Interesting little BUG. Thought youse guys would get a kick out of this...

Black-Tooth

Tony Natoli
Imagine this little guy with a stock appearing front end... maybe even some stock VW wheel covers and lowered a bit more... Please view all photos at the Hemmings link:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/volkswagen/super-beetle/1734595.html?refer=news

25800675-770-0@2X.jpg

I am really liking this guys creativity.

Here is another wild one using an Eldo Drivetrain in the rear...
Insane Caddy  X19.jpg


About 15 years ago the owner was selling this car out of New York and the occompaning video showed it doing wheelstands in a dirt lot and it would hardly steer and stop as the front end was all STOCK! Kinda gives this X1/9 a Ferrari Testarossa look. I also love the easy-to-fill bottles mounted conveniently to the RR backlight.

(BTW, Summit Racing stocks these headers for just this kind of conversion...)

Note also how the engine in both of these cars is shifted to the right a bit... as they use a SPLIT Turbo-Hydramatic 3 speed trans. The Olds in the bug above shows it well where the torque converter is in its normal position and then the trans sits BACKWARDS under and on the left side of the block. Its connected to the converter with a fiberglass laced, 4 inch wide rubber belt.

Again, 15 years ago or more... Wayne Wright mounted the same trans and a Chevy V-6 in the back of his X1/9. He too kept the front end stock but this was a totally different ride and much more balanced.

Wayne'sV6.jpg
Waynes'sV6engine.jpg

I hassled him for years saying "He coulda had a V8!" He sold it a few years back and I believe Mike Middelstead cares for it now.

Hope you enjoyed this little escape. I sent a copy of the bug over to my neighbor James who was vacillating over what kind of car he should get for "work" considering his new high corporate position, the desire for something "sporty" and possible holding his family of six.

He ended up with a Bimmer and still has an Escalade to haul around the troops. I said that this car has the "look" of a Mercedes, the "speed" of a Ferrari, and the visual appeal of an "go-green-economy" car as in a VW.

HA!


Dad/Papa/Tony
 
There is another recent mid-engine VW Bug that has been on the show circuit. Very well done:
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/bug-thats-actually-buick/

Indeed Doc... I forgot all about that one. I thought it was a Porsche trans though. I'm not familiar with this one. I think the primary thought I was having about the three I listed was the split case Turbo-Hydramatic trans. Especially following the X1/9 idea of taking a Front Engine, FWD powertrain and installing it in the rear of a car to make it a mid-engine monster.

That VW is absolutely amazing though and "only" a two year (yet professional) build! Thanks for posting!
 
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Indeed Doc... I forgot all about that one. I thought it was a Porsche trans though. I'm not familiar with this one. I think the primary thought I was having about the three I liste was the split case Turbo-Hydramatic trans. Especially following the X1/9 idea of takea Front Engine, FWD powertrain and installing it in the rear of a car to make it a mid-engine monster.

That VW is absolutely amazing though and "only" a two year (yet professional) build! Thanks for posting!

If you search for Me(n)deola Transaxle back to Rancho Transmissions and go through all of their available transaxles (including PBS?) you could drop some serious coin there.

Ranchotransaxles.com
 
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Ahhh, I see what you are saying Tony. I guess that would be mostly for some sort of American engine swap into the X?

Ya Gene, the off road crowd has developed an amazing line of mid engine transaxles that are bulletproof. It all started with making a stock VW bus transaxle stronger, then went to using Porsche units, then started developing complete custom built boxes (i.e. the Mendeola). They've been putting some very serious horsepower onto them and abusing the hell of them in off road use for decades, so it has evolved into an amazing unit. Plus they offer it for just about any engine you could imagine. But as you say, they are not cheap.
 
So that's a Toronado drivetrain under the hood of your 500, Gene? The tires look it in your avatar!
 
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