416hp.... in an aircooled beetle

[2165 Turbo Rail]

skip to 4:00ish fun starts at 4:30 mark

I liked my 234hp to the wheels in the rail.. this thing would be SICK

[2165 Turbo Rail]

638hp

[SOLOW55]

Those are Bad Ass rides ..

[Buick355]

I thought my 100hp beetle was the shit back in the day.

[appelingogt]

oh thats fuckin nasty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rreemo]

That first one has a sick-assed sounding idle. I can't believe how far these things have come.

Years ago I used to hang around with a local guy named John Calhoun....he had one of the first turbo'd air-cooled bugs around...I don't know what kind of power it was making but I personally saw it run quite a few 10-sec passes, which was fast for anything back in the late 80's...just about unheard of in an aircooled bug. His shop wasn't far from Manana (just a couple blocks from where Speed Zone is, was still Malibu back then)....he used to kill about everything at the street races, but seldom raced it out there (unless there was a bit of money involved)..usually would just park it. Although I remember it taking down some trailer cars when we used to race at Luna.

Some of the local old-timers on this site might remember him...it was a red full-bodied bug, about a 68' I believe, sat real low and always ran around on slicks. He drove it on the street a lot...Forest Lane, Emerald, the 635 Service Rd, Manana, etc...it made the cover of Hot VW's back sometime in the later 80's.

Unfortunately he died in that car somewhere around 90-91' if memory serves correctly. A shame too...he was a very smart guy, and quite a talented fabricator.

[svauto-erotic855]

Years ago I used to hang around with a local guy named John Calhoun....he had one of the first turbo'd air-cooled bugs around...I don't know what kind of power it was making but I personally saw it run quite a few 10-sec passes, which was fast for anything back in the late 80's...just about unheard of in an aircooled bug. His shop wasn't far from Manana (just a couple blocks from where Speed Zone is, was still Malibu back then)....he used to kill about everything at the street races, but seldom raced it out there (unless there was a bit of money involved)..usually would just park it. Although I remember it taking down some trailer cars when we used to race at Luna.

Some of the local old-timers on this site might remember him...it was a red full-bodied bug, about a 68' I believe, sat real low and always ran around on slicks. He drove it on the street a lot...Forest Lane, Emerald, the 635 Service Rd, Manana, etc...it made the cover of Hot VW's back sometime in the later 80's.

Unfortunately he died in that car somewhere around 90-91' if memory serves correctly. A shame too...he was a very smart guy, and quite a talented fabricator.

I remember his car and I wondered what happened to him. I had an IMSA bodied 3 rotor 79' RX-7 back then and he kicked my ass once.

There was also a guy who raced a Suzuki 900cc triple 2 stroke wearing nothing but cut off shorts and I figured that he died young. That dude would not lift for anything.

[2165 Turbo Rail]

I don't know the guy but I do know the story.

The guy that helped me build the turbo rail knew him.

[Rreemo]

I remember his car and I wondered what happened to him. I had an IMSA bodied 3 rotor 79' RX-7 back then and he kicked my ass once.

There was also a guy who raced a Suzuki 900cc triple 2 stroke wearing nothing but cut off shorts and I figured that he died young. That dude would not lift for anything.

I remember the guy on the 3-lung bike too...he was around for a while, actually used to race that thing at the Motorplex all the time...I didn't know him but saw him out there almost every weekend in my bracket racing days, and that was several years later in the mid-90's or so. God that thing was loud.

I don't know the guy but I do know the story.

The guy that helped me build the turbo rail knew him.

It was a sad story indeed....I was into VWs from about 12-years old, my older brother and I had several (including a rail) and a VW junk yard at our grand parents house, but we had always been more into the offroad side. Then when I started driving I got more into street bugs...I met John when I was probably only about 17...through a friend, and got to a point where I was always going by his shop...he was really cool and would open his door to anyone. I remember him helping me with a lot of stuff, would hang around way after closing time and would never take any money for anything during those after-hours.

The guy had a true passion for it all...I didn't know nearly as much back then, but I can remember being in awe looking at his car...all the custom fab work, wiring, everything was very impressive....certainly not just thrown together. It was like a work of art. All lost in an instant.

[John]

skip to 4:00ish fun starts at 4:30 mark

I liked my 234hp to the wheels in the rail.. this thing would be SICK

WATER cooled

[shumpertdavid]

That first one has a sick-assed sounding idle. I can't believe how far these things have come.

Years ago I used to hang around with a local guy named John Calhoun....he had one of the first turbo'd air-cooled bugs around...I don't know what kind of power it was making but I personally saw it run quite a few 10-sec passes, which was fast for anything back in the late 80's...just about unheard of in an aircooled bug. His shop wasn't far from Manana (just a couple blocks from where Speed Zone is, was still Malibu back then)....he used to kill about everything at the street races, but seldom raced it out there (unless there was a bit of money involved)..usually would just park it. Although I remember it taking down some trailer cars when we used to race at Luna.

Some of the local old-timers on this site might remember him...it was a red full-bodied bug, about a 68' I believe, sat real low and always ran around on slicks. He drove it on the street a lot...Forest Lane, Emerald, the 635 Service Rd, Manana, etc...it made the cover of Hot VW's back sometime in the later 80's.

Unfortunately he died in that car somewhere around 90-91' if memory serves correctly. A shame too...he was a very smart guy, and quite a talented fabricator.

My ex co-worker used to run around the street racing area's around that same time frame. He has a 61 bubble top Impala, pearl white with a 468 and a 4 speed, he'd have been a punk kid back then. I'll have to ask him if he remembers the bug next time we talk.

[2165 Turbo Rail]

WATER cooled

true