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WIN WOLFRACE 40th ANNIVERSARY SLOT MAGS!
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LIGHTNING BUG! EXCLUSIVE: IS THIS EUROPE’S BEST? GASSER GARAGE’S LATEST RIDE HITS THE STRIP!
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August 2011
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WORLDWIDE SUMMER EVENT BLOWOUT: THE VW CLASSIC (USA); BAD CAMBERG (GERMANY); PEPPERCORN VINTAGE MEET (UK); GTI INTERNATIONAL(UK); EUROPEAN BUG IN 4 (BELGIUM); ESSEX VEE DUBBERS (UK)
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A LEGEND REBORN The original Lightning Bug, a front-runner in the NHRA Gasser classes, was destroyed in a roll-over accident at Bug-In 3 in 1969. Now, thanks to the Gasser Garage, the spirit of this famous racer lives on‌ Words and photos: Keith Seume
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ace cars lead a hard life, it’s a wellknown fact. And sometimes they crash – just like the original Lightning Bug, owned and raced by the legendary Schley brothers, Mark and Paul, back in 1969… The Lightning Bug story really begins back in 1963 with the purchase by Mark and Paul Schley of a brand new black VW Beetle sedan. This was soon ‘upgraded’ with an EMPI camber compensator, fake ‘knock-off’ hubs and a set of chrome wheels. The first weekend of ownership saw the two brothers put 500 miles on the odometer, meaning a return to the dealer on Monday morning for its first service! For inspiration, they turned to Henk Elfrink’s seminal book ‘All About Volkswagens’, devouring the chapters on how to make the car go faster. But the real
turning point in the Lightning Bug story came when the Schleys read of a man in Riverside, California, who had tuned a Beetle to run the quarter mile at speeds approaching 100mph. That man was none other than Dean Lowry, the car, the first Inch Pincher. The Schleys paid Deano a call, meeting up with a young Darrell Vittone at the same time – it was, after all, Darrell’s father Joe who owned the Economotors business that spawned EMPI. With EMPI catalogue in hand, the two brothers headed for home, full of ideas on how to transform their car into a high-performance VW. They were hooked! After several follow-up visits, the Schleys purchased a Shorrock-supercharged engine from Lowry, which they fitted in the black ’63 – but not until Deano had educated them on the importance of regular maintenance. After all, he impressed upon them, if your engine’s
unreliable, you won’t win… At the now-defunct Lions dragstrip in Long Beach, the sedan tripped the timing lights in a best time of 19.70 seconds at 62mph – not fast by today’s standards, but a heck of a lot quicker than a stock 1200. Dean Lowry, though, suggested they think about building a new car, one that they could use solely for racing. The brothers heeded his advice and purchased a 1953 sedan into which they fitted a Porsche 356 swing-axle transmission (stronger and with better ratios than the original VW unit) and the blown motor from their black street car. The result was a 16-second timing slip – and smiles all round. Lowry took the two brothers under his wing, building them a 78mm x 83mm engine with dual 48IDA Webers and home-brewed high-ratio rocker arms. The result was the
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RACKHAM UP! Andy Rackham and his skilled team of body and paint experts have upped the game for Bus resto-shops across the country – this is the first in a string of faultless rebuilds... Words & Photos: Paul Knight
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EBI
For many, it was simply one of the best VW events they had ever been to. European Bug-In 4 was certainly an event to remember. Part 1 of our coverage starts here...
Words: Keith Seume and Paul Knight Photos: Tony Walters, Paul Knight and Ben Lawrence
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Race-track action was non-stop all weekend, with everything from street cars to period Gassers taking to the strip. Founding members of DKP, Gregg Bunch and Ron Fleming (centre) had a ball. EMPI dragster was a tight squeeze, even for KS…
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ow many of you remember the warm glow you felt when returning from the very first Bug Jam back in 1987? Well, let me tell you (writes Keith Seume) that’s what I felt when heading home from EBI #4 this year. Put simply, this was one of the best events I’ve ever been to, and not just because of the great weather and excellent Chimay beer! Following EBI #3 in 2009, the decision was made to make the event bi-annual, to coincide with Bad Camberg this year, and Hessich-Oldendorf next time around. It was a smart move, for it allowed people plenty of time to finish off their special ‘EBI rides’ and also greatly helped to increase the air of expectation leading up to the show. On a personal level, the strip action
was simply amazing, with the Gasser Garage line-up creating more photo opportunities this side of a Royal wedding! The all-new Lightning Bug and Inch Pincher I replicas were breathtaking, and for many, the chance to see these cars in action, alongside the original Tar Babe, was worth the entry fee alone. Regular drivers, the Schley brothers, Ron Fleming and yours truly had a great time. And driving the EMPI dragster wasn’t too shabby, either! There were several cars running in the low-13s and high-12s, with many of the more race-oriented cars hitting the elevens, or dipping into the tens. We must mention Lee Maynard here, who succeeded in getting his VW-powered Renault Dauphine into the tens with a 10.85 pass on Sunday. Well done, Lee!
