"Desert Mouse" race car from 1974

[tobiism]

I came across this car the other day and have become somewhat obsessed with it. Does anyone have any action shots of this car or any shots of the interior or chassis work?
Here is what I could find written about the car-
"Baja racing is one of the most brutal, challenging and demanding types of motorsport out there. This should come as no surprise because you and your car of choice are tackling hundreds, if not thousands, of miles of unforgiving desert terrain. The 1974 Volkswagen Beetle Baja Bug, aka the “Desert Mouse”, that you see here is one of those rare vehicles that was purpose built to tackle the rigors of the races more than four decades ago. This baja bug was built in 1974 in Queens by Siggy Pflum and Fred Althaus under the supervision of rally driver Bruno Kreibich to run the thousand mile Baja 1000 race from Ensenada to La Paz. That meant constructing a full chrome moly tube frame, full fiberglass body, plexi windows, external oil cooler, rally Abarth exhaust, Fuchs forged alloy wheels, rally transmission, Porsche RS60 suspension, Porsche 911 disc brakes, dual spare tires, full rollover cage and the list goes on, and on, and on. Kind of like this vehicle’s race credentials. 3rd place in the Baja 1000, 1st place in the 24-Horas de Puerto Rico and other ‘Top 10’ finishes in twelve SCCA Pro Rally events."

What a badass car!!! I would have loved to hear the thing run!!!

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"There has never been a genius without a hint of madness."
-Albert Einstein

[rayjay]

At the 8:10 mark a sprint car goes by the camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI6Ft4Ez_BI

[terryly]

Cool car
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2180cc MS3PRO sequential fuel and spark 42mm IDF style Throttle boddies
Calgary Alberta Canada
Terry Lytle

[oldschool5er]

[iconic_schlieper]

Hey.
Where is the original car at this moment?

[indianpeaksjoe]

Super cool!
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Adventures in owning a 66 beetle

[indianpeaksjoe]

Popping this thread back up, because that car is really cool.

Anyone else running fuchs on their baja?

-Joe
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Adventures in owning a 66 beetle

[ORANGECRUSHer]

I wonder if the color pics aren't a representation of what it looked like as there are a lot of details that don't line up with the car in the actual pics.

I like the unique engine scoop. Trying to think how I could fiberglass something like that.
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Brian H.

OrangeCrushERBerrien Warrior-2.4L Quad4-2x3 arms-1.5Fox coilovers-094-930CVs
LAZY MARY1970 Baja 2110cc-82mm CB forged crank-AA pistons/cylinders-Grant rings-1.1 vw rockers-CB serpkit-CB chromoly PRs-CB maxiflow filter pump-wix51515 filter-Dual 44IDF-cut/turned front beam-AEM wideband-Auber CHT-Donaldson Dual PowerCore filters-custom AL air boxes

[indianpeaksjoe]

I think you are right, these pics might have some liberal use of photoshop.

-Joe
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Adventures in owning a 66 beetle

[ORANGECRUSHer]

I had the same idea tho Joe, those wheels look right at home on that car even tho I don't think they would be the first thing I'd think of.
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Brian H.

OrangeCrushERBerrien Warrior-2.4L Quad4-2x3 arms-1.5Fox coilovers-094-930CVs
LAZY MARY1970 Baja 2110cc-82mm CB forged crank-AA pistons/cylinders-Grant rings-1.1 vw rockers-CB serpkit-CB chromoly PRs-CB maxiflow filter pump-wix51515 filter-Dual 44IDF-cut/turned front beam-AEM wideband-Auber CHT-Donaldson Dual PowerCore filters-custom AL air boxes

[Glenn]

[ORANGECRUSHer]

Either that or it was restored by a collector and put on display somewhere. Maybe they couldn't get the exact same stickers or didn't care too much for the exact details visually?

I'd still like to know more about the suspension setup and the chassis mods. It says it's Porsche and I guess I don't understand how that would work exactly.
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Brian H.

OrangeCrushERBerrien Warrior-2.4L Quad4-2x3 arms-1.5Fox coilovers-094-930CVs
LAZY MARY1970 Baja 2110cc-82mm CB forged crank-AA pistons/cylinders-Grant rings-1.1 vw rockers-CB serpkit-CB chromoly PRs-CB maxiflow filter pump-wix51515 filter-Dual 44IDF-cut/turned front beam-AEM wideband-Auber CHT-Donaldson Dual PowerCore filters-custom AL air boxes

[dustymojave]

This is interesting.

Having been a tech Inspector for that race, I have some comments. I have a photo of me working Tech for the Baja 500 (Internacional) in June of 75. I don't have any pics of me working the 1000.

