Ultimate sleeper VW bug
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,702
Likes: 290
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Correct. No matter what kind of air-cooled power you have in back, both the Beetle and Corvair, particularly with the earlier swing-axle suspensions, tended to be tail-heavy, unstable, prone to oversteer, and, in extreme cases, tire-tuck-under which could flip the vehicle. Of course, in his case, he did a lot of special work on the chassis, but, in some ways, you still had some unfavorable physics.
Pole Position
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 2,738
Likes: 544
From: CA
Being an old Volkswagon guy, I found this incredibly entertaining. Nicole seemed a bit in over her head, especially driving, but she's delightful nonetheless! As much as I would love to have a sleeper like this, I wouldn't be happy with the lack of drive-ability due to the crashbox tranny. I would gladly give up some HP for synchro's.
I built a sleeper VW 67 camper van with Gene Berger racing components, however, wasn't aiming for an insane race car like this. I only wanted to keep up with freeway traffic and not be considered "Hitler's revenge" like most VW buses!
I built a sleeper VW 67 camper van with Gene Berger racing components, however, wasn't aiming for an insane race car like this. I only wanted to keep up with freeway traffic and not be considered "Hitler's revenge" like most VW buses!
^^^ very cool.
yeah not sure why he didn't put a stick with synchros in there. Maybe it would take up more room?
about the video, while he seemed eager to show her what it could do when he was driving, he seemed absolutely terrified when she was driving.
yeah not sure why he didn't put a stick with synchros in there. Maybe it would take up more room?
about the video, while he seemed eager to show her what it could do when he was driving, he seemed absolutely terrified when she was driving.
Pole Position
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 2,738
Likes: 544
From: CA
The owner looked like he scared himself too a few times when the bug hopped into the oncoming lane upon hard acceleration (again a drive-ability issue). Seeing how difficult it was for him to drive, one can imagine how he felt putting the wheel in the hands of someone inexperienced with this kind of power-to-weight ratio.
He told the host he could boost the HP higher with the dog box tranny, but the configuration of transaxle/tranny/engine must have been a factor as well, as many high HP vehicles have synchronous transmissions.
The owner looked like he scared himself too a few times when the bug hopped into the oncoming lane upon hard acceleration (again a drive-ability issue). Seeing how difficult it was for him to drive, one can imagine how he felt putting the wheel in the hands of someone inexperienced with this kind of power-to-weight ratio.
The owner looked like he scared himself too a few times when the bug hopped into the oncoming lane upon hard acceleration (again a drive-ability issue). Seeing how difficult it was for him to drive, one can imagine how he felt putting the wheel in the hands of someone inexperienced with this kind of power-to-weight ratio.
i just watched her video on the guy obsessed with mini's - it was awesome.
Trending Topics
Being an old Volkswagon guy, I found this incredibly entertaining. Nicole seemed a bit in over her head, especially driving, but she's delightful nonetheless! As much as I would love to have a sleeper like this, I wouldn't be happy with the lack of drive-ability due to the crashbox tranny. I would gladly give up some HP for synchro's.
I built a sleeper VW 67 camper van with Gene Berger racing components, however, wasn't aiming for an insane race car like this. I only wanted to keep up with freeway traffic and not be considered "Hitler's revenge" like most VW buses!
I built a sleeper VW 67 camper van with Gene Berger racing components, however, wasn't aiming for an insane race car like this. I only wanted to keep up with freeway traffic and not be considered "Hitler's revenge" like most VW buses!
ClubLexus Stories
Celebrating Lexus & Toyota from Around the Globe
Lexus NX 350h: A Fuel-Sipping Secret Hot Hatch???
Michael S. Palmer
5 Best & 5 Worst Lexus Daily Drivers
Joe Kucinski
Top 5 Hottest Lexus & Toyotas in 2026 (Hardest To Buy)
Brett Foote
2026 Lexus IS 350 F Sport Review: The Last of Its Kind Still Rocks
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Confusing Things Lexus Has Ever Done!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Lexus ES Review: Lexus Re-Embraces Founding Principles
Michael S. Palmer
10 Lexus Bargains That are Cheaper Than a New Toyota RAV4
Joe Kucinski
8 Weirdest Things Lexus Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
10 Lexus Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Pole Position
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 2,738
Likes: 544
From: CA
Cool! I lived off Ball Rd., near the 57 at the time (1984), so was just 5-10 minutes from his shop. This made the engine build easy, as opposed to people all over the world who use Gene Berg parts and machining, but have to ship parts back and forth.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Overclocker
Car Chat
9
Apr 10, 2006 12:48 PM