Volkswagen was able to find the oldest living Volkswagen diesel in America.  It was specifically located in Tehachapi, California near Bakersfield.  Though it went to deleterious weather conditions, it remained to be in working condition and was even proven to be quite tough.  A premium quality Volkswagen Rabbit radiator might be contributing to the impressive performance of the vehicle through time.  Most probably, the car might have been actually made with highly engineered parts, especially in the engine bay.

The vehicle was a 1977 Rabbit - first VW model in the US.  Equipped with 1.5 L oil burner, it has a seemingly low horsepower of 50.  That is despite its curb weight of almost same with the new VW Touareg’s spare tire.  Volkswagen provided Clint Wilson, the car’s owner, a new Touareg V10 TDI.  He will be using it for six months as a reward.  But, I guess it won’t be enough as a reward.  They should have given him a complete frame-up restoration for the old one.  And, that should be for both his Rabbit and Beetle.  That is since he was able to prove his loyalty to Volkswagen for those long years.

There was a press release about this matter, which I found from jalopnik.com.  It has been stated that:

“Diesel engines are noted for their long-term reliability and durability, so we didn’t think it would be a problem to find a 1977 Rabbit that was still in great condition, like this one," said Steve Keyes, Volkswagen Public Relations Director. "The entries for the oldest (and the soon to be announced highest mileage search) not only represent cars that were well-built and well-maintained they are also interesting stories from people who are passionate about Volkswagens and diesel.”

This discovery created another good image to Volkswagen.  They were able to prove that they are capable of providing durability and efficiency to their cars.  For this, they are to be admired by a lot of people.

Volkswagen will be providing clean diesel TDI engine in some of their recent models, such as the 2009 Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen.  It is expected to be available in the market by late first quarter of 2008.