The stance culture has taken the world by storm – and if you hadn’t realised, the culture has its foot firmly planted within our automotive scene. But why? Its difficult to digest the idea of turning your car into a stance oriented object, where words like clearance, practicality and reliability doesn’t exist in this world of stance.
Perhaps its the car. They say that it is possible to stancify any car of your choosing but the success rate is not definitive. Some may end up looking epic, some may not. We have always handpick our feature cars and recently, during a search for a worthy stanced classic, came along a Rabbit.
The Volkswagen Golf MK1, nicknamed the Rabbit was THE hot hatch in the early days – we’re talking about the 70s. Although no one foresaw it to be a successful future classic, it was the car that had set the paces for what we now know as the uber successful VW Golf. 30 years down the line and the rabbit is an absolutely sought after machine, and in Malaysia at least – it can be quite ambitious for most to find a decent example.
There is no right or wrong when going stance. The end game is to build a car that can pageant itself a ‘WOW!’ factor. Understanding that it is a lifestyle choice and going absolutely affectionate about going ‘low’ is key in the build. The build is usually based on the attitude and interest of the owner and every aspect of the exterior and interior will reflect the characteristics. There is no clear rule to what you can or cannot do, it’s free-syle if you will, and is perhaps the biggest reason why more candidates are pledging themselves to the culture.
Illustrated in a special mix of paint dubbed – Army Dope Green; this Mk1 was build on a military theme with many familiar styling cues that can be recognised from the times of the Second World War. With a gaping shark mouth design first seen on the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter plane from the days of Hitler, the design is matched with the mean, angry eyes on the circular headlamps.
As we move towards the back; the owners obsession with stance is clarified with his choice of wheels. Famous for its full chrome moon face – this car was fitted with 15″ Mooneyes custom wheels to match the clean styling of the Mk1 Rabbit. Flushing perfect with the fenders – the fitment compliments the Rabbit’s low stance while matching its retro styling. Although not the most famous in this part of the world, Mooneyes have to been around since the early 50s and used by the cults searching for the non-mainstream aftermarket look.
The final touches on the exterior were airbrushed on the car by Souzou Creative – a local artist based in Sungei Wang Plaza KL who has made a name for himself within the stance cult locally. To match the military look – accents taken from war planes of the era certainly transformed this Rabbit into a jaw-dropper.
Performance is not a priority but it doesn’t hurt to go for something better. Powered by the post-facelift 1.8-litre in-line 4 cylinder engine – it has an output of 90bhp and with a total weight of less than 1 ton. It was also dubbed the hottest hatch of its time. Not to be confused with the Golf GTI’s 1.8 engine, this 1.8-litre variation is different and had slightly less power (22bhp to be precise) plus the driveline and running gears differed from the GTI.
It is no doubt a unique example – and being different is what the culture is all about. Confident yet true to its form, this Mk1 Rabbit had somehow set a standard for retro stance cars. It’s got personality and most of all, it’s unique. Love it or hate it, there’s no denying the stance invasion. We enjoy featuring clean cars all day long, but if this is the trend of things to come, we’d sure love to see more projects like this!
Car: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk1 (Rabbit)
Engine: 1.8-litre in-line 4 | 90bhp and 120nm
Zerotohundred: About 10 seconds
Modifications
Engine
- Webber Custom Intake Sytem | 45mm
Exterior
- Army Dope Green
- Custom Writing Art by Souzou Creative
- Mk1 front grille
- Mk1 aftermarket smoked rear-tail lamp
- 15″ Mooneyes Customs wheels
Interior
- Nardi Classic Wood Steering
- Restored original interior package
Chassis
- KONI Adjustable Shocks | Front & Rear
