Pistons are parts inside the engine that move up and down in the cylinders. They help squeeze the fuel-air mixture and push power to the crankshaft, and stronger performance pistons can help an engine survive harder use.
Those millimeter numbers are piston sizes that relate to how big the engine’s cylinders are. Choosing the right size helps determine engine displacement and must match the rest of the engine parts.
The wrist pin is the small pin that connects the piston to the connecting rod. An “offset” means it’s positioned slightly off-center, which changes how the piston moves and can help fit the piston correctly in a specific engine build.
Topic
Lufthuygan
Lufthuygan sounds like the name of a VW event the host is going to. They’re telling people to register and that spots are filling up.
Santa Anita Raceway Park is the location where the event is happening. It’s a real racing venue in Southern California, and the host is telling listeners to go there.
Topic
MP 70th anniversary
The host says they’ll be at an “MP 70th anniversary” event. They also mention they’ll be live streaming an engine build there.
“Pan off” refers to a full-body-off restoration where the car’s body is removed from the pan/chassis tub. On classic Volkswagens, this is a major, labor-intensive process used to properly address rust, structural issues, and to do thorough refinishing.
They’re likely talking about the quarter panel, which is the body panel near the rear wheel. Show judges often look closely at how straight, clean, and well-finished it is.
Sacramento Raceway is a drag-racing venue where the host measured a quarter-mile time. Track-specific results matter because surface, weather, and setup can change how quickly a car runs.
Term
10, 10, 9
“10, 10, 9” is how they’re talking about drag-race times in seconds. It means the car ran in the 10-second range, which is quicker than the 11-second range they mentioned.
A junkyard is where non-running or wrecked cars are stored and broken up for parts. In classic VW ownership, buying a crashed or incomplete car from a junkyard is a common way to source rare trim or body pieces for a restoration.
That phrase means the engine failed in a really serious way—like it got so damaged that it basically can’t be used anymore. It usually leads to a rebuild or replacing the engine.
They’re talking about how much the car sold for—$3,500—back in the mid-90s. The key detail is that it didn’t have an engine, so it was basically a “shell” worth money to the right buyer.
“Pearl” paint is a shiny paint that can look different depending on the angle and lighting. “Teal pearl” means the car was painted a teal color with that extra shimmering effect.
Tire pressure is how much air is in the tires. Changing it changes how much of the tire touches the road and how the tire behaves as it gets hot during a run.
“K rails” are the concrete barriers along the track. They help keep cars safe, but they also mean you can’t make mistakes because the walls are close.
Term
super index
“Super index” likely refers to a racing format where you’re aiming for a target time, not just the fastest run. The driver tries to set up the car so it hits that target as closely as possible.
Crosswinds are wind that hits your car from the side. That sideways push can make the car feel like it’s drifting or getting harder to control, especially when you’re going fast or changing gears.
Unloading the suspension means reducing the load on the tires as the car’s weight shifts away from the contact patches. When the driver lifts off the throttle, the car can lose rear traction and become more likely to rotate or slide, especially during a gear change.
Letting off the throttle means you lift your foot off the gas. That changes how much pulling force the engine is providing, and it can make the rear tires lose grip and the car start to rotate.
Shifting into a new gear changes how the engine’s power is delivered to the wheels. Here, the car starts going sideways right as the upshift completes, which points to a traction/grip issue happening at that exact moment.
The clutch is what you use in a manual transmission to connect and disconnect the engine from the gearbox. When you shift, the clutch changes how power flows, and that can influence whether the car stays planted or starts to slide.
“Slicks” are race tires with no tread grooves. They usually grip really hard on a dry track, but they don’t work as well if the track surface is poor or changing.
Term
horsepower to
He’s talking about how much power the car has compared to how heavy it is. That balance affects how quickly the car can accelerate.
Trailing arms are suspension links that control wheel movement and alignment under load. In a crash, damage to the trailing arms can change wheel geometry and make the car unsafe or undrivable.
On classic VWs, the front suspension uses link pins that act like pivot points for the steering. If the king link pins break in a crash, the front end can lose proper steering and alignment.
The tie rod is a steering part that connects the steering to the front wheels. If it bends, the wheels won’t point correctly and steering can become dangerous.
The bell housing is the metal part that connects the engine to the transmission. If it breaks like this, the drivetrain can’t stay aligned and the car usually needs major repairs.
“Tranny” is a casual term for the transmission. The host mentions trying to remove the transmission after the crash, and that related components (like the nose cone) broke, pointing to drivetrain structural damage.
On many Volkswagens, the transmission/differential has a front cover called the nose cone. If it breaks in a crash, it usually means the transaxle housing is damaged too.
A Berg mid-mount is a reinforced mounting point for the engine/transmission area on classic VW cars. After the crash, they welded one in, and later discovered the welds cracked—meaning the drivetrain support got damaged.
“Salvageable” means the car isn’t totally ruined—it can be fixed and driven again. The big question is whether the crash bent important structural parts or if it’s mostly sheet metal.
Frame horns are strong metal parts that help hold the front of the car’s structure in the correct shape. If they’re bent, the car may not line up right, so fixing it can take a lot of work.
The “case” is the main engine housing where the internal parts sit. Replacing it usually means the original had a serious problem and they had to rebuild the engine properly.
The camshaft controls when the engine’s valves open and close. Swapping it can change how the engine feels—especially how it responds when you accelerate.
Term
515 carburetors
Carburetors are what mix fuel and air before it goes into the engine. If you change parts like the exhaust and the carb setup doesn’t match, the car can hesitate or “bog” when you start moving.
A header is part of the exhaust system that collects gases from the engine. The “two inch” size is about the pipe diameter, and changing it can affect how the engine runs, particularly when you first accelerate.
“Bogging off the line” means the car feels like it hesitates when you first hit the gas from a stop. It’s usually a sign the engine isn’t getting the right fuel/air mix at that moment.
Compression ratio is how “squeezed” the air-fuel mixture is inside the engine before it ignites. Lowering it can make the engine safer and easier to live with on the street, especially with pump gas.
Rick Eichler is the person who worked on and adjusted the engine build. The host is basically saying he was the last person to make important changes before the car’s current setup.
Term
twelve to 112 and a half to one
They’re giving the engine’s compression ratio numbers for the final build. Higher compression usually makes more power potential, but it also needs the right fuel and tuning to avoid knocking.
Term
fourteen to one
“Fourteen to one” means the engine was squeezing the fuel-air mixture a lot. That can help power, but it can also cause problems if the car isn’t tuned for it or if the fuel isn’t good enough.
Term
fifty twos
“Fifty twos” sounds like a shorthand for the carburetor/intake setup size. They changed it back to a different size (“forty eights”), which changes how the engine gets fuel and how it drives.
Term
forty eights
“Forty eights” likely refers to a smaller carburetor/intake setup than what they had before. Changing between carb sizes can make the engine feel better for normal street driving.
They’re talking about the engine’s main housing (“case”) made from aluminum, not the original factory part. In this story, that aluminum case cracked, which is a serious problem because it can break under load.
A “stud” is like a heavy-duty bolt that’s threaded into the engine. If it shears off, it usually means the engine case cracked or couldn’t handle the load, so the fix isn’t just replacing the stud—you have to repair the case too.
Dave Bonbride is the person they’re planning to have weld the cracked engine case. Welding an engine case is a specialized repair, not a quick DIY fix.
The flywheel is a heavy rotating part attached to the engine. They’re saying they’ll have to remove it to get to the engine case so they can repair the damage.
Term
test fan
They’re talking about running the engine on a test setup after repairs. The goal is to make sure it runs correctly before putting it back into the car.
The throttle cable is the cable that connects your gas pedal to the engine’s air/fuel control. If the cable gets bent or pulled in a crash, the engine may not behave normally.
Linkage is the set of parts that move together to transfer motion from the gas pedal to the throttle. If it gets bent, the throttle can end up stuck or pulled the wrong way.
A traction bar helps the car put power down more effectively. It reduces unwanted axle movement when you accelerate hard, and it’s usually mounted so the force goes into the car’s frame.
They mean really serious damage—so bad it can ruin the car. They’re saying the safety setup helps prevent a rollover, which is when that kind of damage is most likely.
A lap belt is a seat belt that goes across your hips. Even though it doesn’t hold your shoulders, it can still keep you from moving too much during a crash.
The glove box is the storage compartment in a car’s dashboard, typically on the passenger side. It’s mentioned here because the speaker’s phone was stored there, which then triggered emergency calling after the crash.
The Porsche 911 is a sports car made by Porsche that’s famous for its performance and recognizable shape. In the story you mentioned, “911” is also the emergency phone number, and the car’s system can call for help if it senses a crash. That’s why it stands out in the conversation.
The transmission is the part that sends power from the engine to the wheels using different gears. When people add protection around it for racing, it’s usually to prevent damage or leaks if something goes wrong.
Jack stands are supports that hold the car up after you lift it. They’re important because they keep the car from falling if the jack isn’t holding it perfectly.
Floor jacks are the big hydraulic tools you pump to lift a car. You usually put jack stands under the car too, so it’s supported safely while you work.
Chains are used for securing or pulling a car during loading/unloading—especially when a vehicle needs to be guided into a trailer. In motorsport contexts, they’re part of the practical “get it done” toolkit when ramps or tow straps aren’t enough.
“17s” means 17-inch wheels. Bigger wheels usually change how the car rides and handles, and the speaker is saying these were early examples of that upgrade.
Term
static too
“All static too” sounds like the car wasn’t really being driven or running normally when they got it. That usually means you’ll have to do more work to get it back on the road.
Term
lowered split
“Lowered split” means a classic VW with the early “split window” look, and the suspension is lowered so it sits closer to the ground. People often argue about this because it changes the car’s look and how “stock” it feels.
“Split window class” is a car-show category for early Volkswagens with the split-window look. If you win that class, it means your car matched what the judges wanted for that style.
“17 inch fuchs” refers to 17-inch Fuchs-style wheels, a classic Porsche wheel design that VW owners often adapt for a period-correct look. The episode highlights that this was an early/important adoption of larger Fuchs wheels on a VW build.
This means the front wheels were made narrower so they fit properly and look right. People do this when they’re trying to get a specific stance without rubbing.
Here, “cutting them” means the wheels were physically modified to change their shape/width so they fit under the car nicely. It’s a custom wheel work step, not something you’d do casually.
Term
sixes or sevens stock
“Sixes or sevens stock” means the wheels started out wider—around 6 to 7 inches. They were then modified so they could fit and look right on the car.
“Four and a half’s” is a wheel width measurement (about 4.5 inches). Wheel width matters because it changes how the tire sits and whether the wheel can be tucked under the fender.
“Tucked under there” means the wheels sit tucked into the wheel arches so they look tight and flush. Getting that look usually takes custom wheel sizing and careful fitment.
Term
smoothies
“Smoothies” are a type of wheel people put on classic Volkswagens. The name comes from the smooth, simple look of the wheel face.
A fastback is a car shape where the roof smoothly slopes down toward the back. It’s a specific style, not just a general “sporty” look.
Car
Ford Gt350
Here, “Ford” is referring to a classic 1967 Mustang GT 350, specifically the fastback version. It’s a performance-focused model of the Mustang line, and it’s being discussed because it was the car someone bought as part of their story. The key point is that it’s a classic Ford sports car from 1967.
A tax deduction is something that can lower your taxes. The host is saying that if a car purchase benefits charity, the buyer may get a tax benefit, which can affect pricing at auctions.
“Right hand drive” means the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. It matters because it’s tied to where the car was originally sold or how it was converted, and collectors may value it differently.
“Barn door” describes the rear doors on some classic VW buses that open as two separate panels. Collectors talk about it because it’s a recognizable version of the bus and can affect value.
“Curb appeal” is how good the car looks right away, like the paint and overall look. At auctions, that first impression can strongly affect what people are willing to pay.
Patina just means the car looks naturally aged—like faded paint or light rust from years of use. Some people like that look because it feels authentic and saves the cost of restoring everything.
Term
project stage
“Project stage” means the vehicle is a work-in-progress. It’s not fully finished yet—people are still fixing it up or building it.
Term
puny fifteen
“Puny fifteen” is basically them saying the bus had a small/weak setup—like it didn’t have much power. The exact number or part they mean is unclear from the snippet.
“Type four” is a different Volkswagen engine family than the smaller Type 1 engines. They’re comparing which one they’d rather use for reliability or driving needs.
LIVE
Happy Friday, guys, and welcome to another episode of Let's Talk Dubs.
I'm your host, Bill T. Welts Friday, and we've got another podcast for you.
This one's pretty topical.
Something recently just happened at the Memorial Day Mayhem race in Samoa for the Volksgruppe,
and I happened to turn on, flip through Instagram, and saw one of my buddies, Tony Marisi, and
I had a bad way with his 54 rag top.
So I get Tony on the podcast today, and we talk about kind of what happened, and a little
bit of our history.
