Pics or stories about Mark Voegtly's Mean Green Machine?

[Jim Ratto]

Anybody have some memories of this car? I think I remember a small pic of it in an old Berg catalog. Didn't it go 11's in street trim?

Thanks again,

Jim

[ugly duckling]

here ya go.got lots of good storys with that great guy and car. i rember when he had the hot engine no not stolen just ret hot on steroides. he drove the thing like it was stolen thoue. 86x90.5 pumped up on comp i think it was 14.01 relitive small heads 42x37 egg shape i flowed the heads at simpsons once the hit a brick wall at 600 lift they were 200 cfm at 600LIFT at 25in thing of it is he lifted the heads way beyond what they flowed. he had a norris grind cam i think it was a 437s with the berg 1.61 rockers the lift if i rember right was around 660/70 a shit load. as i rember right the pistons were the early berg specials thick top they had to have been notched around 220 and wewre notched for the spark plug aswell. boy i hope mark dosent mind me telling everybody i dont think he cares anymore anyway those days are long gone i wish we could get him excited again but i think its a lost cause. back then he was a true blue VW gear head thats for sure. ive known mark since 1979 when him and his bug club would come into the hamberger place that i worked at on garden grove blvd apollo berger. larry vanwilligan/ don night/greg modemmog who owens vw parts unlimited. the hole gang. marks car deffenetly halled some serious ass. all steel ide say around 1900lb with driver 11.50 at 116mph at the texas moter plex not bad for a dinkey littel piston huh that was the crispis sounding engine ive ever heard on the early merged dual muffs. when he would go and test drive the car on chapmen avenne you could hear the idas that far away and that was a half mile or more. i had been on many of blast down chapmen at well over 100mph just wating for a car to pull out in front of us thoes were the ballzy days for sure the pictures i showed you is when it had the old paint job on it marked liked that green with the new paint job it looked realy nice. gary berg built the box for it and what a box it was it held up to marks punishment wich is pretty darn abusesive if a part could be broken mark would put it thoroe the ringer. the always towed that car to the races with a TOWBAR on all fore wheels and never once did i see him spitout that trans dang thats pretty darn good if you ask me they even towed that way all the way to the lonestar state he and i agreed once that it laps everything in when you flat tow and warms the box up when you get there so its less likely to break and i beleive that. and gary did a great job to he took days building that box and it showed. well i could go on and on. mark and his car are an all time great a true vw street car at times. and a true vw race car also. in both modes it was the mean green street machine!! by far. UD.  

[louisb]

I am sorry Jim, but that is one ugly car. It had better have been damn fast.

edit: Well it sounds like it was damn fast after all. Pretty impressive with that small of a bore.

--louis

[cameron shorey]

Anybody have some memories of this car? I think I remember a small pic of it in an old Berg catalog. Didn't it go 11's in street trim?

Thanks again,

Jim

Hey Jim!
I remember you asked this question once before, on another Cal-Look board.

Jeff! You got the number right. I'll add to your post.

The trans held up well for the most part. Mark had more money invested in his gearbox, than most people had in their entire car. 
I think Mark blew up a 1.70 third gear. And I know he broke a SAW axle at Sears Point. Probably one of the few times the Green Machine was trailered to a race. Good thing too.

You're right about the pistons. Huge notches, because of big lift, and 15cc combustion chambers. The motor eventually met it's end at S.I.R. Northwest Bug In 1987. Mark loaned the motor to Dan Lynch (IIRC), for his dragster. On it's last pass, a valve let go, broke a piston, and all the loose parts popped out the top of the motor. Ouch!  I think the heads came off of Larry Van Willgan's dragster "Snooze Ya Loose", and eventually got rebuilt and passed on to Clyde for his race car.

Mark's Green Machine was the only "race car" with a cassette deck. He could listen to his tunes on the starting line, but barely hear them. I think it was also the first street car to run a large single V8 style muffler. Even at the track.

I went for several rides in Mean Green. And I thought I was going to die on at least on occasion, when a car pulled out in front of us. Mark drove around him, and I'm sure all the other driver saw was a green blur.

[stealth67vw]

I am sorry Jim, but that is one ugly car. It had better have been damn fast.

edit: Well it sounds like it was damn fast after all. Pretty impressive with that small of a bore.

