zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
Here's A Miata In A Volkswagen Suit For You To Buy
Here's A Miata In A Volkswagen Suit For You To Buy-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:14

Image for article titled Here's A Miata In A Volkswagen Suit For You To Buy

What do you do with a patina-laden Volkswagen Rabbit diesel pickup and a mostly-complete Mazda Miata fall into your lap at the same time? You both it! It’s a Miata chassis wearing a Rabbit pickup hat! And you could

The pickup’s wheelbase is three inches longer than the Miata’s, but the width is basically identical. So dropping the body on the Miata’s backbone chassis wasn’t too difficult. I mean, it was difficult enough, but not impossible.

Image for article titled Here's A Miata In A Volkswagen Suit For You To Buy

Look at that. The engine looks like it belongs in this car. It’s a stock 1994 Miata 1.8-liter, and the standard 5-speed Miata gearbox remains as well. The 130-ish horsepower from the Miata engine is a whole lot more than the diesel Rabbit’s original 50-ish, so it’s more than enough to move the truck around. And with a decent amount of the original chassis cut out, including the rear wall separating the bed from the interior, it might be a good bit lighter than it was in 1980 as well.

Image for article titled Here's A Miata In A Volkswagen Suit For You To Buy

Dubbed the Maple Bar, this wild machine is rough and ready. Here’s what the listing has to say:

Rwd Body swapped Rabbit Pickup! 1994 Mazda Miata drive train. 1.8, torsen lsd. All miata sheet metal underhood and in passenger compartment. Uncut miata harness, except to hook up to the rabbit lights and fuel tank. All gauges work, besides fuel. Put whatever swap you want into it. K24, ls, turbo, supercharger? Awesome project, and people love it. Definitely not a car for introverts. Motor and trans are tired but runs great. Just showing the abuse of drifting and donuts. Willing to partially trade for a 400hp+ LS (iron or aluminum). Registered as the diesel rabbit, so no biannual smogs. Featured on Hoonigan, search for VW Drift Missile!

Don’t worry, I went and found it for you. You don’t have to search. The Hoonigan boys kinda sorta broke the car, but it seems to have been put back together alright. Just be aware you might have to fix a few things. Still probably worth it.

If you’re a California driver, you won’t have to smog this thing, because it’s old enough for diesel exemption. Just make sure you bring your sunscreen when driving this thing, because there’s no roof whatsoever.

Image for article titled Here's A Miata In A Volkswagen Suit For You To Buy

They’re asking $7,000 for this wild ride. Considering the amount of fabrication work that went into this, you probably couldn’t build one for less than that. Grab an LS swap kit for Miatas, and you’ll have a 400-horsepower Rabbit pickup in no time flat. Wouldn’t that be a sight to see?

Image for article titled Here's A Miata In A Volkswagen Suit For You To Buy

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
At $2,500, Would You Get To Know This Long Forgotten 1991 Geo Prizm GSi ?
At $2,500, Would You Get To Know This Long Forgotten 1991 Geo Prizm GSi ?
You may not know that today’s ’91 Prizm GSi was a model that ever existed. With only about sold that year, it almost didn’t. This may very well be the last one around, and you’ll have to decide if it’s priced to keep that memory alive. It may not...
Nov 25, 2025
Please Enjoy This Diesel, Manual, 4WD Toyota Corolla
Please Enjoy This Diesel, Manual, 4WD Toyota Corolla
Are you looking for a truck that’s not a truck? A VW that’s not a VW? Here is a recently-imported Toyota Sprinter, reading “FULL-TIME 4WD” on the door, with a five-speed on the floor and a 2.0-liter diesel under the hood. We never got the Toyota Sprinter in the...
Nov 25, 2025
Try This The Next Time A Car Dealer Twists Your Arm To Buy An Extended Warranty
Try This The Next Time A Car Dealer Twists Your Arm To Buy An Extended Warranty
Though COVID-19 has had a profound effect on the car market, it has not brought the often-predicted revolutionary changes in the dealership experience. While remote deals and online transactions have increased, the old-school way of buying a car persists, and that means dealing with hard-sell tactics in the finance...
Nov 25, 2025
The 2021 Acura TLX Is An Incredible Stereo With A Damn Decent Car Attached
The 2021 Acura TLX Is An Incredible Stereo With A Damn Decent Car Attached
It seems as though Acura is starting to reclaim some of the sporty-casual lux energy that made the brand appealing originally. Like early Acuras, the 2021 TLX isn’t radical but it is nice looking, nice to drive and a lot of car for what it costs. (: Acura set...
Nov 25, 2025
At $7,800, Would You Stock Up On This 2012 Volkswagen GLI?
At $7,800, Would You Stock Up On This 2012 Volkswagen GLI?
The GLI has long been VW’s GTI with a trunk. At least it was until the last generation — like today’s car — diverged from the Golf for the first time. Let’s see if it still has enough GTI in its DNA to make you want to pay its...
Nov 25, 2025
The Diesel Manual First-Gen Volkswagen Touareg Is What Off-Road Dreams Are Made Of
The Diesel Manual First-Gen Volkswagen Touareg Is What Off-Road Dreams Are Made Of
The first-generation is an epic machine. Some say that it — along with other impressive engineering feats like the Bugatti Veyron supercar, Audi A2 fuel-sipper and VW Phaeton luxury sedan — was part of Ferdinand Piëch’s onslaught of automotive “moonshots” meant to show the world that VW Was The...
Nov 25, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved