3rd VW Trends Dyno Day!

It all started in August 2002, with a bunch of street-driven VW owners, eager to find out how much horsepower and torque their engine would deliver on a dynometer. The cars entered in the friendly competition were separated into two groups, namely "Turbo" and "Naturally Aspirated." By the end of the day, the respective winners of these classes had displayed some impressive numbers, respectively 281hp (Robert Hemphill's street-driven '69 Sedan) and 177hp/161ft-lbs (Bill Schwimmer's Cal Look '59 Ragtop).

A year later, we teamed with Magnaflow Performance Exhaust to organize a second event in their awesome facility located in Orange County, Calif.--a much larger location than the Street Rod shop used in 2002. This second Dyno Day catered not only to street cars, but also to racecars. A couple of happy campers went home with some truly deserved trophies: Scott Featherolf, the owner of a street-legal turbocharged Oval (336hp/392ft-lbs) and Lee Gong who drives a naturally aspirated '65 Beetle (200hp/177ft-lbs).

So, would the Third VWTrends Dyno Day top these performances? Like the large crowd that once again invaded Magnaflow's building, we couldn't wait to find out! We wanted to bring another element of interest to the event however, and a Car Show seemed appropriate. As we had no idea how many rides would be displayed, we decided to reward a few participants with "Top 5" show trophies. The well-known German Folks Klub [see August 2004 VWT cover story] came on board as well to help register the vehicles, park them in orderly manner, and finally judge them with us. Thanks guys, you did a tremendous job!

The day started with a small concern however... Unlike last year, the owners of the VWs entered in the dyno competition could not drive them during the test for liability reasons (i.e., the cars had to be driven by a member of Magnaflow's staff). This key information had unfortunately not been disclosed to us, and as a result, contestants Mike Scott and Dominic Luppino decided to pull out of the competition--Magnaflow and ourselves would like to apologize to them. The rest of the day went smoothly, and as time passed, the team of Magnaflow sped up, running 13 aircooled VWs on the dyno.

While each pull is detailed further in this article, we would like to acknowledge the winners of the day, starting with Joe Maestas whose California Look 11-second Oval Window appeared on the cover of our September 2004 issue. The gorgeous Diamond green '57 delivered 201hp/174 Ft-lbs! Keep in mind that these readings are measured at the rear wheels. As a result, numbers obtained are 15 to 20 percent lower than the figures taken at the flywheel, as the transmission does rob a few ponies.

Another car kept everybody talking... It belongs to Eric Calabrese, and competes in PRA's Pro Mod category. His red turbocharged Oval has recently passed the quarter-mile finish line in less than nine seconds. No doubt, this ride was going to make some serious power... It screamed on the dyno, and spectators could not believe their ears when Dyno Don, our official announcer, disclosed the results: 503hp and 460ft-lbs of torque! Not too shabby for a four-cylinder displacing 2275cc, huh? Two other Bugs made over 360 horsepower as well! A total of 10 Bugs, one Type 14, one Type 34 Ghia, and a Bus ended up on the dyno. Other fun specs are as follows: four turbo cars, 10 engines displacing 2275cc or 2332cc, three fuel injection systems, and eight pairs of Weber 48IDAs.

Outside, the show area was packed with beautiful rides. Choosing the Top 5 proved rather difficult, considering the high caliber of the vehicles on hand--check the results box for the list of lucky winners. Spectators and participants alike complimented us on the Third VWTrends Dyno Day, overall a well-rounded event, with beautiful Volkswagens put on display and crazy beasts rolling on the dyno. Putting together the list of 13 participants was once again quite an ordeal, with some last minute cancellations due to mechanical difficulties--some things never change! Count on us for organizing another event of the same caliber in 2005. We will be sure to update you in the near future!