Class rules require engines with stock displacement, so this is a junkyard-obtained 2.0-liter VW engine with a lot of internal upgrades and several boost. Photo by Murilee Martin
Only minor modifications towards the car's body are permitted beneath BGC rules, so most up-to-date vehicles need absurd ability to hit 200 mph with close-to-stock bodywork. Because new Jetta is slippery, the feat can be accomplished having an engine intended to produce a a lot more 600 horsepower. Volkswagen hired THR Manufacturing in Ventura, California, to generate this car, along with the engine you can see here was yanked away from a California junkyard after powering a GTI for several miles. THR went through the it, working much magic with the rotating assembly and valvetrain as a way to allow higher RPMs, then adding a major turbocharger along with an AEM Infinity Series engine-control computer. The transmission may be a completely stock junkyard 6-speed, allegedly suitable for 450 lb-ft of torque.
Tom Habrzyk may be the head honcho at THR, and the man has masterminded the making of an astoundingly docile and durable race car in this particular Jetta. This can be the third land-speed car project that THR has produced for Volkswagen; the very first would have been a 2013 Jetta Hybrid as well as second a 2014 Beetle GSR.
VW chose me because of this honor because I was the only race-gear-equipped automotive journalist available that day of my longtime association with high-performance Wolfsburg products, and I didn’t desire to let them down by obliterating their nice race car from the type of apocalyptic rollover crash characteristic of salt-flat mishaps and/or shooting a variety of connecting rods over the oil pan. To tell the truth, I had been terrified of breaking this beautiful machine.
Everything regarding this car’s controls is tidy and uncomplicated. You switch on the fuel pump and ignition, flip the starter switch, but it fires up. The AEM display was configured to show just engine revolutions and speed as soon as i drove it, and that is exactly all. Likely to ordinary set of pedals and 6-speed shifter, not to mention handles to the parachutes along with the fire-suppression system, and that is certainly about every one of the driver is required to play around with within a high-speed drive about the salt.
I’d love to declare that it took heroic numbers of driving skill will be able to drive this beast as fast as possible, nevertheless the real story this is one way undramatic driving this amazing car fast become. For the first pass, I’d been under orders to yank the parachute while i hit 165 mph, to obtain a sense of the vehicle, which is just the thing I have done. The salt is slippery plus the engine doesn’t make much power below about 6,000 rpm, so that the first three gears are about building up speed and keeping the engine on boost without losing traction. The chute is only there to function with the motor car, not slow it down, so there is no sudden jerk if it deploys. After my 165 mph pass, which went without incident, the crew towed your car the number of miles to the starting line therefore we got seeking my shot at 200 mph.
The 165 mph run was pretty low-stress, however i was still being interested in screwing up and nuking the auto once i got in driving for my second run-down the salt. This sort of driving is, as their intended purpose, quite a long drag race at a low-traction surface- so i was making the time I came all-around wiping out in a really sketchy backyard-built Renault R5 Turbo clone at the summit end of Bandimere Speedway not too long ago. I’m so worried, in reality, which i started the Jetta outside third gear by accident. It seemed strangely sluggish away from the line, however i stayed about the throttle through to the magical 6,000 rpm point, and kept checking the gears and watching the tach for wheelspin. The Bonneville Salt Flats are quite featureless along with the landmarks so many miles distant that there are no real sense of speed apart from engine noise. Well into whatever thought was fourth gear, I glanced along at the speed and realized that I’d hit 206 mph, or six more miles than I was said to be driving, we pulled the chute. Incredibly, the Jetta managed to get right as much as 206 which includes a third-gear launch within over three miles (we five miles to partner with). No harm performed to the car, even so felt distinctly sub-awesome so you can get an inappropriate gear after 37 numerous manual-transmission driving.
So, what I learned made by this was that Volkswagen is performing a great job constructing a supremely slick family sedan, and Tom Habrzyk and his crew have accomplished the feat to construct a land-speed car very well that ordinary car writers can drive 200 mph without killing the auto and/or themselves. Basically ever get those suitcases of Sri Lankan rupees on the shadowy Eastern European backers of my Spec Land Yacht racing series, I’ll hire THR to create me by far the fastest AMC Ambassador.
2019 Volkswagen Jetta LSR car begins 200 mph pass at Bonneville Salt Flats
2019 Volkswagen Jetta LSR car prepares to race
Volkswagen Baja Bug and Myers Manx 2
Volkswagen Baja Bug and Myers Manx 1
2019 Volkswagen Jetta LSR car, rear view
Myers Manx 1
Myers Manx on Bonneville Salt Flats
2019 Volkswagen Jetta LSR car, LH side
2019 Volkswagen Jetta LSR car, LH rear view
2019 Volkswagen Jetta LSR car, RH rear view
Next Gallery: Junkyard Treasure 1990 Chrysler TC by Maserati »
Because I never cover type of motorsports event without more then one old film camera in front of you, I brought my 1954 Ricohflex Model VII TLR camera and shot a roll of Kodak T-Max 100 for it. Here’s a gallery of people photos.
Meyers Manx and VW Baja Bug at Bonneville Salt Flats 1
Meyers Manx hood badge
1969 VW Baja Bug dash
Meyers Manx engine
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Photo by Murilee Martin
Meyers Manx bumper
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Photo by Murilee Martin
Meyers Manx and VW Baja Bug at Bonneville Salt Flats 2
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Photo by Murilee Martin
Meyers Manx and VW Baja Bug at Bonneville Salt Flats 3
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Photo by Murilee Martin
Meyers Manx and VW Baja Bug at Bonneville Salt Flats 4
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Photo by Murilee Martin
Next Gallery: Junkyard Treasure 1990 Chrysler TC by Maserati »
Probably given that the VW guys think they’re so cool, we a 1969 Baja Bug and a brand-new Meyers Manx around. I putted around the salt in the these double-digit-horsepower machines and enjoyed the experience very much. These are some photos these very sensible daily drivers.
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