So I've known Tony for years.
One of my buddies that I've met through Volkswagen's, that we've just been pals for a long time.
So interesting story, but before we get into that, don't forget to support those in support
at Let's Talk Dubs.
VW Trends Magazine, a magazine for the people by the people.
Go check it out today.
Subscribe at vwtrendsmagazine.com.
Also Ross Wolfe, high quality aftermarket parts for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts, so go check
them out today at RossWolfe.com.
Go get yourself some pretty innovative stuff that's hitting the market from Jared and Jason
that really care about the VWC and trying to bring new stuff to market.
Matter of fact, go get their new wheel seals.
Rear wheel seals properly engineered, so your rear axle seals will not leak.
So go check them out today at RossWolfe.com.
Don't forget to use the code LTD10 for 10% off.
Pistons.
What pistons are you going to get?
The best pistons on the market.
Those are Icon Pistons available at multiple retailers, Dan Volks here in Las Vegas, CB
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If you want yourself some of the best pistons available on the market, go get yourself some
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So go check them out today.
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and 94 millimeter and multiple wrist pin offsets.
So go check them out today.
Get yourself some Icon Pistons.
Schedule update for this year.
I'm going to be heading to Lufthuygan.
It's going to be taking place on June 13th at Santa Anita Raceway Park.
Go check them out.
Either check out VWKid or Volk Stuff Instagram page so you can register or go to the
phone and look up Lufthuygan.
Spaces are selling out.
It's going to be inside Santa Anita Raceway in the infield car show yet to be done like
this in the VWC.
And so go check it out.
Should be one of the new cool things to do in the summer in Southern California.
Also, I'll be at the MP 70th anniversary and your boy here is going to be live
streaming the World Cup engine build off here.
They're going to have people from all over the globe battling it out to see who can
build the highest torque performance motor.
So using MP parts specified in the program.
We're going to get more in a detail on that, but there's going to be plenty of people
Slime Motor, Technique Diffusion, Tafta Rancho VW, Bent Performance and more parts.
So it should be pretty rad to go check it out, man.
As we check out this engine build off, it's powered by AutoLinux.
So you guys make sure you subscribe to MP on their YouTube page and also subscribe to
Let's Talk Dubs and don't forget to turn on your notifications.
So as soon as we go live, you get notified.
So when you're cozy sitting at work, we'll be hard out at MP's headquarters and doing
the MP, the MP engine build off live stream.
So check it out.
Well, guys, without any further ado, let's get into it.
The Memorial Day mayhem accident that took place with the 54 Oval.
Unfortunately, my buddy Tony Marisi, let's get him on the podcast and talk about what
happened out there on this week's Let's Talk Dubs.
You probably don't know that there's a new Volkswagen out that doesn't look like a Volkswagen.
It's got everything that people who like the bug like.
OK, everybody, so on today's show, you know, I've got something special for you.
I've got a lot of buddies in the VWC, and this is one of my good buddies.
I have to show through Instagram a little bit last weekend and watching some of the
races at the Memorial Day mayhem that was taking place at Samoa Raceway by the Volkswagen group.
And I saw this super clean oval on BRMs and I saw it take off.
And then next thing I see it hit the wall, I'm like, no.
And then I thought that's no way that's my buddy Tony and sure enough is my buddy Tony.
So on today's podcast, we've got my homeboy Tony Marisi, the guy that wrecked
unfortunately wrecked his silver 54 Oval RAG into the wall at Samoa.
Tony, welcome to the podcast, bro.
Thanks, Bill.
Hey, sorry to get you know, I'd love to get you on on a round tip.
We just talk trash about the current things in the scene and stuff like that
because we're pals and that's kind of what we do.
But right, you know, unfortunately, I, you know, you and I haven't been.
We you and I became friends in the early years of the Vegas show back in the
early 2000s, right?
Yeah. Maybe you're maybe even late 90s.
It was a long time ago. Yeah.
And so I remember, you know, you it was like you, your brother, Miguel.
And there was another guy, a black dude, you guys just hang out with.
And you guys were kind of down there.
It was, we were doing the events.
Matter of fact, we were doing the events at the top of the parking garage
at the Hampton Inn, like I remember, like to the point where you'd feel
the whole floor like shaking in the parking garage.
But you know, we kind of became fast friends because we're both smart Alex
and just ripping on stuff and had similar tastes and likes and vehicles,
stuff like that. So, you know, I've been friends for a long time.
We're in the same matter of fact, you guys jumped me into DBK, you and Miguel
kind of brought me into the fold.
And so we've been pals rock and I know that you're silver 54.
It's a special car for you.
I mean, you got a couple cars, but that's a special car for you.
Now, why is that car special to you?
It's special.
I bought that car right out of high school in 1989.
And it was it was a project.
And, you know, I've been through hell and back with that thing, getting it
restored, and then it turned into a race car.
And then it turned into a the German Ren Keifer Cup car.
And then the class got canceled.
So I had this really cherry oval street slash strip car
that I had just been drag racing from time to time.
But, you know, the last restoration on it was a pan off.
Everything was painted inside.
Now all the hardware was chromed and polished.
And I mean, I just put a lot of time and energy into that car.
And for some of you guys that don't know, the Duren Keifer Cup series was
I think it was started by Frenchy and it was.
Yes, yes, Frenchy started it.
It was a series back in the mid 2000s
about it was probably 2003 to three to eight somewhere in there.
It started and it was like fast cars plus clean cars.
Like they were judged on how clean and nice the car was and your quarter
mile time. So there was like a little bit of a combination type stuff.
And they were these cars had to be suit.
I mean, they weren't like stripped down race cars.
Like these were builders, super clean, cow look kind of bugs.
Yep. That was that it.
And I kept trying to get my car faster and faster before I restored it again
to compete with those guys.
And by the time I was done, the class was over.
So what what was the fastest that car put down on track?
Because you ran that car.
Well, Sean Sean Gears had a car and I believe he was running 1090s in it.
Yeah, Sean ruined the class.
Yeah, yeah.
We've tried to get Sean the podcast a couple of times.
So if you're Sean, yeah, you need to get.
I know I knew David Ruiz listened.
So you better tell Sean, you better listen to me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Joe Massis had a really fast car.
Lee Bouchon had a really fast car.
You know, my my fastest quarter mile E.T. was an 1160 up at Sacramento Raceway.
Which was super fast, but I think Sean ran like 10, 10, 9.
Yeah, he was high, high, high 10.
Yeah, he was he was definitely the fastest in the group.
And he had a really nice car.
