Larry started racing when he was 16 in Yakima, Washington.  Now with 50 years of driving experience he displays his favorite car of his entire career, his Volkswagen Beetle, to a society that, though accustomed to Beetles, has never seen one that can compete against superchargers. He has raced for many years, setting the national speed record in sand racing; reaching speeds of 80 to 100 mph within 100 yards.  He then he purchased a gray ’57 Beetle already modified for street racing; and after having added his own modifications, he continues to race every weekend at the local track down in Mazatlán, Mexico.

 

 

 

 

He purchased the Beetle in 1988 and quickly took out the original engine, and started to build one of his own.  After taking off all the excess weight and putting in his own customized engine, he was ready to race.  His $8,000 investment afforded him a 4cyl, 2400cc engine, based on the original.  After competing in Washington and Oregon he thought about moving away for retirement, he had been to Mazatlán before on vacation, and had decided that he was this was where he wanted to live, with the other expatriates in Mexico.  He served in Vietnam, did the whole career thing, it was time for something different.

 

When he decided to move to Mexico, he knew that his Beetle was going with him; but he had not quite figured out how he would legalize it in Mexico.  He loaded the Bug onto his trailer, with the rest of his life, and crossed the border in Nogales, Arizona.  The check station has a red light-green light procedure, with which Larry was very familiar.  When he got the green light, he started to take off, until he was flagged down by an Immigration Official. 

 

The Mexican Immigration Agent asked what was in the trailer, to which Larry answered, “un vocho;” Spanish for “a beetle.”  The Agent asked him to open the trailer, which was packed so full that they could only look in through the side door.  The gray bug sat in the dark trailer, illuminated only by the agent’s flashlight.  Noticing that the bug had no headlamps, license plates, or seats, he asked if it was a scrapper.  Larry told the agent that it was for racing.  The agent turned and smiled, then told Larry, “Get outta here!” 

 

The Beetle has been in Mexico for two years now, and to this day, paperwork is still in disorder; however, paperwork is the last thing on a collector’s mind, the first thing Larry was worried about was finding parts in Mexico.  For one, he only used synthetic oil, which is not very common in Mexico, though he did end up finding a supplier.  He has always done all the mechanic work himself, all he ever needed was parts.  They can be shipped, but it takes longer and is cost prohibitive.  “You gotta anticipate the problems,” he says.   He tries to guess which part/s will go out next, and then arranges for a friend to bring down the parts from the states when they visit. 

 

The first time he registered his Beetle for competition in Mexico was in Culiacán, Sinaloa, which went very badly; he was not welcomed by the track owner or the other racers.  He was not allowed to race or even make a solo pass.  “Nobody wanted their supercharged Camaro or Mustang getting beat by a Volkswagen Bug.  I don’t think they had ever seen a Volkswagen race car,” says Larry.  He left the track that day, unable to compete against their pride.

 

Larry had seen plenty of street races in Mexico, they were sanctioned by the city for years; boulevards were allotted to racers on Friday and Saturday nights, and although he had been a spectator for some time, he had yet to place his Beetle on an official track.  After being denied in Culiacán, he decided to take his Beetle to tracks in other cities.

 

He traveled to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, where he made several passes, alone, running the quarter mile in 11.9 seconds.  The crowd cheered him on with every pass, but the other drivers would not give him the time of day, though he obviously qualified.  Afterwards they told him that if he wanted to compete, he would have to compete against the supercharged Camaro.  After agreeing, they got in their cars and lined up on the track.  They revved the engines, spun out and warmed up the tires, and just before the race started, the Camaro left the track.  Larry sat on the track waiting; the spectators started cheering, “Vocho, vocho, vocho!”  They wanted to see him compete, but the other drivers and track operators would not let him race. 

 

The track owner came up and told Larry that he could not compete alone, obviously, so he was going to be declared the winner, by default.  He drove off the track and back to his pit, but before he could park and get out of the car, he was surrounded by spectators.  “They didn’t give you justice, my friend, you should be able to race,” said one spectator.  Larry let people sit in the car and take pictures, but yet again, he took his Beetle home, without a race.

 

People started talking about the Beetle that could take out superchargers; though none had seen it race.  It was not long before Larry was invited, by the owner of the track, to go back to Los Mochis and compete.  He was asked how much it would cost for him to travel to Los Mochis.  “The owners wanted to see me race.  They offered to pay for the trip, the gas, and all expenses.”  The beetle had come out on television and in newspapers, it had become known, now they wanted to see what this Beetle was capable of doing.  When he got to the track in Los Mochis, they give him a coveted spot right up front with lights and tools, even a hotel room for the night.  The Beetle was finally going to get its chance on the track. 

