Jenson Button in a Rally Cross beetle

[Eddie DVK]

Man Did you guys see Jenson Button in a rallycross Beetle on pre formula 1 show on last sunday, really cool 
His father used to race in the rally cross beetles.
Look at his smile... man so cool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSmTuV37Nvw

[leec]

I saw it and have watched it again so many times
A certain lounge member I know may know what happened to the old school rally cross beetle

[Eddie DVK]

We don t have F1 on cable tv in Holland, so I watch it on the BBC, so saw the pre show...
Did you hear his voice.... he was so exited...
Have watched it a couple of times too.

[Joel Mohr]

EXCELLENT PIECE!! Did he say 600hp in the bug??

[Martin Greaves]

I saw it and have watched it again so many times
A certain lounge member I know may know what happened to the old school rally cross beetle

Yes Lee the car was to far gone to restore, but some of the the parts for it live in my garage and on one of my motors.

[andy198712]

whats the spec on his dad's and or that newer beetle then? looked great!

[paul_bish]

fantastic video, some good rallycross stuff in Peter Noad's Beetles in Motorsport. All sorts of wired and wonderful bugs

[Martin Greaves]

I found John Button car just outside of Bournemouth. The guy who had it race it after John sold it to him. The motor that was in the car was a 2180cc with a 82mm Okrasa Crank, Super Flo heads, 48ida's and a dry sump setup.

[leec]

Porsche box as well Martin?
Lee

[Martin Greaves]

Yes forgot that Lee a dog leg IRS five speed with a welded diff.

[Fastbrit]

Want to know a bit more about the real John Button? I knew him pretty well and felt very let down – but not as much as my friend Geoff Thomas who ran Autocavan...
Read the whole story here, working your way to the end: http://www.clubgti.com/showthread.php?91675-Button%E2%80%99s-a-Dubber-John-Button-s-Mk1-Golf-history/page4

This is Geoff's first comment: "I started Autocavan in 1968, based in Farnham, initially building and tuning VW air cooled engines, I got to know the Harrold brothers in 1970 and built them a Type 1 2.1 litre engine with which they won the 1971 BTRDA Autocross Class Championship.

Sometime in early 72 John Button contacted Autocavan to supply some parts for a 1.6 Beetle he was Autocrossing, I think he finished class runner up to Peter Harrold that year , and for 1973 Autocavan built him a 2.1 litre, and for 1974 a 2.3 litre . Around this time I built a 2.1 Beetle and we ran with Peter Harrold as the 3 car Autocavan Racing Team in Rallycross. I would say Peter Harrold achieved the best results.

By 1975 I considered John Button to be something of a pal and he told me he had an opportunity to set up a VW Audi franchise in Trowbridge , Wilts but he had a funding shortfall, 30k being required ,about 230k today . I put the 30k in and also jointly and severally guaranteed the bank overdraft , the new car stocking loan, and the mortgage on the premises, in return for this considerable financial exposure I was allocated 75% of the shares of the company to Button’s 25 % and he was allocated 75% of the profits as he would be running the company as MD. I continued to run Autocavan day to day at Farnham, whilst John Button ran Autoconti some 75 miles away at Southwick near Trowbridge.

As detailed above , turnover increased quite dramatically to 1.2 million in 1978 (5.4 million today) , but profits were not at all dramatic. Just before Christmas 79 , an employee at Autoconti rang me up out of the blue complaining that some of the used cars being retailed off the forecourt were not to the full benefit of Autoconti !!!

I went down to Trowbridge and put this to John Button, he admitted this had been happening and gave some examples of such transactions with more to follow after Christmas. This never materialised to me and in view of my guarantees re the bank overdraft that at times had reached 55k ( 252k today) and with the 25% shareholder and managing director not enlightening me on the full extent of ‘other activities’ , I had no option but to withdraw my guarantee and contractually I had to advise VAG of this.