Yeah.
So, you know, that's kind of the history would have that car.
And so since the Durand K for Cup series died and then you see Sacramento
starts to fade away a little bit.
And then it's the last time you raced that car would have been a Buggerama or where?
Yeah, I had it out at the last Buggerama 2023.
And what would that car run then?
I had a full interior to it.
And I kind of detuned the motor to make it last a little longer.
I think I was running like 12 those out there with it.
And you made it more of a street car.
Yes, exactly.
And then so you finally decide to knock the dust off this old bird.
And and because it's one of your first cars, bro,
it's got a special place, you know, I mean, it's like the car.
It's like the car you always wanted to build, right?
Finally, right?
You got a couple of shekels in your pocket.
And you decide you decide to build this car and you build like your dream.
Because, you know, my my rag top, my 63 was polar silver.
And it was kind of had a similar vibe to accept.
I was more German look.
I had the phone dials and stuff on there.
Yeah, but that's that's that's another reason why we we're connecting
on a on a brother from another mother thing, because it was rag tops
and they were silver and, you know, there's that connection.
And so that was one of my first cars, which, ironically, I found
probably a couple of years ago, I tracked it down.
And the weird thing was like that I called the guy to try to buy the car.
And I said, hey, I'm really interested in buying that car.
My brother and I, we pulled it out of the junkyard after it crashed my 64
and I'm interested by the car.
He says, yeah, you know, I've had this car.
So I bought the car like in 92 and then sold it in 9697
And I went through the whole thing, finished the car and then blew up,
grenade the motor and then just was so disgusted with all the money I put.
I just sold the car and I called the guy back and he says,
he's the second guy that bought it after I sold it.
I sold it for 3500 dollars with no engine,
which was big money in 96 for a bug.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
And he ends up getting it.
And the person that bought it before and put a teal pearl over top of it,
ruined the look of the car.
And then it's still everything that I did, the tweet into everything.
And I called him because, you know, I just have had this car for so long.
It's got a lot of sentimental value to me.
And I'm just thinking like, what do you mean, bro?
I built the car like I built the car.
And then I started getting this weird feeling like, well, I owned it for like
four and a half, five years, and he's owned it for 20 years.
So I threw I threw the offer.
I said, bro, if you ever go to sell that car, give me first crack at it.
And he's like, oh, I'm redoing it right now.
I'm like, OK, whatever.
So so enough about me and my silver polar silver 63
but back to your rag top.
So you decided to knock the dust off and bring it out to Samoa over here
to Memorial Day mayhem race and kind of walk me through the vibe of the race
and all that kind of stuff.
Is it just your first time doing a Volks group race?
Yeah, I was doing the fast four cartel races and then Jeff and Jeff kind of
separated and, you know, the races seem like they get farther and farther from me.
You know, the Samoa drag strips, probably five and a half, six hour drive from me.
And it's a more all day.
I'm usually with family, but kind of life plans have kind of changed.
So I says, you know what, I said, I'm going to take the car out.
And John and Mike Preston and a couple of my buddies were going.
So I kind of just hung out with them when I got there.
And Saturday, I took it off the trailer, made a pass on the car.
It was kind of, you know, my burnout sucks.
I didn't launch it hard.
I just hadn't driven the car in three years.
And I got to the end of the track and I had a huge smile on my face.
I said, I love driving this thing.
I love racing this car.
So made my first pass, second pass.
I was in the right lane and I noticed like every gear I shift
in and do the run was getting cut loose on me.
I let off a little bit at the top of third made it my made my second pass
came back to the pits and everybody's like, how much tire pressure do you got?
I got 15 pounds.
I dropped it down to 12.
I went up for a third pass, middle of the afternoon, probably four o'clock.
And it was very cold up in Samoa this weekend.
I've never been there.
That's right on the ocean.
That misty breeze coming through.
And when and when you say right on the ocean, like it's on the ocean,
you could walk at the top of the return road where you make a U-turn to come back.
You can see the ocean.
You got an awesome ocean view.
The beach was probably a couple of hundred feet away from the track.
Nice track.
The lanes are super tight.
The K rails, you know, there's no room for error on this track.
So my third, my third test pass, you know, we're racing on Sunday, I'm racing
super index and I'm like, I got to see what this car is going to pull
so I can get my dial on set.
So my last pass of the day, I let the smear out of the tires, burned out
a little bit longer, tried to get them hot and sticky.
I launched the car when I went to grab second car.
It got a little sideways on me, but I'm still easily under control of the car.
Right when I shifted into third gear, I'm probably doing 85, 90 miles an hour.
The thing just hooked quick little left on me and then spun out to the right.
And then there was just no control on it.
So it's crazy.
It happens so quick.
And not only do you, I mean, yeah, in the video, you hook hard, right?
Like, yeah, and not, not in that snare.
I mean, it's obviously something you can't really prepare for.
Right. You can think like when something happens,
because we had that happened to Ron Fleming at Sacramento.
Yes. Yeah.
And usually some of that stuff is happening by strong crosswinds
and stuff like that over there in SAC, usually.
Yeah. But like, it's tough.
Like, you know, the, the thing you don't do is stay in it.
I mean, psychologically, you don't because you're, you just, as soon as something
starts happening, you let off throttle, which unloads suspension, you know.
Yeah. Yeah.
But no, it happened immediately when I shifted into third gear.
If you listen to the video, you'll hear me.
The clutch will go in, the car will hit third, and then it goes sideways on me,
you know, right when I released the clutch.
So it might have already been in motion, but, you know, there was,
there was no getting off of it to stop that.
And like I said, that track is so narrow, you know,
once you're out of the groove, you're done.
And I was one of at least four or five cars crashed over the weekend there.
So, and I noticed a lot of the pro turbo guys, you know,
they all run 10, 11 inch slicks on their cars.
I'm running a six inch slick, you know, and I think my horsepower to, you know,
ratio compared to like the street NA guys, they're running drag radials.
I think my car just had a little more power and the weight of it.
And that six inch slick on it kind of and the poor track conditions too.
The track operator, Justin was telling me, because yeah,
we've had this cold breeze coming down the track all day.
And I said, yeah, I said, this car has never, ever gotten loose on me.
I've been drag racing this car for 23 years
and it always goes straight as an arrow down the track.
And now you hit the wall.
Now you hit two corners or three corners in this car.
The initial impact was the front passenger side, you know,
it buckled the quarter panel.
It destroyed the fender.
The wheel broke off.
It broke the trailing arms.
It broke the king link pins.
It bent the tie rod, pulled the brake line off.
