Ivan Emilian - 1984 VW Rabbit L - Cosmic Bunny

1984 VW Rabbit L
During the harsh winters in the Tri-state area, you're taking a huge gamble if you don't drive with snow tires because any trace of snow, ice or sleet could easily put you and your car in danger. Of course, the drawback of winter tires is they're another expense, especially for large wheels.

Ivan Emilian faced this dilemma with his 20th Anniversary GTI. Its summer tires couldn't handle the winter weather in northern New Jersey, so he sought another option. "I started looking at the Mk1 forums and saw I could buy an '84 Rabbit L for the same price as winter tires for my 20AE," Ivan explained. "The previous owner had swapped in a rebuilt 1.8 GTI motor with cams, and the car even came with winter tires!"

It was a win-win situation for Ivan, as he drove the Rabbit to work during the chilly season. Yet once the summer arrived, he'd become attached to his little beater and didn't want to let it go. So the Mk1 found a new role as Ivan's most detailed masterpiece to date, with the 20AE serving as summer transport while the build was underway.

No stranger to VWs, Ivan has tinkered with more than ten cars. And you might imagine Ivan's a technician by trade, but he actually works with computers. "I work in IT support, so everything I've done to my cars has been learned through my own research and trial-by-fire," he said.

Ivan wasn't completely alone in his latest adventure; his wife played an important role. "My wife Cathy has been my partner through the whole thing. She also turns a wrench when she needs to, and I can bounce ideas off her. In fact, the interior was mostly her idea. At one point, I had no dash and the instrument cluster was zip-tied to the car. So she told me it wasn't going to work until it was done right. She also told me to get it painted!

"So that's where I started. It was nearly mechanically perfect, but the outside looked like crap - burgundy with a rusted fender."

To begin, the exterior was shaved - side markers, door moldings, hatch lock, antenna and rear wiper. Each speck of rust was also carefully repaired.

With a newborn shell, Ivan painted the Rabbit in Cosmic green from the Mk4 GTI VR6, earning its nickname, "Cosmic Bunny."

"A shiny new part doesn't look right next to an old one, so you've got to keep replacing things," Ivan explained. So the flashy paint warranted new seals throughout, as well as a badgeless grille, smoked cross-hair headlights, Chinese-spec Mk3-style handles and a deeper Duckbill spoiler.

With the first stage of Ivan's overhaul complete, the next phase would really test his patience and knowledge. Having never attempted a motor swap before, Ivan was smart and got a great deal on a Mk3. He sold all the unwanted parts and set out to transfer the engine in his own garage. The swap would ditch the 90hp 1.8 for a much more versatile 115hp 2.0 8v.

After months of attention, the motor fitted snugly in the bay using the stock mounts. Ivan then tucked a custom-built Speed Parts aluminum radiator behind the core support and installed a slim electric fan for proper cooling. In the midst of the swap, he deleted the air conditioning, power steering and airbox to save weight and energy. The battery was also relocated to accommodate the intake. A new windshield wiper motor and fan control module was also installed.

With the motor in place, it was time to unleash the potential of the 2.slow. And since Techtonics Tuning has a downpipe for this specific swap, Ivan easily bolted it on with a 2.25" system and Borla muffler.

Then began his research into forced induction to open up the power band. Not settling for less, Ivan called Bahn Brenner Motorsport and its stage 1 supercharger kit was shipped to his garage. It included a Lysholm twin-screw 'charger with all the necessary hardware. Ivan also added a bigger fuel rail for the motor's additional thirst.