Volkswagen may have botched the Mk. 1 Golf in the U.S., but the Rabbit pickup was a brilliant and distinctly American idea.

No, if you're in the market for a compact and practical stuff-hauler, then you need this: A 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit pickup with a Ford V8, a rollcage, and a fuel cell.

Volkswagen has diesels running all over Europe, but it only recently reintroduced diesels to the U.S. after a short hiatus, in the form of the 2009 Jetta TDI. Now, the next-generation Rabbit will ...