--louis

11.50 @ 116 with a 86 x 90.5, 42 x 37.5 VW heads.

[Jim Ratto]

Thanks to Jeff and Cameron for all the history lessons and pics. Another awesome car from under the radar. Obviously that car kicked some ass.

[Cheesepanzer]

I remember seeing Mark cruising the car at Camelot in Anaheim.  Someone had poured a little motor oil in the middle of La Palma and Mark wasted no time getting out there to put on a show.  We lost count of how many donuts he did!

I saw him do a wheelie on the street once.  He ran drilled from shocks and you could see the limit chains dangling down from the lower shock bolts.     He simply revved it and took off!

As I recall, you never knew what engine Mark was running from one outing to the next.     I think that night at Camelot he was breaking all the Berg rules by running a STF 82x92 engine.  What I heard that night was that he was running clearanced 311B rods on an 82 stroke and of course Cima 92's.  Two big "no-no's" at the time.

[Jim Ratto]

speaking of 90.5 x 86 motors....that hauled ass...John Versgrove's convertible, Gary Berg built 2213, FK87, Berg 871 heads redone and redone and redone by Clyde, 10.5:1, 48's, VP C12, little 1-5/8 exhaust, Berg 5 with 1.70 3rd, 1.31 4th...etc... probably the fastest Bug I have driven. 8100 rpm in the blink of an eye, smooth as silk.

Funny story about Darrel McNulty getting over 100mph in the car as a Buggy House show came to a close.

save it for another post. That car was plain goddamn scary.

[Matt H]

Somewhere in my collection of VW stuff I have an old Berg video with that car up at SIR launching a HUGE wheelie. BTW there is no way that car is ugly! IMHO That is one Ass Kicking Bug! My next bug project would be something like that for sure

[fast54vw]

mark once showed me an old super 8 video converted to VHS. on this tape was a pass of the green car pulling the wheels is all 4 gears, pretty awesome. 

that big scratch under the drivers door handle was put there by greg moddelmog while putting the door handle back on the fresh green paint job, oops.

[Bruce]

I think it was also the first street car to run a large single V8 style muffler. Even at the track.

Yep, Mark was the person that invented the idea of installing a giant single muffler like everyone today runs.  Bill was the second, and Cameron the third.

[Stephan S]

Mark is a great guy! He gave me the shaft (with a special bend) for my Berg shifter, which he fabricated at Berg for his own Bug years ago. Mark and I are pretty tall (over 6'5" or 1.93m), so most shifters hit our right leg. That shifter is one of the favourite parts on my car.

[Jim Ratto]

Mark is a great guy! He gave me the shaft for my Berg shifter, which he fabricated at Berg (with a special bend) for his own Bug years ago. Mark and I are pretty tall (over 6'5" or 1.93m), so most shifters hit our right leg. That shifter is one of the favourite parts on my car.

 
My old friend Bryan had really long arms. He cut the stock shifter in his '65 down to about 7" stump as a result. Worked for him, but anybody else couldn't drive the car without really reaching for the thing.

Back to Mark....I bought my Santana pulley from him in 1998. Very nice guy.

[louisb]

Mark is a great guy! He gave me the shaft (with a special bend) for my Berg shifter, which he fabricated at Berg for his own Bug years ago. Mark and I are pretty tall (over 6'5" or 1.93m), so most shifters hit our right leg. That shifter is one of the favourite parts on my car.

I have this same problem. (Though I am only 6'4") The 60% throw seems to help a little. Do you have a pic of your shifter Stephan?

Thanks,

--louis

[Matt H]

That was  a fun ride with me 6'4 and Stephan 6'4 in the front of my car. The Twin towers take a ride

[Cheesepanzer]

A friend of mine bought the green car a couple of years ago and I believe he still has it.  Plans were to return it "as it was".   

[cameron shorey]

Uh oh! Mark is in big trouble now.

Mark's mom has read this thread.  Mrs. Voeglty is going to give Mark a stern lecture about reckless driving on the street.

[Jim Ratto]

did Mark ever come around and read up on his own car here?

[danny gabbard]

mark tec'lly as I call him, very Light's on guy, has been a major help to people like dave spacen mason and bill schwinger and my ghia another hidden hero!

[Rick Meredith]

I think it was also the first street car to run a large single V8 style muffler. Even at the track.