We got the chance to drive all manner of cars, including the beautiful Dyno Pincher of Stéphane Diendeval from Belgium. Takashi Komori of Flat 4 was happy to see his EMPI dragster take centre stage at EBI. We were happy to drive it!
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“The fire-up road was packed all weekend, from the moment the strip opened on Friday afternoon to when it shut on Sunday…”
Gasser Garage line-up (bottom) included the new Lightning Bug and Inch Pincher replicas, along with the original Italy 1 and Tar Babe Gassers
The fire-up road was packed all weekend, from the moment the strip opened on Friday afternoon to when it shut ready for the awards ceremony on Sunday. It was non-stop entertainment, all the way! But there was far more to EBI than quarter-mile action, so for the time being, it’s over to Paul to bring you his impressions of the rest of the weekend…
Well, where do I start? (writes Paul Knight). It was, without a doubt, the biggest EBI to date, with the lower show fields quite literally heaving with all manner of historic, custom and modified VWs, all jostling for ‘face-space’. If I’m perfectly honest, I’d have to say that I’ve never witnessed so many show-worthy rides on display at any event I’ve attended in all my years!
Paul Schley (below, left) was smiling all weekend. He drove the wheels off Lightning Bug and ran into the ‘elevens’ on almost every pass…
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Words and photos: Paul Knight
Paul Knight takes a close look at Brian Lacey’s amazing ‘faux-patina’ Split Bus... a tongue-incheek take on the whole rat-look phenomenon!
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s soon as we hit the show and shine field at the Essex VW Show in Battlesbridge back in May of this year (see page 49), we found ourselves instantly drawn to this quirky and ‘out there’ creation. It had already drawn quite a crowd thanks to it’s ‘faux patina’ finish and unique finishing touches. Of course, we wasted no time in tracking down the owner, Brian Lacey, to find out a bit more about this mad Bus. 47-year-old Brian is a glazier from Ipswich and has owned this particular VW for a little over a year. His previous ride was a slammed Karmann Ghia, which he’d imported from the USA and enjoyed driving for a few years. He commented, ‘I was actually in the market for a Split – in fact I’d only stopped in at a neighbour’s house to enquire about the air filters he’d used on his Type 2 motor when he mentioned that it was actually for sale, and asked if I knew anyone who might be interested’. What are the chances of turning up a decent project car just a couple of hundred yards from your front door, eh? It certainly makes a change for once to hear of a project that wasn’t bought blind, and from the other side of the world! The Bus was actually quite a rare doubledoor panel van, which has been fitted with Kombi loading doors on both sides to add some windows. Painted in blue and white, it actually turned out to be quite a solid ride.
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COLLECTING
PRECIOUS METAL
It all began with an Oval ragtop he purchased at the age of 16. Since then, Mark Merrill has been collecting precious Volkswagen metal, from early models to low-production coachbuilts. Team Ultra VW travelled to the San Francisco area to check out this fantastic shrine and to meet its dedicated caretaker... Words & Photos: Stephan Szantai
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few of our Northern California VW pals have been pestering us for some time to check out Mark Merrill’s assortment of old German vehicles. Based on their description, the place – arguably one of the best Volkswagen collections in the world – promised to be exceptional. The stars were finally aligned last April, as a trip to the nearby Kelley Park Vintage Meet would prove to be the perfect opportunity to check out Mr Merrill’s Vee Dub heaven! So, on the Monday morning, we found ourselves in front of a heavy metal gate in a nondescript industrial area – there were no obvious signs of the promised VW treasures that might be lurking inside this large and unassuming industrial unit. Ray Schubert welcomed us. He has been a good friend of Mark’s for many years and his full-time job is quite simply to maintain and restore the fleet of VWs on site. Yep, that’s right, a full-time dream job! And he isn’t alone wrenching on cars all day long, as he’s helped by Bryan Nunes, who mainly specialises in body repairs and metalwork. We then met Mark, who took us on the grand tour – and what we saw left us speechless! However, before digging into this oh-so-juicy collection, it only seems fitting to introduce you to our host. Mark Merrill purchased his first Beetle at age 16, while still at high school – a black ’56 ragtop which is still in his possession today. The Oval sat somewhat forlorn at his folks’ house for several years, but he eventually restored it to celebrate his 40th birthday back in 1994. ‘When I finished this car, I realized I had enough parts to rebuild a second Oval,’ he commented. ‘And while looking for another potential project, a seller told me he also had a lead on a 21-window Bus and asked me if I would be interested...’ That green-and-white ’66 Samba is still part of his fleet today. As time went on, Mark’s interest in Volkswagens turned into a bigger and deeper hobby. Working for start-up companies as an engineer allowed him to have the financial means to support his pastime, leading to more car purchases. He met Ray Schubert along the way, and he soon invested in Ray’s
Mark in his archive room. The shelves are packed with rare VW literature, service updates, parts books and period reference material
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