A Ride for Everyone at the Carlisle Import and Kit Car Nationals

May 25, 2010 by Bubba Harmon · 1 Comment

Who doesn’t love dune buggies? You could have gotten a good healthy dose of buggy envy at the Carlisle Import and Kit Car Nationals which was held last weekend in Carlisle, PA.

Dig that metallic green finish! Wow! There were two seaters, four seaters, white ones, blue ones, green ones, and just about every color imaginable.

If you strolled over to Building T you could have chatted with Bill Meyers, the designer of the first fiberglass dune buggy known as the Meyers Manx. Bill Meyers was present all weekend to sign autographs and pose for pictures if you asked nicely enough. The good news is that you can once again buy new Meyers buggies like the Manxter 2+2, which is capable of doing 0-60 times of just over 4 seconds.

Want something with a little more displacement? How about a Cobra replica? The Cobras dominated the kit manufacturer area and there were plenty of them on the show field as well. Throw a 4.6L motor in a Factory Five Racing 1965 Cobra replica like Anthony and Robin DiMemmo did and I bet you would have a smile plastered on your face from ear-to-ear. So what if it is fiberglass; it’s still a hot rod! What do you think?

Kit cars come in all shapes and sizes. There were several very exotic looking ones at the Carlisle show like this Sterling Sports Car model. Want one? Basic kits start at $11K and quickly go up in price from there.

And like the spoiler says, “It’s not what you can buy it’s what you can build.”

Club action was hot on the import side of the fairgrounds. Volvos, Triumphs, MGs, BMWs, Datsuns, and many more makes were well represented. Do you own an Opel? If you do then you would have fit right in with the Opel Association of North America group.

The Susquehanna Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) was handling the autocross as seen above in a Friday morning practice run. Can anyone name this car pictured cone bashing above?

I always seem to enjoy myself when I attend a Carlilse Events show. The facilities and the grounds are kept clean. There is always someone around to help out and even most of the concession stand vendors are friendly. Heck, they even have onsite car wash capabilities. As long as you have a good attitude it is hard not to have fun.

So, what shows do you like to attend? Do you go with a club or are you a lone wolf? Let us know! We want to hear from you so comment below!

Check out some more photos of the Carlisle Import and Kit Car Nationals over in the picture gallery.

Filed Under: cars, Featured, hot rods, Shows & Events
Tagged: car show, hot rods, Pennsylvania, sports cars, VW

Bonner’s Bad Berkeley: A 310 MPH Sports Car

November 23, 2009 by Hechtspeed · Leave a Comment

Bonneville Salt Flats Race Car:

…oh ya, and its FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. Tell that to the “wrong wheel drive” haters!

Pikesan and I first met Dr. Bonner Denton, Professor of Chemistry and Geosciences at the University of Arizona, in the starting line at Speed Week 2009. His crew was performing the final preparations for a speed run. He gave us his whole land speed racing’s history in about 10 minutes. The more he explained the workings of the Berkeley, the more interesting it got.

Racing on the Salt Flats is a funny thing. Bonner Denton, owner/driver of this record bearing 1959 Berkeley sports car describes racing on the salt similar to driving on 1-2 inches of wet snow. Try putting 2400-2500 HP’s of twin turbocharged 540 cu in of Donovan V8 goodness to the salty ground. Nope, he doesn’t need a push truck either. This baby drives off the line under its own power.

Going back to 2000 when Bonner first started running this particular Bad Berkeley, it replaced his Bocar. The Bocar set the record at 264 MPH with an A motor in 2001.

The first thing you notice about the Berkeley is the super elongated nose, which gives it a streamliner-esque look. Rule changes allowed the wheelbase to be lengthened and the nose streamlined for the Modified Sports class. Bonner describes in his own words: “That’s where science and technology comes in. You have to be knowledgeable about aerodynamic forces. What you have to do is build a car that will NOT fly. We hope not to fly, but quite frankly, I never intended this car to go much faster than 300 mph.”

