VW vs. Mopar

[AndrewM]

I think this story sounds like an urban myth, but it was told to me by a friend as fact....so i'll tell it as so.
My buddy's dad was a cop here in the mountains of North Carolina in the late 70's. One quiet afternoon, just before his shift ended, he was sitting with his radar on at the bottom of Highway 321 (steep mountain road) waiting for the next speeder to pass by. So his radar starts to go off, It's clocking something going 80+mph. As it comes into sight it turns out to be an ancient beetle giving it "it's all". The beetle passes by, and the officer pulls out after it. He's driving a late 70's Dodge police car with a big 440 engine....no match for the little VW. He floors it. He's approaching the VW with his lights and sirens on when a problem that supposedly plaged this certian year Dodge kicks in. VAPOR LOCK. no fuel to the carb. He can do nothing as the big Dodge cop car chuggs out and the distance between him and the bug increases. The bug disapears over the horizon. So the meak little VW beats Johnny-Law. Anyone else out there ever out-run a cop car in a VW???????

[[email protected]]

As I recall - those Dodge's used as police cars were notorious for Vaporlock. I've read posts on other sites ('Car Talk' did an expose on the worst cars of the 20th century - and the dodge's used for cop cars made it) saying the same. I'm not suprised. A bike coastin down hill might have fared better than that dodge! *grin* Besides - I bet the guy in the VW couldnt get his bug out of 2nd! (Little Nash Rambler song comes to mind)

Ry

[58Type2]

A bug doing 80 in 2nd....I'd be scared.

[oilspot]

unless it was one finely balanced engine!!!

[Karly]

hey, hey, hey - enuff mopar bashing! as a vw freak ('69 singlecab) as well as a mopar man ('69 340 dart) i must come to the defense of all things chrysler. those nimrods on "cartalk" are a bunch of anti-american auto clods anyway. true, the '70's dodges DID have their problems, as did EVERY auto company trying to figure out emission controls! coulda been the early chrysler electronic ignition (ala vw type 3's) that stalled out the mighty mopar - or the big ol' 440 gobbled up all of its gas.

a vw blowing away a big block dodge? well, if "herbie" can beat a ferrari, i guess anythings possible

[VWAdam]

I don't have a Chrysler but my dad does. It is a all original 72 Plymouth Scamp with 57k miles on it. 318 with column auto and factory A/C that works. Original gold paint. Very nice. I think it is such a cool car because it is so original, it's like stepping back 30yrs and it will MOVE!
And a 1958 Plymouth Fury (Christine) is on my top ten list of the coolest non-VW cars.

[rockerarm]

This a true story. I was working my first job since the day outa high school here in the south bay of Los Angeles. The dealer was Russ Thor VW. I was the new cherry lube tech. My service managers roommate was a hard core Chrysler drag racer who frequented OCIR (Orange County International Raceway) and Lions drag strips. Now this was during the budding Cal Look days where many cars were running quick et's. I would accompany him with his Coronet 440 4-speed car with a curved shifter and bench seat. At OCIR running heads up with a sweet sleeper bug, Skip would miss the shift to 2nd gear because of the curved shifter and bench seat, thus getting spanked by a VW. To hear a 440 BB miss a shift and rev up like there was no tomorrow was hilarious. The next day at the shop around the coffee I smart azz commented that many of those VW's last nite can run low 13's. Skip, always the witty guy, responded " I'll drag a VW bug thru the quarter faster than it can run!"

[mark tucker]

I know this is old but that mopar had a rev limiter built in the electronic ignition box.oh somany people thought it was vapor lock,it wasent.
my 71 duster 340 ran mid 6's in the 1/8th, in street trim. of corse to me street trim was tunnel ram with duel 830 hollys,13.8:1 cr, R 276/284 640 lift roller cam,massive head work,aluminum from the dash to the rear bumbper,8 point cage,5:38 gears,19x33 street pro's. and a smile.wish i still had it.it's up north nowdays.(newyork)

[madmike]

Factor 426 Hemi Cuda 69? ,,,Spanked by my Bug
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'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"

[madmike]

this year $75,000 Hell cat gets "Walked like a dog on a Leash"

Hellcat ran 9.00 to my 7.7 1/8 mi. ran on an 'Airport' so no traction to speak of
_________________
'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"

[NJ John]

I heard a local myth/legend of a chopped bug with a big engine beat a ticket in court. The judge didn’t believe a beetle was capable of the speed the ticket was for. Back in the 80’s I was also told that said bug was still sitting in a driveway in a certain neighborhood. I never found it.
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1973 standard, yellow, lowered, 3” narrowed front, 1600 blo-thru turbo w/single dell 15.4@86, so far
11.41 et buggy. Long gone
Let’s go O’s! Let’s go O’s!
https://www.youtube.com/@AirSpooledGarage

[HMVWNAB]

From Roadkill episode.

[oprn]

Years ago I was going south on the main street one way in my home city and I spotted a Buddy going north on the other one way a block over. I pinned the old '71 SB and took the next adjoining road to catch him with the tires complaining loudly and the glass pack at full song... just as a police car drove up to the stop sign at the intersection. I still have a picture in my mind of his shocked expression on being woke up from whatever day dreams he was entertaining as I blew by inches from his front bumper in a full on drift!

I realized that surprise was on my side so without letting up on the gas I watched in my mirror as his brake lights went of and on and off again as he tried to decide whether to reverse or go forward. Finally he decided on the latter and took off around the corner in a cloud of dust, squealing tires and flashing lights.

I knew the area really well so a couple back streets and an alley or two and I was out of the area and off to my home neighborhood.

I have often wondered since if a report ever got filed on that one... I think he would have been the subject of some serious hilarity by his peers at the donut shop if he had!
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Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Shonandb]

This Bug ran a 9.8 sec 1/4 mile this past summer at our local raceway. He drove it to the Show and Shine so I believe it is street legal.

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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
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