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!

ERIC CALABRESE'S 1957 OVAL (EFI TURBO)
503 HP/460 FT-LBS
Un-be-lieve-a-ble! Eric Calabrese's "Red Baron" Pro Mod Oval delivered 503hp with 29psi of boost; quite an accomplishment considering the engine displaces a "modest" 2276cc! He also ran an 8.999-second pass at 153mph in Sacramento last September--see the coverage on Page 50. Yep, Pro Mod competitors are finally running fast again, thanks to new rules allowing fuel injection and intercoolers. Scott Fetherolf, last year's Turbo Class winner seen next to the 1710-pound Bug, helped to dial in the engine management system. Scott commented: "We were up until 2am the night before getting the car ready, but it was definitely worth it. Now we need to figure out how to get over 500 horsepower to the ground!" When properly setup, the '57 should run in the neighborhood of 8.70.

JOE MAESTAS' 1957 OVAL (CARBS)
201 HP/174 FT-LBS
You may remember Joe Maestas' Oval from our September 2004 cover, which incidentally he shared with the 2003 "Naturally Aspirated Class" winner, Lee Gong. Well, it was Joe's turn to bring back home the two trophies this year, thanks to his 201hp and 174 ft-lbs performances. The engine he ran had just been refreshed and improved, with an 84mm crank (instead of 82mm) and an Engle FK-89 replacing the Web Cam he had used until then. Joe also posted a stout 11.75 at 112mph in Sacramento last September.

CRAIG GIBBS' 1970 SEDAN (TURBO)
376 HP/303 FT-LBS
We first witnessed the quarter-mile potential of Craig Gibbs' white Beetle during a SoCal Sport Compact race, cheering when he crossed the finish line in less than 11 seconds. So far, his best ET is 10.43 at 131mph. The car also regularly shows up at a monthly VW cruise night in Orange County (Sonic Burger, Anaheim), as Craig occasionally drives his beast on the street. He was hoping to reach 400hp at Dyno Day, but who would complain about 376hp and 303 Ft-lbs of torque?

STEVE MAKEPIECE'S 1971 PANEL (FUEL INJECTION)
97 HP/109 FT-LBS
Steve Makepiece, one of the partners of the well-known VW shop Bill & Steve's, drove his extra-clean parts chaser to Dyno Day. This Type II used daily runs a smooth and reliable 2110cc, topped with a fuel injection kit from Competition Engineering (Tempe, Ariz.). With close to 100hp at the rear wheels, Steve's workhorse proves ideal to blend with today's modern traffic... and surprises more than one Sport Compact car driver when the light turns green!

JOHNNY SALGADO'S 1964 SEDAN (CARBS)
156 HP/163 FT-LBS
Johnny Salgado's '64, one of the nicest Cal Lookers to appear during the 2004 show season, joined the fun as well. Thanks to an 8.5:1 compression ratio 2332cc, it made 156hp and an impressive 163 Ft-lbs. Please feel free to check the Tech Sheet of Johnny's Beetle in the story published in this same issue.

RAY MEJIA'S 1958 SEDAN (TURBO)
365 HP/275 FT-LBS
You may recognize this chopped '58 Bug (with grafted oval window) from the 2003 Dyno Day, where it posted a cool 298hp with 28psi of boost. Once again, we decided to invite Ray Mejia, the owner, as his racecar now sports a new engine. Due to a faulty boost controller, the colorful Sedan could not make over 15psi of boost at this year's event... but still managed 365hp! As a side note, we should mention the car runs the quarter mile in 10.53 seconds at 130mph.

HENRY OELKERS' 1966 SEDAN (CARBS)
169 HP/148 -FT-LBS
We featured Henry Oelkers' 1966 "sleeper" in our May 2002 issue. Under the decklid lurks a typical California Look engine combo: 2276cc, Engle FK-89 camshaft, 48IDAs, etc. Henry recently raised the compression ratio from 9.0:1 to 11.0:1, allowing the full-weight car to run low-13s. On the dyno, the white '66 pumped out close to 170hp, which isn't too shabby in anybody's book.

ROBERT HEMPHILL'S 1969 SEDAN (EFI TURBO)
174 HP/181 FT-LBS
Robert Hemphill won the 2002 Dyno Day in the "Turbo Class" with this same car that runs 10.98 at 121mph. At the time, it delivered 281hp in its quarter-mile configuration (race gas and high turbo boost). Curious to find out how well the car would perform on California's poor 91-octane pump gas, we invited Robert once again - he drove three hours to join the event. With only 9psi of boost, fan belt, air filter and muffler, the 2040-pound Bug delivered a great 174hp and 181 Ft-lbs of torque.

ROBERT KONG'S TYPE 14 KARMANN GHIA (CARBS)
185 HP/170 FT-LBS
So, do those controversial "Super Squish" pistons perform well? They certainly seem to, as Robert Kong's 1966 Ghia made 185hp and 170 Ft-lbs of torque! We told you about these pistons when we featured Robert's Convertible in our September 2004 issue--they allow the use of 91-octane pump gas with high compression ratio. Our man has every right to be satisfied with his dyno results, as the 2332cc runs flawlessly and allows the 12-second KG to be driven long distances, thanks to a 5-speed transmission.

ERIC JUSTUS' TYPE 34 KARMANN GHIA (CARBS)
180 HP/155 FT-LBS
How often do you see a heavy Type 34 Ghia run low-12s? Eric Justus can be proud to have accomplished this feat, behind the wheel of his Coupe equipped with Erco wheels. Based on his ET, Eric and father Gary were hoping to reach 200hp; but due to tuning hiccups, they had to satisfy themselves with "only" 180hp. Watch for this ride in 2005... Looks like 11-second time slips are within reach!

SINJIN HODGE'S 1969 SEDAN (CARBS)
185 HP/173 FT-LBS
What a sleeper! Under this slightly scruffy carapace hides the largest displacement engine entered in our competition. The 2387cc motor, freshly built by Chico Performance Racing, features a compression ratio of 13.0:1. It allowed the Quality German Auto sponsored '69 Sedan to reach 185hp and 173 ft-lbs, the latter almost equaling Joe Maestas' performance. Congratulations to Sinjin Hodge, the owner of the car!

DARRELL BOMGAARS' 1966 SEDAN (CARBS)
180 HP/160 FT-LBS
This simple and tasteful '66 belongs to DKP club, like Henry Oelkers' white Sedan seen in this article. The grey Sedan surprised more than one onlooker. Owner Darrell Bomgaars built the 2175cc (one of the smallest displacement engines during our competition) solely with off-the-shelf parts. He didn't even port or polish the CB Performance CNC heads. The result? An astounding 180hp and 160 Ft-lbs! Quite an accomplishment, considering the car runs on pump gas...

ESTHER HOLLISTER'S 1965 SEDAN (CARBS)
188 HP/162 FT-LBS
Esther Hollister, a.k.a. "E-girl" on various hi-performance Internet discussion boards, has been bracket racing for several years, and recently joined the Super Comp ranks with this mighty '65 Sedan, sponsored by Classic V-Dubs (Las Vegas, Nevada). So far, the Bug has run a best of 11.20 at 119mph, thanks to a 2332cc engine assembled by Esther and her husband Dempsey. The car made 188hp and 162ft-lbs of torque at a very conservative 6000rpm. With a little tuning, the motor should reach 200hp allowing the primered vehicle to be competitive in its class, based on an 10.90-second index.