 

When he pulled up in line to wait for his turn to race, the crowd took notice.  The spectators started cheering on the vocho before he ever made it up to the line.  The announcer was revving up the crowd; “Here comes the Vocho!  Look at this classic Vocho folks, the modifications it took to make this little car go so fast!  And look at the driver folks, he has some of the best qualifying times on this track, and he’s 65 years old!  He still competes every weekend!”  The spectators grew wild, they loved the Vocho, and they loved the races.

 

The first car he went up against was The Judge, a 1971 Pontiac GTO with a 455 HO V8, which was left behind about seven car lengths by Larry’s Beetle.  “He didn’t even stop, he drove straight out of the parking lot and went home, I didn’t see him for another year,” says Larry.  

 

 

 

Next, he raced a 1982 Camaro with a big block Chevy, owned and funded by members of the Mazatlán Racing Team, which he beat by about 15 car lengths.  Again, the embarrassment of losing to a Beetle drove him off the track.  There was only competitor left, the police car.

 

 

 

The Sheriff’s car was the fastest car on the track.  With the right friends and prestige, he had all sorts of material, funding, and sponsors.  A 70’s model Plymouth Valiant with a supercharged V8, a squad car paint job, hood scoop, and light bar, and more promotional advertising than a NASCAR race; “the” car of the local police.  The driver, a Mexican Federal Policeman, approached Larry and asked him, “You want to race me?”  Larry thought before he answered, then responded, “I didn’t come here to take the glory from the local people.  I came here to race, and to entertain them.” 

 

Larry beat him by less than a foot, just a few inches.  The officer stopped at the end of the track and got out of his car, he slammed the door and threw his helmet on the ground before walking off.  Larry looked over at his companion, “This is not good,” he said.  He was gone for about thirty minutes, then came walking back; he walked over and shook Larry’s hand, and said, “I admire you.  I’ve never see a vocho go so fast.  I like what you can do with a car, and I want to be your friend.” 

 

That officer and the other drivers still compete with Larry, but now they compete alongside him, not against him.  All of them have their own vehicles, but they have a new respect for the Vocho.  They travel together to many state and national competitions, all of them members of different racing clubs and organizations, some independent; but out on the track, they are all unified racers, Larry being the newest member of the group.

 

Statistics

Original 1957 Volkswagen Beetle modified into a racing car in 1982 by Dean Lowry and Gene Burg.  It won the A.M. Compact Class at 11.72 ET, setting the National Record at 117 MPH.

 

Custom Built 4cyl engine based on the original, total cost $8,000 USD.

Motor:            248 HP, 2400 cc with a 13-1 Compression Ratio

Crank:            86mm DMS Full Circle, Wedge Mated 11/32 with 8 Dowel Pins

Rods:              Chromoly H Beam Race Rods with 3/8 ARP 2000 Bolts 5.7in long with Chevrolet Rod Bearings

Pistons:           94MM Wiseco Forged

Rings:             Total Seal

Cam:               Engle FK 82 with Magnum Straight Cut Gears

Heads:            Super Flow Titanium Valves, 46mm intake 44mm Exhaust, Chevy Springs, Pauter Roller Rockers, 1:4:1 Ratio

Ignitions:        MSD 6AL, 2 Step, Retarder

Carburetors:  48 IDA Weber’s, Stainless Steel Braided Hoses, Set up for Nitro

Clutch:            KEP 2200 Pounds with special Disk, Steel Equalizer Pulley 5.5lbs

Oil System:    Bug Pack Oil Pump, System One Oil Filter, Reusable Element, with Bug Pack Oil Cooler, Braided Steel Oil Lines

Transaxle Type 1, total cost $4,500 USD

Built by Weddle Industries, California

Ring and Pinion: 3:88:1 German

Gear Ratios: 1^st 3.78, 2^nd 2.21, 3^rd, 4^th 1.30

Special Modifications:  Aluminum Spool, Elco Side Cover, Heavy Duty Weddle Axles, Rhino Wielded Case

Extras:           Hurst Line Lock, Hurst Shifter, Auto Meter Tack-11,000 RPM with Recall, Firestone Racing Tires-Front, Mickey Thompson 10in Slicks-Back, Polished Aluminum Wheels-10x15in, NHRA Rated Seat Belts-5 Point, Poly Racing Seat, Lexicon Windows.

 

Total Investment (incurring expenses not mentioned)                                            $25,000

 

 

 

 

Post Script:

This ’57 Beetle up for sale. Here is his contact info:

 

Larry Wilkins

lwilkins37@yahoo.com

Rio Nazas 117

Mazatlán 82180

Sinaloa, Mexico

By Zane Plemmons

Zane Alejandro Plemmons Rosales is Editor for a conglomerate based in Mexico, TemasSinaloa, S. A. de C.V.   He is also an active journalist with publications in the US, Canada, and Mexico.  Zane is a dual citizen, who was educated in three countries and has traveled North America extensively, leading to his varied works.

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