In search of the Pizzo bros Fastback

[rick m]

The PIZZO BROS fastback was originally built by Don Cossey, with help from Chris Alston (yes...of V8 Chassis fame).  The car ran varous versions of DEAN LOWRY's motor combos...  I have some negatives of how the car looked originally when it was done and Don had it at a meet in Bakersfield, California. This was quite some time before the PIZZO's ended up owning it and converting it to a turbo car with the automatic in it.

I will post the pictures I came across when I get the new prints made.

Rick M

[speedwell]

the car at BOR21 and with the pizzo bros at goodguys event

[Frallan]

Finally being able to share some videos from 1992.
Please see the comments attached to the video on Youtube.
More coming over Easter.
Enjoy this wonderful car!
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/lAUHiOvx8Mo" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/lAUHiOvx8Mo</a>

[Frallan]

I could not sleep, so I keep on adding.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/KjRNMBhurps" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/KjRNMBhurps</a>

[Frallan]

Next and final two. a lot of good VW stuff in there apart from the Pizzo.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/d7T4DvrMXqc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/d7T4DvrMXqc</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ct5r-4lVVj0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Ct5r-4lVVj0</a>

[Peter Shattock]

Absolutely great.

What a lunchtime I've just had watching that lot!

It was a perfect era for me, as I had my first and last VW related trips to the US in 1991 and 1992. I was building a car at the time and was parts chasing, but got to see two Bugorama's in Phoenix and the racing was amazing.

The UK racing was growing up, but it was nothing like what we saw in Phoenix. I've got some great photo's and there is some film footage from our trip, which I will try and look out. It was on some obscure small type cassette which fitted in a VHS size cassette which you could then run in a VHS player, so I'm not even sure I can play it now, but these films have inspired me to try, so I'll see if I can look the photos and film out (which include the Pizzo's fastback).

Thanks for posting, its made my day.

Peter

[bugnut68]

I will be watching those videos after work tonight...  1992 is right around the all-time high for my VW fervor as a high school student that hated school and all the clique/social horsesh*t... my fondest memories from those years are the VW events I attended in the summer months and reading the VW magazines before eventually working on my own car. 

[Dave_Perkins]

The car in the right lane looks familiar

[Frallan]

...and here. This time in Sweden against me.
It is the final in Quick 8 Bug Run Mantorp Park.
Turbo against a naturally aspirated street engine and as you can see I am sleeping more than a car length but did catch up to win.
There is a long story to both cars in this event.
Your exported car to Sweden you probably know better yourself, mine was idling in my workshop ceiling since 1980  prior to this event when we guys three weeks before the race decided to put the dragster together with engine and gearbox from a street car.
My wife remembers it clearly, we were living in South Korea at the time and me spending three of the four weeks vacation in the workshop.....still we had a  lot of fun.
The three of us putting the dragster together were the same that went on the trip with the videos posted above, Mats Herrlander, Stefan Kocken Allansson and me. (the other two guys on the trip were the Bug Professors Ambjorn and Martin Karlsson)

OT, so what?

[Dave_Perkins]

Thanks for posting the old pictures and video.

[Frallan]

Well it is good fun to have a famous guy like you on this forum.
At least in my perception you made yourself very famous with the turbo car achievements.

[clarkey]

Yes that is a De Dion tube car and Vanagon automatic tranny. The De Dion gives effectively a similar condition to a solid axle, used in many drag cars. To locate the assembly cross car, you can use a Panhard rod. This should be as long as posible to minimize lateral movement.
 
A slightly heavier and more expensive set up is a Watt's linkage. This has 2 cross car bars and a swivel link mid car that looks something like a Berg carb linkage where the throttle cable connects. Another car that used this was the original Bugpack Pro car that now hangs from the roof of their building. A suspension change from the original design was thought to be the fault initially of this car's demise.

The other way to laterally mount this DeDion rear end would be what is known as a sliding wishbone. This is what I built into my car. This set up is a wishbone connected to the DeDion tube fixing to the frame at one point with spherical bearings. The front is allowed to slide in a grease-lubricated tube (needs to maintained) to allow the axle to move up and down. The advantage of this system is that it allows good roll rotation of the rear axle, which can be tuned through damping and spring rates. Hope this helps.
One good book to read is called "Doorslammers - The Chassis Book" by Dave Morgan, available on Amazon