For fans of the man, the car, and the movie.
230 hp, out of a Corvair motor with stock (looking) carbs and manifold.... seems unlikely. If it is, it's likely grenade motor. A stage IV Stinger, full race, motor is rated at around that, but that, I believe is a gross HP number (old style).
If it's been rebuilt as a monster overbore motor, maybe, but that certainly not what the original one was. I am also wondering why it has an AC pulley on it (it stacks on the stock pulley and makes that 90 deg oil filter adapter necessary).
That is one cool looking buggy. I think the HP is optimistic as is the weight, but I'm sure it's firmly in the "fast enough" territory. Seeing that kinda makes me want to build a clone.
I remember reading that McQueen helped assemble that dune buggy. I also remember reading where it was just supposed to be a "regular" Meyers Manx, if there is such a thing, and Steve McQueen basically insisted that that wasn't cool enough for Thomas Crown/himself and mandated the Corvair engine swap to make it an adequate level of cool. He did the same thing with Bullitt, where the Mustang was supposed to be stock and he came up with the custom touches to make it cool enough for Frank Bullitt to drive. I read where McQueen could be kind of a jerk (his upbringing was pretty rough, so he gets some slack) but, damn, if he didn't have good taste in vehicles.
Where would you get rear tires like that today? I remember huge paddle tires, but not this little ridged one.
Shadeux said:Where would you get rear tires like that today? I remember huge paddle tires, but not this little ridged one.
Based on the irregularity in the lines I'd guess they were carved in with a hot knife or tire grooving tool.
In reply to JThw8 :
Ahhh.... Cool, thx.
BEN BRANCH said:In writing about this dune buggy :
"wide Firestone tires on American Racing knock-off alloy wheels"
You would think the "Founder and Senior Editor of Silodrome" would know better...
Steve McQueen, Vaping Pioneer
Think it’ll hit $1M at auction?
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