Hot VWs March 1982

t seems that we have been featuring a lot of modified watercooled Volkswagens recently.
This is not a bad thing, as it shows that the
new-generation VWs are a really good
starting point for producing exciting cars.
The only thing that seems bad to us is that
most of these cars are being built in
Europe rather than in this country. With
I
the Beetle, the exact oppositf is true,
because most modified Bugs are built in
this country. Indeed, most tuned Bugs in
Europe use U.S.-made parts as there are
few companies in Europe building tuning
parts for Bugs anymore.
One of the most exciting bolt-on parts
made fo r the Rabbit's water-cooled engine is the 16-valve head built in Germany
A 2-Liter,
16-Valve
Rabbit
AND IT'S BEE~
BUll T IN THE USA
BY JOHN G RETTIE
by Oettinger. We have featured cars with
this head that have been built in Germany.
We have even featured two Mexican-built
Jettas that were modified in this country,
but they are now back in Mexico. So it is
good to find that there is at least one Rabbit that has been modified in California
and still resides in that state.
But we wouldn't be featuring this car if
it only had a 16-valve head. It has also
been bored out to 2-liters and APS, the
company that built the car, has carried
out many other mods that have turned the
Rabbit into a really good-looking machine
that will outperform almost any car on lhe
road and yet'remain a practical sed<vi:
Automotive Performance Systems, Inc.
(APS) is a family owned and operated
company that not only tunes cars, but also
produces many of its own parts. The company is run by Bill Neumann and his sons.
Bill's name may be familiar to older
readers as he is a former automotive
editor and has raced hot-rods at Bonneville. APS prides itself in carrying out
qualit~ work and, judging by the cars that
we have seen, the company is justified in
saying that it produces some of the best
modified cars around.
The 1981 Rabbit featured here has a
94.5mm crank and a bore of 81.5mm,
which gives a capacity of 1972cc, with a
compression ratio of 10.2 to 1. The Oettinger 16-valve head helps boost the power
output to around 175hp. APS did not just ·
bolt the head on, but took the opportunity of magnafluxing, shot peening arid
balancing all the engine parts so that it
runs smoothly. Other mods to the engine
include a 200mm GTI clutch and a GTI
fuel distributor, APS silicone-coated
silver-plated wires, Hi-Tech oil cooler
(formerly Mesa), with Aeroquip hoses
and a special APS turbo muffler exhaust
system."
Though we didn't have the opportunity to put the APS Rabbit through its paces, it appears to have real GT performance potential; but it doesn't come cheap.
MARCH 1982
· We only got to drive the car for a short
spin around the block, so were unable to
obtain any performance figures or the
like. It certainly goes, though. The larger
engine capacity improves the torque,
making the car flexible at all speeds. We
feel, though, that it should have the closeratio gearbox from the GTI as, even with
this sort of power, 5th gear is too tall for
around-town use.
Suspension mods include APS's own
front 7/ 8-in. sway bar with polyurethane
bushings, 2 rear.· 3/4-in. sway bars and 1
114-in. shorter springs. Shocks are Bilstein Group One race shocks. The wheels
are BBS 15x6 with Goodyear NCT
195/ 50x15 tires specially imported from
Europe. Additional stiffening is provided
by a APS strut tie bar and the vehicle is
-stopped with dustless Repco pads .
The interior is lavish without being
gari~h, with Scheel 500 series bucket seats
and matching upholstery for the rear seat.
The steering wheel is a Famoso 4-spoke
and the ratio is a Mitsubishi with 6
speakers.
To complete the car, Kamei flares with
a built-in front spoiler are fitted, along
with a rear spoiler. Marchal headlights
and spotlights and a paint job by Junior at
House of Color finish off a rather neat
high-performance California Rabbit. And
the cost? Well, if you walked into APS's
shop in Burbank, California, and asked to
buy this particular car or a replica of it, it
would cost you $22,500. If you just
wanted the 16-valve 2-liter balanced engine, it would set you back about $8500.
Sounds like a lot until you start coinparing the quality, performance and practicability with other cars on the road, and
then it begins to look like a bargain!
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