The Cal-look Lounge

Ok, I've tried the "search" button, but no luck, so if anyone can help me out here. I need all the info I can get on the Thunderbug, possibly the wildest VW ever built. I'm talking the Thunderbug, Bill Mitchell kind.

Photos of under hood, inside, under etc will all be wildly appreciated. Also, stories, memories and so on.

Check out Speedwells blog, he has pictures from the building of that car.
http://speedwell55.skynetblogs.be/

Thanks man. Lot's of nice stuff there, after some serious scrolling.

if you want , i send you the pictures with the text for more information about the car  ;)
regards
fabian

That would be exellent man!

mailto: streetwise.professor@gmail.com

Thanks in advance. If i could do anything in return, please let me know!

I do not have information, but one very cool photo!

Aah, that one's a beauty, haha. Love it. I remember that sticker from when i was a kid. My old man had shitloads of VW-mags, books, stickers and stuff, and that one was amongst them i think. Thanks! Keep 'em coming guys!

(http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/6892/oops.jpg)

(http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/141/thunderbug1.jpg)

(http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/6206/oops2l.jpg)

I grew up 5 miles from Motion MiniCar and remember seeing the car in the shop.

(http://www.glenn-ring.com/temp/motion_ad.jpg)

here's what i've collected about the thunderbug

question to deano : the yellow chop top  was the purple deano dyno saors gassers??? for me it's NO  because the rear windows wasn't a n oval model

and what happens to the dds car after the sales ??? did mitchell drove it like it was , or he seperate it and take the best parts to build and put on the thunderbug ???

i never know that there was 2 car ,the one on the right had a different top chop

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 i've never read the name of deano dyno soars in any report

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that's  all i've about the car

There were 2 versions of this car or it's the same that's been modified later ? On your pics Fabs the car is top-chopped but on the pic below it's channeled. Also there are 2 Thunderbug bodies on one of your pic, but they are not channeled.

yes that's what i said in reply  with the 2 cars on the same pict , for me the channeled one isn't the same car , it's different car

here's a pict i've from the first thunderbug , but it look that they have modifying the curve of the chop top , i know that there was something illegal with the chop top of the TH and the rules of the NHRA
may be that  why they modifying the car after

And here are other gassers similar or influenced by the 2nd thunderbug and all came from florida (east coast) and motion minicar was based on the east coast ,
ii remember on one pictures of buzzin bee with the name of motion minicar on it , may be that's why the buzzin bee  was looking the thunderbug

the other one was the TEA TIME owned & driven by chuck De Lisi from pompano beach florida the pict was taken at winternationals 77 chuck won the K/G class

Awesome collection of Billy Mitchell stories.... But you are missing the one that actually shows the old DDS car months after he purchased the car from the Schleys. All they did was repaint the car to cover up any DDS logos or proof of its true origin.... before all the radical chop top stuff happened.... My guess is that Billy crashed the real DDS #2 car, and stripped it out and build one of those radical chop tops with another body (square window). It appears that one of those cars above does have the correct DDS axle on it, and the 741 Porsche transaxle as well. From there on, he went nuts with modifications. I'm sure that even Billy Mitchell doesn't have copies of all those above....

thx for the clarification dean  ;)

Thanks for the papers Fabs !

There is certainly an interesting story behind Billy Mitchell and Motion Performance, one that should be told. But I fear that Billy would not be interested, and we (Hot VWs) has almost no photos of his cars in our files. Shame.

Speedwell , Thanks for posting those. ..... Always wondered about that car also.........Seems from what ive heard and from these articles........That
Mitchell wanted to jump in and be competitive so he bought the DDS car........found out what made it fast........Said to himself......I can do this
one better......spent alot of time building one ( from the looks of the pics).......Only to have everyone call you a cheater , then have the NHRA
change the rules ,  making the car you just spent all the time and effort on illegal!..That would put a sour taste in anyones mouth......But maybe
im just reading too much into it...Dean you did a fine job on the DDS article...I cant wait for the next part...I hope you get the chance to tell the
 Bill Mitchell story one day also...In the mean time I'll be waiting patiently on the Kawell story !  wink wink nudge nudge  ;)

BTW...Didnt  Conklin talk to Mitchell  when he  found the motion porsche gasser?

i found 2 others pict of thunderbug without the radical chop top , may be this is  another car
first one  was at  1973 summernationals
second  was in 1974 summernationals

Here's a pic for you – the only meeting of the two cars…

(http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t318/Photokernow/SchleyMitchell.jpg)

thx keith nice one

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six years on, and i still love this thread to death!