1986 Volkswagen Cabriolet Test Drive

Six years since the Rabbit Convertible debuted, a number of changes occurred.  For one, the Rabbit name disappeared, the engine’s displacement and power increased and the price went up.  Also, the open-air Volkswagen became a cult car, particularly in southern California, where they were seen running around the beach cities in droves with good-looking kids filling all the seats.

The original 1588-cc inline-4 became a 1780-cc powerplant that put out a respectable 90 bhp at 5500 rpm, fed by Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injections.  Torque was up from 83-lb-ft to 100 at 3000 rpm.  The bigger, more powerful engine meant the little critter was considerably more fun to drive.

1989 Volkswagen Cabriolet Test Drive

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1974 Volkswagen Golf (Rabbit) Test Drive