the rough scrappys

[Jim Ratto]

Ever know a guy that has one ugly-ass ride, you know, complete and utter cosmetic failure, but the car runs like a banshee and is as reliable as can be? Maybe the guy has no sense of taste and style, but can make stuff run like a locomotive? There is always one in every group of guys. Over the years, I recall a few cars that some friends had that just never ever looked "right" but they ran great, never faltering, never missing a beat and always pretty fast. It's a shame that these cars are often overlooked or forgotten, but we remember the cars that had the big flash but very little "dash".... like show cars pretending to be drag cars.... remember that fad?
Some cars I remember that even a mother couldn't love, but always ran good....

1. John Versgrove's convertible. This car was just overdone, confused, tacky, and really awkward looking. Teal and white "taxicab" paint, 5-lug front Centerlines, 4 lug rear Centerlines, white top, bright white Scat interior, those awful VDO white and black "classic" hot rod gauges. But it had the good under the decklid, Gary Berg built 90.5 x 86, Berg crank, Carrillos, FK87, heads by Clyde, 10.5:1, 48IDAS, Berg 5 with 1.71, 1.21, .89.  For the most part, it was reliable too (until it broke an exh valve ) and it was scary fast. I remember it lined up with a Viper GTS and ate it alive.
2. This yellow '68 or '69 Bug that came into BH for service, sorry I don't remember much, except yellow with red graphics, 2110cc, SE heads, Weber 44's, Engle 130, yellow-detailed Rivieras. An older guy owned it and whenever Jerry did a service on it, he'd leave for test drive in a big cloud of tire smoke. Again, the car just looked odd, you couldn't really say why, as it was clean, but the rake or something... it just looked wrong.
3. Roger of Alameda's white '67 sedan. This car was the first really fast VW I rode in, a ratty white '67 with 356 chrome wheels, and nipple caps, stock "backwards rake" of '67, stock moldings and US bumpers. I think it had 165's all the way around, Scat Procar "rally"
seats, Scat shifter, stock dash... it sounds ok, right? But for some reason the car always looked a mess. Fingerprints on white paint, a big chain and padlock holding the hood closed, wrapped around front bumper. But then again, it had a 94mm x 82mm SPG motor, Super Flow heads, 44's...

[Donny B.]

There was a guy I used to run into at Competition Engineering here in town that was an innovator.  I had seen him on the road near Jerome heading to the AZ Bus Club Jerome Jamboree.  I didn't think much of it until I saw the engine.  He had a Carter WCFB four barrel carb on.  Don't laugh.  That thing would run like stink and got over 30mpg on the road.  Later he came in with a homebrew turbo engine and a home made water injection that would go on when the boost got to a certain point.  It was really quick.  The engine didn't look pretty, but was all business.  He made most of his own parts, but better yet they all worked.  The car looked pretty much stock on the outside and the interior.  It may have had some aftermarket wheels on it, but that wasn't what made it cool.  We need more folks like him.  I haven't seen him in quite a while.  I forgot to mention that he had a really cute girl friend. 

[Dave Rosique]

Scrappys and sleepers are fun!

These cars go way back.
I had a '55 Oval that I got from a neighbor for a song. It had been centerpunched on the drivers side, so you had to enter / exit the passenger side... pretty classy. I stripped out everything I could to save weight and installed my hot little 1700 w/ Berg 42's. I left it looking like a piece of shiznat and had MORE fun in that beater. I can remember racing some dude from a stoplight, handing him his butt, then noticing one of my hubcaps pass us up after we let off... sweet.
The second was a customer from way back when. I don't remember the particulars, but this car was a beat, stock looking green '68 with an excellent running 74X92 IDA motor. The guy used to have the motor in a buggy and decided it was much more fun on the street.
The last car was was one of my customers. It was a bone stock, white '65 Bug that I built a 78.4X90.5, 44 IDF, big valves, W130, mild port, etc. John Rayburn will remember this car (Tracy's). This thing was such a sleeper... The guy ended up lowering it with Alloys, etc. It looked good, but it was much more fun when it looked stock...

~DR