The 1975 race was run under SCORE sanction. Thus the #201 indicates Class 2, or 2-seat Unlimited class, competing with 2 seat tube frame buggies with big engines (mostly 2180cc). But in those photos, the car DEFINITELY has a steel body shell. No tube frame apparent. The Class 2 indicates that rules for Class 6 were not followed and then the car would only have been eligible for Class 2. There are some tubes visible under the rear fender in the shock area. So maybe that is an area where the rules were violated.

Considering that the shop that built the car was in New York, it's no surprise that SCORE rules were not followed.

It amazes me how many think they can just show up for a race and run what they brung without consulting rules before hand. I encountered it many times in Sports Car Road Racing and in OffRoad racing. I've had racers try to tell me what they think the rules say, or in their view SHOULD say, having never looked at the book.

I suggest that the car shown in the studio photos was radically modified after it was run in the 75 1000 and the VW pan and steel body shell replaced with tube frame and fiberglass body shell, for racing elsewhere.

In the Baja 1000 pics, the wheels are better for offroad racing Cragar Super Trick, or Streaker (later known as Weld brand, then again later known as CMS). They're bolt together, and those are the 2 options for that in that time.
The Fuchs wheels for Porsche in the Studio pictures are very cool, but pretty brittle for offroad racing. Rich Minga did use some Fuchs wheels at times on his radical didn't meet the rules Class 5 Open Porsche 911. But I saw his car sitting on the side of the trail with a broken Fuchs wheel too.
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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[dustymojave]

A similar car that has had me sort of obsessed since about 1970 is the Sedan raced by Don Rountree, owner of Sandwinder Offroad in Riverside, CA.

Note the extra wide rear fenders, made by cutting the fenders from front to back over the top, then adding a strip of steel sheet welded in place. the car is not right hand drive, it was center steer.

Don was responsible for the Sandwinder buggies,

the Sandwinder Baja Bug body kit, like the 1-piece front on my 58 Baja Bug

And the Rountree style Baja Bug kit

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Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[Pez]

I did some digging and came across another article mentioning that the car took first place in the 1978 Las 24 Horas de Puerto Rico. Records confirm that Bruno Kreibich won the race driving a VW Beetle. That discovery led me to look deeper into Bruno’s background, and it turns out he was quite the rally car driver in his day. He owned and raced several Porsche 911s and Audis, many of which shared a similar build style you can really see the same style across makes and models. As I continued researching his rally career, I stumbled upon a photo that appears to show the Desert Mouse during its time on the rally circuit!

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Chasing Squirrel's.

1971 Bay Window
1966 Baja

[Pez]

Few more details from a post on German Junkies FB page.

This is cool. For sale in the US. Lots of money but great history.
Seller’s Description:
1974 VOLKSWAGEN ‘BAJA BUG'
DESIGN BY BRUNO KREIBICH
Race-Prepared and Air-Cooled 2,000cc Volkswagen Type 4 Engine
Direct Injection
120bhp at 5,500rpm
Rally Transmission with Limited Slip Differential
Porsche RS60 Suspension with Adjustable Front Axle and Bilstein Shocks
4-Wheel Porsche 911 Disc Brakes
THE ‘DESERT MOUSE' was a total ‘custom build', constructed in 1974 in Queens, New York by Siggy Pflum and Fred Althaus under the supervision of Audi Factory Works rally driver Bruno Kreibich. Its primary application was to run the ‘Baja 1000' from Ensenada to LaPaz, Mexico. In 1974 the car placed 3rd. In the following racing Seasons it has been used in various performance rally events and in 1978 placed 1st overall in the '24-Horas de Puerto Rico'. Other placings include ‘Top 10' finishes in twelve SCCA Pro Rally events over a four year period. The last outing was the 1979 ‘Baja 1000'. This authentic ‘Baja Bug' was purchased by its seller over thirty years ago. It benefits from a recent mechanical reconditioning.
Custom features include: Chrome moly tube frame, Full Fiberglass VW Body (Small Rear Window), Plexiglass Windows all around, External Oil Cooler, Front mounted Oil Cooler, Rally Abarth Exhaust, Fuchs forged alloy wheels, Desert Tires, ATM Fuel Cell, Interior Air Intake System, Dual Spare Tires mounted inside Rear, Full Rollover Cage, Porsche Instrument Gages, Momo Sport Steering Wheel, Fire Extinguisher, Drivers Toolkit, Flares, Flashlight, Jack, Interior Aircraft Cockpit Lighting, Super Oscar Driving Lights
Fog Lights, Rear Backup lights, Gasoline Heater, Custom Paint, Skid Plate front and rear.
Photo Credit: Michael Furman Photography
Price: $150,000

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Chasing Squirrel's.

1971 Bay Window
1966 Baja