Yep, Mark was the person that invented the idea of installing a giant single muffler like everyone today runs.  Bill was the second, and Cameron the third.

Not so sure of that. First one I saw was Steve Wilkerson's and I copied it as soon as I saw it. This would have been around summer '81.

[Hotrodvw]

When I was 17, I worked at Berg's for a couple months.  One day at quitting time, Mark realized he locked his keys in his Green '67 daily driver.  He asked for my keys...."Huh??"   He used my key to unlock his car........then I asked.........."But will my keys Start your car?!?!"   

[DKK Ted]

Yup! Mark is one hell of a guy. I worked at Bergs for about three years, a little over three years ago. I was like a kid in a candy store, with tons of questions for him and asking him for advice on my motor. He NEVER hesitated to answer what ever I asked. And was always willing to help me which he did. I have tons of respect for this guy, he has been a good friend to this day. I told Bill S. one day, that Mark is a very giving person, and he totally agreed. He still has it in him, trust me.    My hats off to ya Mark!

[John Rayburn]

I can remember Mark working on it in the pits at Bug In. I remember the car running, and him on the ground with the door open saying, " You can't break this thing!" He was taking his hand and holding down the pedal reving it to the moon! Incredible!

[DKK Ted]

Yes, lets get this topic going again, being the other is up on his car for sale. Lets get some more history and pics going agian.

Ted

[danny gabbard]

Just about everything mark touchs, Hauls ass ! Good machinest to.

[Bryan Nunes]

That's funny in the last pic of his car doing a burn out the wild thing ghia is in the pic that's for sale right now. lol

[bugnut68]

That's funny in the last pic of his car doing a burn out the wild thing ghia is in the pic that's for sale right now. lol

That's why I started the other thread...

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

here ya go.got lots of good storys with that great guy and car. i rember when he had the hot engine no not stolen just ret hot on steroides. he drove the thing like it was stolen thoue. 86x90.5 pumped up on comp i think it was 14.01 relitive small heads 42x37 egg shape i flowed the heads at simpsons once the hit a brick wall at 600 lift they were 200 cfm at 600LIFT at 25in thing of it is he lifted the heads way beyond what they flowed. he had a norris grind cam i think it was a 437s with the berg 1.61 rockers the lift if i rember right was around 660/70 a shit load. as i rember right the pistons were the early berg specials thick top they had to have been notched around 220 and wewre notched for the spark plug aswell. boy i hope mark dosent mind me telling everybody i dont think he cares anymore anyway those days are long gone i wish we could get him excited again but i think its a lost cause. back then he was a true blue VW gear head thats for sure. ive known mark since 1979 when him and his bug club would come into the hamberger place that i worked at on garden grove blvd apollo berger. larry vanwilligan/ don night/greg modemmog who owens vw parts unlimited. the hole gang. marks car deffenetly halled some serious ass. all steel ide say around 1900lb with driver 11.50 at 116mph at the texas moter plex not bad for a dinkey littel piston huh that was the crispis sounding engine ive ever heard on the early merged dual muffs. when he would go and test drive the car on chapmen avenne you could hear the idas that far away and that was a half mile or more. i had been on many of blast down chapmen at well over 100mph just wating for a car to pull out in front of us thoes were the ballzy days for sure the pictures i showed you is when it had the old paint job on it marked liked that green with the new paint job it looked realy nice. gary berg built the box for it and what a box it was it held up to marks punishment wich is pretty darn abusesive if a part could be broken mark would put it thoroe the ringer. the always towed that car to the races with a TOWBAR on all fore wheels and never once did i see him spitout that trans dang thats pretty darn good if you ask me they even towed that way all the way to the lonestar state he and i agreed once that it laps everything in when you flat tow and warms the box up when you get there so its less likely to break and i beleive that. and gary did a great job to he took days building that box and it showed. well i could go on and on. mark and his car are an all time great a true vw street car at times. and a true vw race car also. in both modes it was the mean green street machine!! by far. UD.  

Anyone notice the Wild Thing Ghia in the Back Ground? http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=931130

[kustomlarry]

Does anyone have anymore pics of this car? Looking for anything from details to general pics.....

Thanks. Anything will help.

Larry

[speedwell]

don't remember if i've something about the car , if someone know if  a report was featured in hot vws let me know and i will scan it

and any idea when the car terrorized the streets of OC to have a idea

fabs