I’ve never quite understood what makes a vehicle a genuine “prerunner” and what makes it just a hopped-up pedestrian vehicle designed to do things no mass production vehicle should attempt. This 1960 VW Beetle is nested under the “barn finds” search category on eBay, so I’m guessing it was recently discovered languishing next to a taco hut near the border. The Buy-It-Now is cheap at $2,500, so check it out here on eBay if a vintage dune hopper is up your alley.
The build seems ambitious, with too much in the way of structural reinforcements and (some) safety modifications for this to be a half-assed attempt at desert racing. The wide stance, stinger exhaust and roll bars all point to a Beetle that may have actually hopped some dunes back in the day. The paint job looks pretty fresh still, and plenty of old-school vendor stickers point to a vehicle with plenty of aftermarket touches to erase any reminder this was once a base-model economy car.
Despite the so-called safety mods on display, I’m still not sure how confident I am in the Beetle’s fragile skin protecting me as I roll down a cliff. On that note, the “AAA” sticker on the dash is somewhat hilarious. To be honest, I would love to drive this thing just around: to the beach, to work, to the convenience store – it looks like a riot to drive, but I’m not sure how much actual competing I’d want to do.
I’m curious: what sort of modifications can you spot in this build? Obviously, they are numerous, but not being a Beetle or prerunner expert, I’m not entirely sure to what extent the Bug has been improved upon. The asking price seems low for such a cool piece, and the seller notes that underneath it is a street-legal VW Baja. Terrorize the neighborhood and take the kids to school in it? Count me in.
It’s cool until you see the fuel tank mounted where the back seat would normally go. It’s hard to imagine anything more dangerous that that.
Steve R
That’s where it’s mounted for 99% of all sand rails and dune buggies ever built Steve-O. It’s mid body and probably the safest place it could be in a roll over.
I guess I never realized having a large fuel tank in the passenger compartment attached with two straps is considered safe, especially in a rollover. Sure, nothing is likely to go wrong, but if something does it would be hard to imagine something worse than being trapped and disoriented, belted into a seat with a fuel tank just mounted just inches behind my shoulder. There is a reason every sanctioning body requires separation with a metal bulkhead between the drivers compartment and the fuel supply. Most wont even permit fuel lines to pass through the interior.
Just because something is done 99% or the time doesn’t mean it’s safe.
That tank , at least lones I knew were double walled, auto shut offs that were set only for total upsidedown.
This is before fuel cells were common and those available custom only.
These puppies could roll multiple times, end upside down or on side, be righted quickly, oil checked, some had external oil resevoirs.
.As to air supply to carb pointed far from carb and some had internal quick change filters.
Noticed exhaust was streight and does not have the baffles, the baffles were part of tuning, more or less torque.
This looks pure desserts, tires
not for dunes, tough sidewalls and open tread for spitting out gravel.
Notice aftermarket coil but distributed not waterproof jacketed.
67-72 GM pick ups had the tank in the cab behind the seat
Cars used to also come without seatbelt, with metal dashboards and without collapsible steering columns.
Lessee… where are conventional motorcycle gas tanks mounted. Or better yet; a lot of antique tail dragger aircraft ( tank in your lap; the Champ for one, and an aux tank behind the pilot in the Chief as another example), GM pickups when they had side mount external tanks, and numerous Crown Vics which exploded after getting rear ended.
You can always die having fun with gasoline. Y’all be careful now, heah?
The “roll bar” looks like pieces from a child’s swing set! Scary. About as real as faux medieval turrets on the house in the background.
Long convoluted intake hose = choke flow. Like breathing thru a garden hose. NFW.
Already gone!
About only difference between a pre and actual off road racer was motor and an un-beefed transaxle.
Building roll cages from scrap priced mild steel tubing, cutters and welded joints turned driving compartment into safety cages, the portion around engine is a cradel, engine swap two men in under 15 minutes.with sheet metals tacked on.
Pre-runner usually did not get the full bore extra suspension travel parts and beefed up suspension plates.
This rig, was most likely used as both pre- and as a “class” runner but a true off roader, some were limited, except for cams and must keep original carb bodies.
Sig Erson used to make best power producing V W cams out there, sticker was worth $25 bucks if within top 5 at runs, even if it was your pre-runner in photo.
Most runs were more of full bore Ralley races, your pre run was done to learn actual conditions while driving fast but not full bore.
Also your pre was used at checkpoints and as repair in the ruff.
Common to see these near the Baja peninsula, sans the product endorsement, beat to hell and rented for the day to tourist. Perhaps a AAA sticker applied to ease the mind of wary travelers who thought their GPS would get them anywhere they wanted to go. Not!
“…not sure how much actual competing…”
we used the term 4 “pre-running” the course (get the lay of the land a day B4 the race). But many were then the service vehicle (raced ahead, waited @ ck points to refuel, change prts, tires, etc). As such they were just as tough & had room for a second driver, tools’n parts. That’s ol daze, Baja…
In regard to the fuel tank placement, if in a crash the mid mounted fuel tank is somehow compromised you have bigger problems in that it means the cage gave up, the chassis gave up, chances are your severely injured or dead from the crash anyway so its not as if fire is a big worry. :) Mid mounted tanks are still a thing, Miata for example. Cool piece of period kit, what fun would you have cruising Baja California?
Somewhere between Tijuana and Los Cabos, Carretera highway 1 you see VWs hopping like sand fleas like a mirage. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the Mescal!
Obviously never a race car of any sort – this is at best a play toy for cruising around in Mexico (drive to Bar Miramar in San Felipe every afternoon to hold court) or just for driving around, as Jeff notes. The cage and fab work is terrible.
The term ‘pre runner’ can apply to nearly anything. Many off road racers in years past can tell you stories of bashing up rental SUVs prerunning courses in Baja or Nevada. Parnelli Jones preran in a mildly modified Econoline van. Rod Hall pre-ran in nearly stock Broncos, lightly modified Dodge trucks when he raced for Dodge, or almost stock Hummer H1s in the Hummer years. In recent years, the term of course has been applied to any number of bro-dozer mobiles driven by young punks that don’t know a thing about racing or care about it.
I have a Baja bug I drive regularly in the northeast. Always makes people smile. Tanks in the same place too, if I need to check fuel level I can open it and stick my finger in w.o even stopping.