It blew the BRM apart that was on the front of the car.
And then the car swung around and my door handle kissed the wall
because the doors pushed in a little bit and there's white paint on the door handle.
And then a lot of the brunt took on the back wheel, the slick hit the wall,
but it buckled the fender under the car.
So me and John Lipnoyce pulled the fender out.
They pulled my car off the track with a tractor.
And I assume most of the damage was to the front of the car.
I got home Sunday night from Samoa Monday morning.
I dropped the car off in my brother's garage because I didn't have room in mind.
We got it on stands.
We started tearing the car apart.
I took the engine out.
The deck that was kind of tweaked, the back bumper hit the wall a little bit.
And then I discovered the engine case was cracked.
I go to pull the engine out.
It's wobbling around in there.
The bell housing was in probably three pieces.
It just shattered almost in half.
And then trying to get the tranny out of the car, the nose cone broke in half.
And then once I had all the suspension out of the car,
I got a Berg mid-mount welded into that car.
The frame horns tweaked up and the welds on my Berg mid-mount cracked.
So it did tons of damage to the suspension and the pan.
The pan buckled in the front from the beam hidden.
So yeah, it was just, I mean, it's disgusting.
I love that car and it's, you know, everybody says, I'm glad you're OK.
I say, I'm just heartbroken.
You know, I've been through hell and back with that car.
And to see it destroyed like that in an instant is kind of disturbing.
Yeah, it's just insane, man.
And it happens so quick if you're watching the tape and, you know,
yeah, it just breaks my, it broke my heart.
And when I saw that, I was like, no, that's not Tony's car, bro.
Because I know, yeah, I know it's like your first car.
You know what I mean?
So it's like, it's kind of your, I mean, you got a lot of cars that are,
you got cars that are more rare and more, quote unquote, valuable than that.
But there's always like your first dream car that you got.
You know what I mean?
Like you're, yeah, yeah.
And then, you know, right after it happened, I guess somebody posted
on Instagram or social media and I got a call from my buddy in Tennessee.
I got a call from Pip in L.A.
And you know, everybody's texting me, bro, are you OK as it was at your car?
And I'm like, yeah, my buddy, Queesey from the Virgin Islands message
me and he goes, tell me that wasn't your card.
I'm like, bro, it was, you know, I'm like, yeah.
So, yeah, it kind of kind of blew up.
Yeah, that's brutal, dude.
That's that is just it's just really frustrating to see that.
And so do you think that the car is salvageable or what?
Well, yeah, I'm going to fix it.
You know, my brother got a hold of Washburn metal down in SoCal and Orange.
They said they could straighten that pan, the frame horns.
They said it's probably 40 to 50 hours of labor and plus the metal
to fix the front end on the car.
You know, to replace the quarter, the inner, the outer.
So I'm going to fix it, but I'm also going to probably
buy another car on Friday.
I found another 54 sunroof Tony Kling has that I'm going to run up
to his house and I'm going to buy that just to have a backup plan.
So I'll definitely get the car back on the road.
Yeah, hopefully get something going.
Yeah, I mean, it's just something that's kind of kind of special
about your first car, you know what I mean?
Yeah. And the motor that was in there 2332
23872387
And who built that was in there?
It's everybody's had their house.
So Katie built it and then I had a problem with the case.
And then Chris Loeffler took it to his shop and redid it new case,
changed the cam, did a few things to it.
The motor Chris built me was bogging off the line a little bit
because we put a two inch header on it and 515 carburetors.
So Rick Eichler kind of went through and fine tuned everything
and tweaked a few things on it, changed, changed a few things on it for me.
That's when I lowered the compression because I said, hey,
I'm going to make this more of a street car.
So yeah, the last guy to have his hands on it was Rick Eichler and Sonoma.
And what what was the compression on the final build?
Twelve to 112 and a half to one.
So before that, you had like fourteen or what?
Four, yeah, it was fourteen to one.
That's wild, man.
And you still running the fifty twos on it?
No, no, I put the forty eights back on it.
And so what what got what got broken?
They said the motor, the bell has
it was in three cases and the crack, the case is cracked.
Yeah, it's got an aftermarket aluminum
auto linear case and it cracked right up at the top
at the starter here.
And then the lower stud on the driver's side busted off,
sheared off in the case.
Jeez. Yeah.
So hopefully the engine's still good.
I talked to Rick, Dave Bonbride, is going to weld the aluminum case.
I got to pull the flywheel off, get the case fixed, get a stud put in it,
and then we'll throw it on the test fan and, you know, just run it, you know,
just see, make sure the engine's still good.
Did the law for his ever dyno that engine?
Yeah, I believe Chris did.
He emailed me the sheet that was years ago.
It was probably it was 220 maybe.
Yeah. Yeah, I mean, what's the red line on that motor?
I shift it probably around eight grand, I believe.
Wow. Yeah, it's funny.
After the crash, my throttle cable was the engine twisted.
It pulled on it, pulled on the linkage.
And when I shut the car off, the tack was at 8500 RPMs.
So right before I shut it down. Yikes.
Wow. Yeah.
Bro, that's a heartbreaker, man.
And it's, you know, it's just like insult
to injury on top of it.
It is, you know, but I'm blessed, Bill.
I, you know, I like you.
I have so many friends that care about me and everybody says, Hey, Tony,
we're glad you're still here. You know, it's just a car.
You know, Pat Friel told me that all weekend, Tony, it's just a car.
I go, yeah, Pat, it is.
But, you know, this hurts, one hurts.
This is like a member of the family, you know, right?
I mean, you have that car longer.
You know, I have one car longer than I've been married, you know what I mean?
And yeah, my Riviera in the garage and my wife's like, she didn't,
man, she didn't know I had it for five years that we were married.
Then one day I bring it home and she's like, where'd you buy this?
I'm like, oh, this I've had this.
Yeah, exactly.
But yeah, so I'm, I'm, I'm hoping to see, get it back on the road and get,
I would love to see that car fix only because, you know, it just, it's, it's that car.
You know what I mean?
Exactly. No, it's going to get fixed.
I already told myself that, you know, I have to fix it, you know?
Now, you know, you got a roll cage in that car?
Yes.
And then it's just a, it's just a two point, four point or six point?
It's a four point roll cage and it's got, it's got the driver and passenger bars.
I don't run the side bars.
And then I got the Ron Lumis, the traction bar device, they sandwiched to the bottom
of the roll cage in the back of the car and then they tie into the frame horns
under the car. Oh, good.
