Now that sounds like fun. Our Beetle got passed down to my two younger brothers, but only after I wrecked it pretty good a couple times. By the time the middle brother got it, the only thing original was the drivetrain and that tow bar dad fabbed up. Funny thing is, it could barely hit 60 going downhill w/a tailwind. Definitely not the Rat you had.
Had a friend in HS that built a Baja style Beetle in his garage. You could here that thing coming from 5 miles away - straight exhaust up out the back of the engine compartment and big fat tires on the drive wheels...
nice strolling down memory lane.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BillWright
Rick we went to the same school!
My dad had a '59 Beetle, his car to drive to work, mine for when he was home.
One sunny Sunday afternoon a friend of mine told me about a 'dirt track' he had heard about so we went to check it out. Basically just a circle in a field people had been driving around.
After a few laps clockwise got boring I decided to go the other way, using a full bore 'bootleg' turn to change directions.
But I hadn't noticed a little elevation change in the middle of the 'back straight'. I went over that sucker sliding straight sideways, the rear wheel folded under and baloomp, baloomp, baloomp, a three side roll. We rolled her back on the wheels, unfolded the hood and tied it down with the spare fanbelt, and drove her home.
Every piece of sheet metal on that car was crushed except the trunk.
My dad was very disappointed in me. My mom was amazed I was cold sober. For the rest of her life she would tell that story ending with "and it was the middle of the afternoon, clear sunny day, and he was cold sober.
I was probably 14 so this was 1962.
He got it fixed, it went on to go through 7 clutches, 4 tranny rebuilds and I don't know how many tires. and when I finally slid down Caesar's Head on its side in 1965 he retired it.
#1 street rat racer in Greenville, it was. If the straights were short enough I could whup anybody.
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