Although the Berk’ has run as fast as 310 MPH out the back door as its called, the 3 records held by the car are still in the 200′s. They are A/BGMS (440ci – 500ci engine size, Blown Gas Modified Sports) at 264.007 MPH set in 2001, AA/BFMS (501ci and larger engine size, Blown Fuel Modified Sports) at 272.232 MPH set August 2009, the AA/BGMS (501ci and larger engine size, Blown Gas Modified Sports) at 298.983 MPH in 2008. That’s fast. “Bonner’s Bad Berkeley” is THE fastest Sports Car! And he’s not done yet. He has his sights on a record over 300 and the infamous Blue Hat.

Check the engine specs Bonner sent me. The car makes an estimated 2400-2500 HP at about 20 psi of boost with the AA engine.

Class AA	540 cu in Donovan 4.5 x 4.25
Heads	Dart
Cam	Crower (Custom Grind)
Rods	Carrilo
Crank	Lunati
Pistons	Ross
Turbos	Garrett Air Research Custom
Intake	Modified Hilborn/Fast electronic
Headers	Custom
Class A	493 cu in Donovan 4.5 x 3.875
Heads	Dart
Cam	Crower (Custom Grind)
Rods	Carrilo
Crank	Lunati
Pistons	Ross
Turbos	Garrett Air Research Custom
Intake	Modified Hilborn/Fast electronic
Headers	Custom
Frame	1-5/8 x 0.125 1020 DOM space frame
Differential	Coleman quick-change modified for FWD
Transmission	4L80E Lockup Converter

Let’s take a look at some images that will show you the ins-and-outs of the car.

Here’s a pic of the Berkeley in its skinless state. Pretty straight forward chassis design, at least from the untrained eye. Looks very beefy. Interesting to see the quick change in the extreme front end of the car.

Here’s a look at the large exhaust. I love how the exhaust pics up salt from inside the body from the front wheels. Those Garret turbo’s are Large and In Charge, that’s for sure.

Boost is the only way to get 2500 HP right? I wonder if that exhaust aids in forward propulsion? That’s gotta have some force behind it…right? Maybe it works as a stabilizer, liked vectored thrust?

This shot was taken in the pits. You can see the Laptop downloading run data sitting on the “dash”. This interior is all GO. You can see the Ignition switch with permanent marker to point you in the right direction. The big tach right in front of your face. Not sure how much you’re looking at that at the 3rd, 4th and 5th mile marker. The Salt is smooth, but not that smooth. I can’t imagine what its like to go 300 MPH!? You can also see the blue Bonneville stickers from years gone by. These blue stickers are proof that these guys have been around the Salt awhile.

Here’s a drivers view to his left. You have the shifter engaging the 4L80E transmission. Be careful not to bump the Fuel cutoff shift to the “OFF” position, also in permanent black marker. Keep it simple right. Looks like a fire extinguisher at the ready in case of emergency. Bare aluminum seat holding Dr. Bonner down during his runs. Again, super spartan here, no cushion? Crazy! That is hardcore! Throw in some ziptied roll cage padding and its off to the races!

So, with the body off the Berkeley, I found this view interesting. First, you wouldn’t think this was a race wheel. It’s different than the pic above in Bonners shop. That’s a beefy 6 lug bolt pattern too. Emphasis is certainly on strength and durability as opposed to lightweight or looks.

Check out that “salt flap” behind the wheel. Can you image how fast that tire turns? Then imagine the force at which the salt flings up off the tire and hits the salt shield/flap?

This last pic was taken at the end of the day. Preparation for the following days runs continues until about 7pm when they kick everyone off the Salt. You just leave your racecar and trailer on the Salt over night. But back to this picture, Bonner is at the Laptop downloading data while his crew is nose-to-the-grindstone with their individual tasks at hand. These guys have to be total Salt Heads and dedicated friends to come all the way out from Arizona to slave away in the heat and salt (its everywhere and sticks to everything) in support of Bonner’s Bad Berkeley.