Yeah. So that's, I'm sure that, I mean, a lot of that helps, you know,
to me because you never know. Yeah.
Yeah. And I'm so thankful the car didn't roll over, you know,
because that just does catastrophic damage on top of everything else.
Yeah. And you're running, you're running stock seats in that thing.
Yeah. It's got the original seats in it.
Yeah. Yeah. You need to move some beards.
Yeah. You know, and I kind of wanted that street car look, you know,
the interior is all stock, the door panels, the German carpet, rubber mats.
It's got a lap belt in it.
And right before I made that last pass, for some reason,
I tightened my lap belt really tight and I'm thankful I did.
You know, it held me in that, that seat.
The passenger seat flew out of the car when I, I hit the wall.
Did it really?
Yeah. The passenger seat ended up almost in the back of the car.
And it blew out right from the impact.
That's yeah. Yeah.
Well, I'm glad you're okay, bro. And you didn't, you didn't get,
did you have it? Were you wearing a helmet?
Yes, of course.
Oh yeah. That's good. So then you'd, if your head bobbed around, you probably didn't.
Yeah. The EMTs checked me out and, you know, my, my phone was in the glove box.
And of course it called 911 for me because it detected a crash.
So the 911 operator were super persistent. They're like, you were in a vaccine.
And I go, yeah, I go, I'm not the drag strip. I'm fine.
And they're like, was the other party hurt? And I go, no, you know,
I'm just like, I go, I'm fine. I'm not the racetrack. The EMTs are here.
You know, they wouldn't, they wouldn't let me off the phone.
And then I got finally hung up on the 911 caller and then the EMTs,
they said, Hey, as soon as the adrenaline, adrenaline wears off,
I'm going to come see you. He goes, I noticed your limp in a little bit.
And then he came to my pit later that night. And I go, yeah,
I got a huge bruise on my right leg, right from the shifter in a cut.
And he goes, he goes, are you okay? And I, yeah, we talked for a minute.
I go, yeah, no, I'm good.
I thought the limp, because you were a pimp. Cause, uh, you know,
you always had that swagger when you walk. I'm not going to mention Sturgis.
I'm not going to mention Sturgis.
Yeah. Well, there is a lot of track bite on the track or a sticky stuff is
called. Yeah. I kind of had to, my vans were sticking to it. So.
No, well, man, I'm, I'm super glad you're okay.
Super bummed about the car. And you know, the, the crazy part is at any time,
when you're racing, you know, that stuff can kind of happen where it's just like
the conditions are just, they're just weird enough.
And by no means are we trying to bust on anybody with the,
no, the volt group or any of that kind of stuff. It was just a, it was,
no, it was just a bad combination. And when I got up there,
I didn't have an oil containment pan on the car. And I said, you know what?
I said, I don't need to raise. I said, I'm here.
I just want to have fun with my friends. I said, I'll put my car in the show.
You know, I'll, and then, uh, Pat Friel's son, Liam went to the auto zone and
bought me an oil pan and John Limp noise and got out of the scene.
His grinder and his, his wire cutters and he made me an oil containment pan.
And we wrapped the transmission. They're like, oh, you're ready to raise.
So that kind of got, I'm like, well, I'm like, these guys put all this effort into
it. I got to at least go down the track. So, right.
Yeah. Lemios knows guys are, they, they were a heart,
they were a life saving for me with the red dragon that I was missing in
Medford. Uh, yeah, cause I showed up, you know, that car sat outside of my house
for two years. And then I was like, I think I'll take it racing.
So I just put it in the tree and drove it out there like, no, nothing still
dust and dirt on it from the outside. And they said, oh, you don't have oil
containment. I'm like, what is that for? Who needs it?
Yeah, no, uh, yeah, between him and Mike Preston, I mean, Mike has his trailer
and there were the full blown toolbox floor jacks, jack stands.
I mean, we got everything done right there.
They had every tool you can think of. And then when it came time to get that,
try and get that car in the trailer, they had to come along chains.
We had six guys, two floor jacks, you know, we, uh, we made, you know,
and that's what I love about the Volkswagen community. Everybody in the
Volks group. I mean, everybody, you know, you need something. They're there.
You know, especially the, you know, that, that was the, the whole thing.
When George and I had gone up there one time, I think we'd gone to
George and I had gone to Samoa cause I've been to 22 events.
I went to Samoa first and then I went to Medford with, uh, cause Samoa,
what wasn't far enough. So we went to Medford, Medford instead.
And I told my, I told me and Johnny Osmondson.
I told both our cars up there. That was a 13 hour drive.
And that's, that was a killer. And, uh, yeah. And Johnny, uh, Johnny
grenade at his engine when we went there and then I had the red, red
dragon that I broke a trans when I got there. So, uh, yeah, you know, listen,
that's, that's racing, right? Like you, you take it right to the ragged edge
and then something happens. Man, super stoked that you're, uh, that you're
good and that, you know, other than, uh, the sweet silver, the silver
bullet being, uh, twisted up a little bit, you know, but I'm sure, I'm sure
to get it back on the road and get it, especially the guys at Washburn,
they get pretty dialed in with the metal work too. So, yeah, yeah.
So I'm, uh, I'm going to start, you know, we've been on the phone all week,
making contacts. I already talked to Dave Foltz. He said he's got 10 cases in
stock. I'm going to, I'm going to run my tranny down to LA next weekend.
And then I might even pull the, the body off the pan and bring them the
panda to Washburn just so they can get the pan straightened out.
That way I can at least get the pan and drive train done and then figure out
the body. And then if I buy another car, at least I have a body to throw on.
There's some, right? Well, you know, one of the things I did want to bring up
now that we're kind of, we talked about the car and your situation.
What a lot of people don't know is I think if I'm not mistaken, your brown
split that you had, was that the 50, the 50 or the, the convertible or the
hard sun or the sunroof car? Yeah, that was a 50.
That car, was that not the, cause Pip did the wheels on that thing and he
did the wheels on my 56 that I sold to my buddy. And that was the first,
that was the first set of 17s that he did.
Yeah. That was probably the first car out and about with 17s on it.
I bought the thing was hammered.
It was all static too.
I brought that thing to Pip for a freshen up and he, uh, him between him
and Russell at old speed, they came up with those wheels and fit them under there.
And I didn't like him at first, but then they grew on me and then,
you know, that car was super popular.
Oh, that car is on the shirt for, is it a Kelly Park?
For Kelly Park. Yeah. Yeah.
They got kind of mad that a lowered split.
I won best of show with it and split window class.
And Rick Spahn was a little upset over that.
