KS, you're a magazine guy, what if EVO or CAR were to drive a fast street VW?

[too old for this]

Wasn't Ivan's car on Top Gear once 

Or did I dream that 

Dunno. I've had my Fastback, No Mercy, my Okrasa Split and the Chop-Top all on Top Gear (but I didn't let them drive!).

Blimey KS with all your archive knowledge,would have thought you would have record of Ivan's car if it had been on Top Gear??

[Ivan]

Yes, my '67 was on the Top Gear TV show... It was in about '96 and I took the BRMs off and put a set of chrome EMPI sprints on as I didn't really know what they had planned for the shoot and certainly didn't want the BRMs damaged. The filming was done at Santa Pod and the presenter, Steve Berry, didn't drive the car. But I scared the crap out of him on the strip. The problem is the filming was done car-to-car when it came to my car so you don't really get the feeling of speed (not that my car was that quick at the time - it only ran 14's then, but I suppose that wasn't too bad for a uk street car back then...). The Ford Anglia cooked itself and that's what all the white smoke is at the end. The Escort was off-the-scale, but so was the 'mulleteer' who built it - he looked like he'd been dragged out of the '80's and was bouncing off the red on the dull-o-meter. Still, he could clearly build a good car.
When I watch the footage it reminds me of the days when I had to pay someone to cut my hair (not that I did very often), the days before I grew a swimming cap.
It wasn't the first time Top Gear had covered air-cooled VWs, but it was great that they covered a Cal Look Bug.

If you want to see it here it is...
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/4tas56dV8uY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/4tas56dV8uY</a>

[Nico86]

You're a Volkswagen Vandaliser 

[Steve Wright]

Great thread. When Ian Clark finished the mechanical rebuild of my Razor Edge we took it to Goodwood for shake down testing at a private track day a few years back. Porsche-centric along with a few race cars being fettled and a few super cars peppered the track. Bearing in mind this was the first time we had driven a now non-standard T34 we took it fairly gently for a few laps making sure nothing fell off or broke. When we took it out in the second session I felt more confident about pushing it a bit harder: the car is a '65 and is built as though it was hot-rodded in the late sixties. It's got a 2110cc engine, 46 IDA's Joe Hunt Mag, Jeff Denham heads, CSP exhaust, 5-speed GB box. Plus CSP spec early Porsche brakes, genuine gasburners, sway-a-way torsion bars, Speedwell camber-compensator, etc, etc. It's also a full GT car so it has sound-deadening, carpets, etc so it's really HEAVY but it goes round corners.

Anyway, enough scene setting. Out of Lavant curves we were right up the chuff of an orange 911 2.4S that was really trying (inside front wheel waggling away was the give away!). Third gear, about 80mph, still lots of revs in hand, two up with Ian in the passenger seat, and I just put my foot down and drove around the outside of the guy. I'm not sure who was more surprised, him or me. Next lap, and not wanting to annoy anyone, I put the indicator on and pulled well to the right to let the track day organiser (Robert) through in his Clio cup car, although I kept my foot down without really thinking about it. As I rolled to the left side of the track at the end of the straight to line us up for Madgwick I realised the Clio was now a looooong way back in my mirrors. Ooops, not good form. When we peeled into the pits he said he was going to ask what the car was (not many people see a Razor Edge on the track...) but now wanted to know what the hell was powering it. Robert, a seasoned historic racer and Porsche owner, couldn't believe it was VW powered and after Ian explained it's spec, was gob-smacked that it was detuned and running relatively conservative specs, especially when compared with his SWB 911, Lotus, Alfa Romeo and other sixties cars he owned.

The reason for posting this wasn't to wax lyrical about my car but just to say that comparisons with modern cars aren't really useful - there are so many electronics in cars these days and the technology and materials has moved things on tremendously, so they just aren't comparable. However, what the day did illuminate was that VW's can be made to go, stop and handle as well as the best of the era.... 25 petrolheads left Goodwood that day a little more educated about Karmann Ghia's