Autoconti was placed in voluntary liquidation in April 1980. Subsequent detailed investigations by the liquidator Cork Gully resulted in substantial claims against John Button, and also led to him being charged and pleading guilty to a combined total of 24 charges involving theft ,false accounting and deception ,I think in March 1985. As far as I am aware he was fined a few thousand which if not paid would result in a prison term, I believe he paid the fine. The gap in Button’s rallycrossing between 79 and 82 was not related to ‘porridge’ ,it was I believe due to the Golf in question being impounded at a local coach works subject to a lien which I presume Button eventually paid personally to release the car.

As guarantor I paid off a substantial outstanding Autoconti debt in 1988. Not a pretty story, and it felt like a lifetime, but that’s how it was from my perspective."

Plenty of tother stories came out afterwards, and I know of some relating to when John Button helped Jenson with his karting. But I won't say anything as it's nothing to do with Jenson, who I think is a real great stand-up guy. But John Button? Meh...

[leec]

The guy is dead now, and I am sure he wasn't an angel but why post it?

[Eddie DVK]

^^^^^^^
I Agree..

I only posted this because of what a smile it gave on Jenson s face, driving an old rally cross beetle.
Which is fantastic to see...

No more no less

[Fastbrit]

The guy is dead now, and I am sure he wasn't an angel but why post it?

Just so history doesn't get rewritten. There was plenty of bollocks written about Jenson growing up around his father's rallycrossing days – he wasn't even born then. But if you like fairy tales, that's fine by me.

[leec]

The guy is dead now, and I am sure he wasn't an angel but why post it?

Just so history doesn't get rewritten. There was plenty of bollocks written about Jenson growing up around his father's rallycrossing days – he wasn't even born then. But if you like fairy tales, that's fine by me.

[Fastbrit]

Sorry, I'm just touchy when it comes to that guy. 

For me, it was great to see Paul Harrold's Beetle get some air time. I know Paul and knew his late brother Peter – and watched first hand as the car was being built (some of the machine work on the drivetrain was handled by Autocavan when I ran the workshop there). It was truly ahead of its time, with the Subaru heads etc. Beetles were awesomely fast but ultimately outpaced by the likes of Dimi Mavropolus's Audi quattro and Martin Schenker's 4WD Escort. That's when rallycross was turned on its head – nowadays it's such huge money sport. I was fortunate to be involved in the days when Beetles were king (except on dry days when Keith Ripp's Mini was untouchable...).

OK, one little John Button-related story... His then wife (not Jenson's mother) always turned up at rallycross events wearing totally unsuitable, but very fashionable, clothing. At one particularly freezing day at Lydden Hill, she was wearing a fur coat. As she stood alongside Geoff Thomas's Beetle while he fired it up from cold, we wondered what the black 'rope' was that seemed to connect her to the rear of the Beetle. The rope was, unfortunately, a stream of oil, created by a failed rubber seal on the oil filter. Fur coats and oil don't mix... We tried not to laugh but I don't think she saw the funny side of it. Can't think why.

Right as you were...

[leec]

I would have loved to be around back in the day

[RichardinNZ]

Martin, I remember when you got the car and parts...but how long ago now?  I'm thinking 15 years ago?

Richard

[Martin Greaves]

I'm thinking it was a bit longer than that 18 years.

I do remember it had been sat in the guy front garden for over 10 years.

Sad really would had been nice to had restore the car but it was just to far gone.

[RichardinNZ]

Ouch...I think it must have been when I had my Baltic Blue Fastback and 'the club' met at the pub in Canford Cliffs....

[mk1]

The guy is dead now, and I am sure he wasn't an angel but why post it?

^^^^^^^
I Agree..

I only posted this because of what a smile it gave on Jenson s face, driving an old rally cross beetle.
Which is fantastic to see...

No more no less

ive not been in here for a while,but disagree with the above comments,the guy was a crook and as said turned so many peoples lives upside down,the media made him out to be the mister nice guy but the above link shows you the real John Button 

[mk1]

I found John Button car just outside of Bournemouth. The guy who had it race it after John sold it to him. The motor that was in the car was a 2180cc with a 82mm Okrasa Crank, Super Flo heads, 48ida's and a dry sump setup.

do you have any pictures of the car from when you got it? 

[leec]