Yeah. That car, that car is sick, man. That's that car was super sick.
You ended up selling it. That car went where?
Yeah. One of the guys in the club bought a Hector has it.
I haven't seen it since it was, it was in SoCal somewhere.
So it's still, it's still around.
You know, I haven't seen it on the internet or anything,
but that I just wanted to touch base on that being one of the first cars
that was on the 17 inch fuchs, especially what a lot of people don't realize
is the amount of work that Pip puts into those things by cutting them
and then narrowing the front wheel, you know, yeah.
He cut the fronts down to four and a half's because I think they came in
sixes or sevens stock when the guy was making them.
Yeah. And Pip, Pip and Russell had them cut in half and well,
did them back together and, you know, they were tucked under there nicely.
It looked, it looked really cool.
Yeah. I remember you and I were driving that car through a,
we're at some shopping center or something and then you had to go
by speed bump and it was pretty, it was a pretty pan dragon or deal.
It was because you're so much heavier than I am. Right. Right. Yeah.
But yeah, that car, that car just had such a sick look.
The only thing I don't like about that car is you had a stock,
you know, would you have a 36 or you have that stupid 25 or
it had a 36 in it. Yeah.
Bro, shoot me now.
That that that car wasn't meant to go fast as low as it was.
Yeah. No, that thing was all about, it was all about the looks, man,
and that car, right? That car, again, I just wanted to touch it.
That was one of the first, first, that was one of the first sets
of the custom fuchs that Pip did on it, on the DBK stuff
that started going after that with the 17s.
And I just think it's such a good look on that car, you know.
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
Yeah, that car was built back in 2008, maybe 2009.
Yeah, I think I have.
So that car is in the video of Pip pulling that into the classic.
And I want to say it's 22009 classic,
but it's on my Bilti Vegas channel, which I need to move some of those
old school videos over, but that car just had such a sick look to it.
Now, besides that, what's the now you did?
You've had a couple of the cars featured in the magazine over time.
I, you know, that that car was featured in
Stefani shot it for Pip.
I didn't have time to fly down there and Pip did the photo shoot with it,
which I was OK with other than that.
Shin has taken quite a few pictures of my oval over the years.
It was in let's play.
Um, yeah, but I've never really been like a show car guy.
I kind of just try to keep keep my stuff on the down low.
You've got some pretty you've sick cars.
I've had some nice cars.
Yeah, but I have friends that'll build the car and then call up, you know,
hobby W's to try and get in the magazine that following weekend.
I've never been that guy.
You know, I remember I have a video on my Bilti Vegas channel.
I think it's the 4007 Vegas bug in
and you're driving a convertible and early vert on smoothies.
And I want to say, oh, the the Irish blue 57 blue.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
So I mean, you've been through your set of of cars.
And I know you got you like a lot of different
the different flavors, you know, you're the vert and then the other famous thing
that some people don't know is that you and I were on pond stars together.
That's right.
That's my 59 Euro 23 window,
And that you you sold that car.
I did.
And in real, let's see what some people think is like they're like,
oh, that thing was staged.
I'm like, no, because I've done like 10 of those episodes on pond stars.
We've only bought one car doing it.
And it was the car that he bought with the fastback, the 67 fastback GT 350.
Right.
And but when he makes an offer, it's it's really like he'll
write you write you a check the next, you know, 10 minutes later.
So but yeah, I know the production company was very clear about that.
They're like, if he shakes Rick's hand, you're leaving with a check
and the car's staying here.
So yeah. Yeah.
And it's funny because at the time, you know, it was
because there's been an interesting time in the market where buses like when,
you know, you had the one bus that was built by DNR, super clean.
And it sold the auction for 250 grand.
And then you have the bus that beat that bus was the built 21 window
made by Dave Kindig, but that car, that car was an auction car, too.
So there's a there's the whole aspect of the tax deduction that you get
when you buy something like that because it goes to charity.
But, you know, that sent buses into the stratosphere of like crazy pricing.
And then I've noticed that I've seen a lot of stuff started coming down recently.
I mean, a lot, you know, yeah, it's it's it's really come come down quite a bit.
I got 142 for mine locally.
Within a year, Tom Kenny, the owner of HotBW is called me and he goes, Tony,
I got a really nice 5923 windows ceiling wax, red, great beige, gray.
He goes, I'm trying to move it.
I'm trying to invest in some other stuff and he offered it to me for a hundred
K and I'm like, wow, I mean, I can go buy that.
But I'm kind of glad I didn't because the market has been so soft
over the last three or four years that I might not even a broke even on it.
And I noticed that auction there.
The nice buses are 80 K at the most right now.
Yeah, I remember going to an auction one of them and it had a right hand drive
barn door or maybe not a barn door.
It might have been like a 50 57, but I almost think it was a barn door
because I did a video on it when I was going through there.
And I was surprised that the 21 window sold for more
than the right hand drive barn door.
And I think that's because the collector type of person that's there.
But, you know, yeah, yeah.
Recently, they started the market started to adjust.
Yeah. And I think in an auction setting, it's all about
the curb appeal of the car, you know, the color combination,
the interior combination, regardless of how rare it is, you know,
a barn door, they might not like the ceiling wax, red and chestnut brown
colors, you know, where like turquoise in white 21 window might roll through.
And they're like, oh, I love it.
That's got the perfect beach vibe to it, you know,
and it might might bring more money in an auction setting.
Now, the last time I ran into you had a we're at the Kelly Park show, right?
Right. Well, I'd never made it to Kelly Park.
I just destroyed my trailer and just was all mad.
Went home. Yeah, I remember that.
And you had you had the
the what's it called the camper bus.
You had a camper bus.
You still have the camper bus?
The 67. It's kind of it's kind of a patina.
Yeah. And now, yeah, actually, I sold that.
My kids got kind of mad at me.
Oh, because that was the one.
Yeah, have fun.
And yeah, they had a blast on that bus, you know, I had four buses
and I had two in the project stage, a 56 combi that was at a shop.
And then I had a 5623 window and another 56
combi I was just driving.
And I said, I'm never going to finish one of my projects
as long as I got a bus to jump in every weekend.
So I sold that with the intention of throwing money at another project,
but it still hasn't happened.
Yeah, no, it's I mean, you you've had
you've had a ton of stuff in in the past.
I know you've always been kind of a big motor grip and rip a guy
unless you're driving your bus because your bus had a little puny fifteen
hundred in it and had a 1600 single port.
You know, because in my opinion, that's a super reliable motor
if you want to drive cross country.
It's not type four power.
I want to say I didn't want to say it.
