat belt was fastened. A lot of people would fasten the belt before they sat down and would just sit on the belt. A system so throughly hated that Congress removed the interlock for 1975.
Despite what our Serbian friend says, I'd bet this was a German built car, ASIK, all US market VWs were built in Germany until the Westmoreland plant opened and Beetle production moved to Mexico. Source- I worked in the parts department of a VW dealer in 74-75. It would also be highly unusual to get production from what we in the US considered the Iron Curtain. Even if Yugoslavia didn't fit the Soviet mold.
I do find it interesting that you've chosen to add a 20V motor and improve the suspension but fit front drum brakes. Not the usual route.
The doors sound so satisfying😍
Yes !!
Sion Klein Econo car, yet still German-engineered.
If you like cheap and thin. Not having the door card on it makes it worse. Sort of copycat Horizons were always more substantial feeling and sounding.
Thank you Jamie, and thank you Solo-Werks - just ordered a set for my son's mk4 :)
I CANT WAIT TO FOLLOW THIS UP!
i just got my first car wish is a MK1 rabbit!, i really want to see where you go with this, so i take notes and see what do i wanna do to my mk1, taking notes from this new series, THIS NEW SERIES IS WHAT I NEED!
i own a 76, great to see
Very cool, and thanks!
The thing I love most about the Golf is their rival - the Opel Astra/Kadett is brilliant.
I drive a 1973 rhd VW k70 and it's funny to see some simularities with this MK1 rabbit
8:52 Hallo! Danke für this video about the VW Golf Mk1! With best regards!
An owner of a VW Golf Mk7 1.4 TSI (150 hp) from Germany. :-)
Vielen Dank!
I Could be wrong, but I think we got the 20v 1.8 NA engine over here in Mexico, on the MK1 Seat Leon
thanks for the video, I'm converting my '84 diesel to electric
I worked in the parts dept of a UK VW dealer for 13 years from 1995 to 2008 and I never heard the term used for the mk 1 golfs.
Very nice car ...im a rabbit fan too got a 2door 1983 golf GT mk1...so I definitely have a soft spot for these cars...cant wait to see what plans you have in store for it...wishing u best of luck with the build
I own 37 swallow tails...been collecting since 2002.
Do you have Instagram would love to see them. I just picked up my third mk1 being a 11/74 rallye green swallowtail.
Something I learned from this - the old AMT Rabbit model kit (not the reissue which is from the Esci tool) has a swallowtail-style smooth leading edge hood but is otherwise a 1977-78 fuel injected car.
I had Golf gti 1.6, 4 speed 1979 mk1 in mars red...wish I had it today
My first car was a 1976 golf can't remember if it had the swallow tail it had the rod support on the tail gate
Wow perfectly working door handles 🤣🤣
Interesting, I never knew all of these details. I own a '83 model that I'm currently restoring. I prefer the old models but they are hard to find.
Rare MK 1 Golf looks sound this one in the UK there will nothing left of this car in our English climate same age as me this car 46 years old good luck restoring this car Jamie
Epic detail of an epic car... thanks
Great overview! I was pretty educated as I didnt know some of the specifics which you mentioned. Pretty excited for more content on this one!!
As far as the signature rear panel goes, there were two different stamps of that panel. A more smooth one and a more pronounced sharper stamping. My Delft Blau 75 swallowtail, 11/74 had drum brakes in the front. Extremely bare bones Rabbit.
Those teal wheels are awesome. Would love to find a set of those! Can't wait to see how this turns out!
Interesting! I had several of these Golfs in my youth. The latest was a 1982 GTI. Loved them. Now they are almost impossible to find and the ones that are out there are priced very high.
Thanks for this very interessting video of the MK 1. Please keep it as much as possible original.
When I was 15 back in the early 90s I had a 1975 orange rabbit just like that one. The paint was Immaculate but the interior was beginning to crack but was in decent condition. I had the best stereo system in the back. You could hear me coming from three blocks away. One thing that you want to check on these first type 1 bodies is the floor pan right where the wishbone connect to the body on the driver side. They will to crack if you don't catch it early. This can be hell trying to repair. Ask me how I know. 🤣 Usually a stress bar that connects both wishbones prevents this from ever happening so I recommend you get a stress bar.
I believe 76 and newer have been reinforced from the factory. So this would be an issue on newer type 1 bodies.
Love this project jamie can’t wait to see more updates:)
I might have subconsciously see the swallow tail design but never really paid attention to that. Crazy how sought after those are. I guess because they're more rare, that makes them more valuable. Everyone always wants something they can't get, or that's hard to get. And, I think the swallow tail design looks better than the straight line.
Great vídeo Jamie! A lot of details I didn't know about the swallowtail
I do love the box shape of the MK1.
I loved my 84 cabriolet
love this early model like the door sound
Next project..... awaiting impatiently
Thanks Jamie that was very informative and love the energy as usual.
This dude just needs a bowler hat and eye liner on that right eye and he’d be a kick-ass Alex DeLarge.
Love the details you go into, always great to see so much pasion.
This Golf reminds me of the "Gol BX", witch is a really interesting car, it is worth knowing it and it's curious engine it had on it's early days of development too.
hello jamie
congratulations on that rare VW golf.
Here in Portugal we have some at clubgolfportugal. I have a mk1 GTI from 1982 in this photo and a cabriolet from 1982. They are my passion
Embrace of Portugal 🇵🇹
Obrigado!
I did a Instagram Live interview with CDG PT :-)
Had a 74 or 75 gas. Used a court of oil every 400 miles.VW said this was normal. AC went out as soon as warranty expired.
Will look nice with the gepfeffert.
Greetings from Germany ✌️
10 year old me couldn't afford to buy one at R1000 from one old lady... 3 months later i returned and the car was sold..... shuttered dreams
Looking forward to see where this is going! Way to go Jamie!
Cigarette lighter is different to and the seam on the seat are on the other side! Great vidéo 👍👍👍👍👍
Awesome, yet they were everywhere when I was a kid. I owned a 75 in the UK many many moons ago then had seven more mk1's. Today down to just one 1983 GX...cool as!
Love the swallowtail. My dad had a 76 silver 5 door auto with scirocco 1.6gt engine in it. Lovely car sadly written off in the 80s by a Austin maestro eek.
I later had a 79 gti loved the seat belts no clip on the belt.
Your single headlamp chrome grill is also quite rare tho not swallowtail specific.
😍 such awesome info, We gotta find all the swallowtails and do a registry.
This will be my first car that i will own by my self
A few more details are internal door hinges are different. The profile for the wing were it meets the door is different. No front towing eye. Smaller rain tray. Fuel pump/filter goes in the side of the tank not the top. Should have drum brakes all round. The washer jet on the bonnet/hood should look like a little lady bug
Good points. They were mainly made with disc brakes, drums were base models only it seems.