AMT 1/25 1978 VW Volkswagen Rabbit 2T [VW Golf] # 1213

The Volkswagen Golf Mk1 is the first iteration of Volkswagen’s small family car that was produced and sold.

It was significant because it marked the beginning of Volkswagen’s transition from rear-wheel drive and rear-mounted air-cooled engines to front-wheel drive and front-mounted, water-cooled engines that were frequently transversely mounted.

The first generation Golf, a successor to Volkswagen’s Beetle, debuted in Europe in May 1974, with styling by Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign.

The Volkswagen Rabbit was the name given to the Golf Mk1 when it was initially released in the United States in 1975.

These early American Rabbits were made in Germany and shipped to the United States.

Volkswagen began producing the Rabbit in Westmoreland in 1978.

James McLernon, a former Chevrolet engineer, was recruited to lead the facility, which was established to reduce the cost of the Rabbit in North America by manufacturing it locally.

McLernon softened the suspension and used less expensive interior materials to “Americanize” the Golf/Rabbit.

VW aficionados in the United States and corporate executives in Germany were dissatisfied.

The Pennsylvania manufacturing switched back to firmer shocks and suspension for the 1983 model year, as well as higher-quality inside trim.