I did. Yeah, it's not type four power.
But yeah, no, I think it's you know, you've had a ton of stuff.
You got you got a cool collection of stuff.
And, you know, I'm I'm glad I'm glad that you're kind of getting back
in the game a little bit, so to speak, you know, with you're back to the homies.
And yeah, yeah, no, I haven't seen it for a minute.
Looking forward to seeing you back on the streets.
Yeah, no, I'm looking forward to getting back and doing what I love
and hanging out with everybody again.
You know, I took a break with the family for all these years, you know,
but the kids are getting older and, you know, a couple of them
were still tagging along with me, which is cool.
So and they're in the car scene, so should be should be fun coming up.
Yeah, I will hopefully we'll see it one crazy weekend this year
because we'll I know I know you have a conflicting date on something with that.
But if you can squeeze it out and make it, man, that'd be a great place to see
it because it's definitely it is definitely an event like no other.
It's like when we all used to meet up down at the classic
and it's just a freaking blast of a time, you know, a bunch of us would gather
down there from all different parts of the country and we would just all hang
out all weekend, go on a cruises together and all that kind of stuff,
all the open houses and all that stuff.
So yeah, I know I got to get there.
I know I've been telling you every year, but something always comes up on that
weekend. So I just got to I got to make it happen.
I just got to tell you, you won't be sorry.
That's for sure.
I know I hear really goes there.
You know, I got to hear about it for weeks afterwards.
That's the best part.
Instagram doesn't stop last year.
Laugh for last year, four and a half weeks after the event.
Every day, every single day I was getting tagged in people's posts.
I didn't post anything for like, I want to say like almost two months
because every week when the when the show was first, like when the show was
when the show was going, I was just getting blown up all the time
because I always posted one crazy weekend.
And then after the show, it just 345 posts a day by different people.
And it was just like there's there was these guys doing a photo shoot over
behind the by the sphere.
And I didn't I didn't know these guys went to go do a photo shoot.
There's a bunch of guys from a Wolfsburg club that were over there doing it.
And it was super sick, man.
These guys got some just crazy pictures.
And again, there's no place to cruise like Vegas.
You know what I mean? Yeah.
So it's it's definitely a place where, you know, it's hard.
It's hard to duplicate what we got down here.
But definitely, you know, I always have a blast, you know, and I know
how the shows are down there.
Everything is a it's quite a weekend.
Yeah, no, it's a great time.
And now we have a poker tournament.
We have a bowling tournament.
And the poker tournament was just ridiculous because there's a bunch
of idiots that don't know how to play poker talking to the dealer and the
dealer telling what they can do, but it's just it's such a good time.
And so hopefully we'll see you down for this, man.
And yeah, looking forward to it.
And I'm glad I'm glad you're fine, man.
You know, again, the car is just metal.
It's a bummer what happened, but you know, that's I guess that's racing.
Right. So yeah, that's exactly what it is.
But yeah, man, I look forward to seeing you sometime soon.
I'm going to be down at MP 70th anniversary on March.
Well, I'll be down there in March 16th for the beginning of the world,
the world finals of the engine build off that they're doing for this year.
And I want to be MC in the I'll be doing the live stream on Thursday on Wednesday,
Friday, I think it's maybe Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
I'll be doing the live stream for MP interviewed a bunch of different people
and all that stuff. So I'm looking forward to that.
Plus I'll be bringing Zorba down there.
So maybe if you can break away for that weekend, for the weekend of the 20th,
you can come down there.
I'm also at that Lufthagen that's happening that VW kids
putting on over at the Santa Anita Raceway.
So yeah, yeah, just this is going to be a month's notice.
I'll get it on the calendar.
That's it. I just gave it to you.
Well, that's March, next March, right?
Oh, no, it's this it's this June coming up June.
So I'll see you in June.
All right, we'll see you in June at MP for the 70th anniversary of MP.
So no, I'm Bill.
Hey, man, I'm glad I'm glad you're good, bro.
And I look forward to seeing you again sometime pretty soon.
Sounds good. Right on, brother.
All right, Bill, take care.
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that podcast.
Don't forget Lufthagen on the 13th,
MP Engine Battle World Cup 2026 taking place
at the Seventh anniversary for MP on June 20th.
I'll be there. You should be there.
Also the type three VW trends, type three tavern has taken place.
Come see Zorba and I've also got some America 250 Volkswagens
are as American as apple pie stickers I'm giving out
with some red, white, blue, blue Volkswagens on there.
So pretty cool.
Be handing those out at the MP event.
So until next. Oh, I forgot to mention, guys,
the stolen bug that everybody's seen on Instagram.
We're going to be having an interview with Dustin
from Wagon Masters coming up here in the next week or so.
So stay tuned, lots to talk about and a lot of inside information
on the scenes for what happened with that.
So lots to talk about.
So until next week, guys, later.
About this episode
A crash at Samoa’s Memorial Day Mayhem race becomes the episode’s centerpiece, starting with the moment the hosts realize it’s Tony Marisi’s silver 1954 ragtop/oval-window Beetle wrecked into a wall. Tony Moreci then walks through how his “54 bug” evolved from a high-school project into a race car, what the Duren Keifer Cup meant (“fast cars plus clean cars”), and the detailed damage and repairs after the impact. The conversation also detours into engine-build plans, drag-racing setup, and upcoming VW event reminders.
What started as a great weekend at the drag strip quickly turned into a moment no racer ever wants to experience. Longtime Volkswagen enthusiast and drag racer Tony Moreci joins us to share the story behind the crash that damaged his iconic 1954 Ragtop Beetle during a recent racing event.
Tony has spent decades behind the wheel of this legendary Oval-window Beetle, campaigning it at tracks across the country and earning respect throughout the vintage Volkswagen drag racing community. In this episode, we break down exactly what happened on race day, the sequence of events leading up to the accident, and the emotions that follow when years of hard work and history are suddenly put at risk in a matter of seconds.
Beyond the crash itself, we take a look into the history of Tony's '54 Ragtop—its evolution from a classic street car into a well-known drag racing machine—and the memories attached to a car that has become part of his identity. We also reflect on our longtime friendship, the experiences we've shared over the years, and our connection through the legendary DBK Car Club.
This conversation isn't just about bent sheet metal and damaged parts. It's about perseverance, friendship, the risks that come with motorsports, and the passion that keeps racers coming back to the starting line. Whether you're a Volkswagen drag racing fan, a vintage VW enthusiast, or simply appreciate the stories behind the people and cars that shape our hobby, this is an episode you won't want to miss.
