The story began back in the early ‘80s, with a man named Bill Neumann. Bill founded the California based tuning firm Automotive Performance Systems (APS). He was frustrated with the fact that Volkswagen’s hot hatchback GTI had been sold in Germany since 1976, but hadn’t yet come to America. Bill had driven the GTI in Europe on several of his parts-searching trips, and he was convinced it would be a big hit in America. So he sent letters to the factory. He wrote to enthusiast magazines and lobbied Volkswagen dealers for support. Then, he put together the proof that a Rabbit-based performance car was capable of generating both stunning performance numbers and lots of attention from the American automotive press corp.
Thus was born the original Thunder Bunny... Full Story...

I like the funny name though

Volkswagen News Blog

His-07 GTI Reflex Silver, 2 Door, Package 2, Nav, Factory Body Kit, 19" BBS CH.
Hers-07 Rabbit Candy White, 2 Door, Votex Kit, 17" Visions

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Old Car(s):
1996 Classic Green VW Jetta GL she will be missed

x10

I'd love to see some performance numbers for the 2.5T.

Clean 1997 Jetta GLX for sale: [url=http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4322953[/url]

Wear Red Jade

I want these wheels for my GTI.

~~Quentin

Quote, originally posted by phaeton »

I like the funny name though

Motor Trend gave this name to the original after it had produced some great numbers in the 1/4 and slalom.

"The APS-modified Rabbit was delivered to Motor Trend magazine late in 1981. Even though its staff was use to driving the best cars in the world, they were blown away by the little Volkswagen hatchback. As it was written in the March 1982 issue: “The little white wonder packs its own kind of lightning-quick rabbit punch — one that’s guaranteed to kayo unsuspecting boulevard bullies.” And when Road & Track magazine got its hands on the car, it reported a zero to 60-mph run in the low seven-second range and slalom times that at the time had been bettered only by the Ferrari 512 Boxer, Lamborghini Countach and Renault R5 Turbo . Exalted company, indeed."

This is the only photo I can fnd of that Rabbit

I would have liked it if they kept to the original a bit more though!

Modified by OLD GHOST at 9:59 PM 10-31-2006

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Other than that the performance numbers arent all that impressive... so it makes the same amount of power as a chipped GTI?

Thanks for the info

I'm starting to get use to the design

Volkswagen News Blog

basically you start off farther from your goal with a rabbit vs a gti.

Anyways, VW rocks for doing it

best tires ever.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...ocQty=

whats the cost?

A turbo 5 brings back memories of the old Audi 20vt. Those motors were very capable of high horsepower and were standard on the Ur S-cars.

Probably $4K-$7K with all of the upgraded parts needed.

If you get in a wreck or your car is stolen your insurance company wont care what you have in performance upgrades.

If you end up not having a wreck or your car is not stolen you can learn the joys of selling a modified car. As your car sits on VWVortex or Ebay for weeks getting hit with low ball offers and asking for pics of the most remote regions of the car. Then you end up getting the low end of retil or trade value from a third party!

Dont bother trading it in because dealers will hit the car at a few thousand back of book because they hate highly modified cars too.

Just get a Pkg 0 GTI and chip the thing!

Modified by XM_Rocks at 8:43 AM 11-1-2006

That's why you keep all your stock parts and then return it to stock when you sell... then you can make a little money selling your used parts to some choad on VWVortex... oh wait... i'm that choad...

That may work in theory and for small aesthetic bits but here is the reality...

Its not easy taking off a upgraded clutch, exhaust system, FMIC, turbo and manifold, head spacer and then getting software flashed back to stock.

Then selling the parts...

Turbo and Manifold for $600

Exhaust $200

FMIC - $300

Clutch - ?!?!? Probably worthless used

Software - Nothing unless you bought a spare ECU to begin with or swap with someone.

By the time you’re done you...

a) Have a divorce on your hands because your soon to be X did not like having her garage look like the set of Sanford and Son plus the countless hours you spent modifying your car she was having an affair!

b) If you calculate time spent disassembling, selling the parts to low balling fools and then trying to ship the parts your realize you should have left it alone.

c) Now you have a car getting private party value with $800 of parts in cash and 20 hours of labor put in.

As you are going to file the sale papers with the rest of the car papers you start reading your records and find all of your receipts spent over the years on the car totaling $6,000. You end up balling up in the fetal position crying in an empty house wondering where your life went amiss.

You better get your sobbing behind off of the floor because the movers will be in the morning since she is taking the house!

Now do you want to modify your Bunny?!?!?

Modified by XM_Rocks at 9:17 AM 11-1-2006

yeah, but this happens w/ any heavily modded car... u gotta pay to play

My point is with a chip on a GTI your value will be based on the GTI... not a Rabbit.

Big deal... you loose $599 instead of $6K-$7K.

Plus with a chipped GTI you get the performance of this tuned Rabbit without the looks and valuation concerns of a Rabbit.

Modified by XM_Rocks at 9:33 AM 11-1-2006

See above... divorce? Losing your house? FUN? hahaha

Quote, originally posted by XM_Rocks »

See above... divorce? Losing your house? FUN? hahaha

I could never love a woman who didn't love my car...

but 2.5t, and that interior