This cars been around for quite a number of years and powered in many different configurations. The car was off the road for a period of 14 months while Leigh built a new IRS floorpan to handle the horsepower needs that were to come. A 2 Litre Type 1 motor was screwed together with big valve heads and a K8 cam and an Autronic SMC computer firing up four injectors sequentially into a quad throttle body arrangement. The cars first run netted a high 14 second pass with what was later to be found at 80% throttle. Driven for a period of 12 months the car was nothing sort of awesome on the street, the quads were smooth compared to carbs but the noise was always a big element in the equation. There was no way of shutting the car up without loosing horsepower. The neighbours weren’t all that fond of the bark that was emitted from the flat four, especially when they could hear it coming from blocks away at an early hour of a Sunday morning.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
There was nothing better than stirring a WRX up on the street with what was obviously a fat normally aspirated motor by the noise that was emitted from the 2 ¼" tailpipe. People would just stand and watch, as the car would idle through the local main shopping centre having heard the bark of the exhaust note before having set eyes on the car.
But as time went on Leigh got use to the all out power and eventually wanted more, much more than any normally aspirated more could deliver.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
As time went on bits were collected and ideas tossed around as to how he was going to complete the turbo arrangement. First to go was the quad throttle body arrangement. Although visually pleasing to the eye it was no five-minute job to change spark plugs and the quad throttle bodies never stayed in sync for more than 100 km. A trip to the local Jap wreckers netted Leigh a throttle body and electronic air bypass valve and a completely new intake system was built incorporating a Wasserboxer plenum chamber. I think you’ll agree from the photos below that its wild and like no intake system you’ve ever seen squeezed into a beetle. The car was run like this with the K8 for quite a few months whilst the rest of the car was gradually modified to accommodate the turbo and intercooler.
A sealed insulated box has been crafted from square steel tube and aluminium which now occupies the entire rear cargo space behind the rear seat. The box is divided into two separate compartments. One for the turbo which is nestled in front of the starter motor and the other compartment houses the intercooler that sits above the floor whilst a 12 inch oil cooler and fan sit below the floor.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Exhaust | Intake normally aspirated | Frame to house intercooler & turbo | The finished product | Autronic SMC |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Street eliminators | Berg crank & Carrilo rods | Hand made intakes & injector bosses | Kennedy clutch & Berg plate | 2.1 Wasserboxer dizzy & custom crank angle sensor |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Berg 1.4:1 ratio rockers | Berg 580 intake manifolds | Turbo thanks to Turbo Logics | Engine bay ready for new motor | Crankcase assembly |
 |
The intercooler is actually an air to water unit, which was designed by the owner but built by LMS engineering. Whilst at a mates place Leigh noticed that his mates trail and road bikes used a very small radiator to cool the motor which included a thermo fan activated by a thermostat. Perfect for cooling water in an intercooler type arrangement, so yes one of these two has been mounted under one of the rear mudguards to provide cooling for the intercooler. | |||
| Intake turbo | ||||
This idea is just one of many that makes this car stand out from the crowd, both in engineering ideas and creativity. Much of the turbo and induction setup has never been seen before on a beetle and in fact paves the way for many others to follow.
Ready for action the motor was torn down and rebuilt with lower compression and what was thought could be a good turbo cam an FK-65.
The motor reads as follows.
Type1 2007cc, 78 x 90.5
Crank: Berg 78 Forged
Bore: 90.5 – Total Seal Rings, Pistons Forged
Heads : Street Eliminators, SS Valves 44 x 37.5
Cam: FK65
Sump: Berg Deep 3.5 quart
Oil Pump: 30mm Berg, full flow
Rockers: Berg 1.4 ratios
Pushrods: Berg chrome-molly
Lifters: Pauter
The headers have been handmade as was the exhaust by Leigh, whilst a 3" exhaust dumps spent gasses to the atmosphere.
The turbos definitely fulfilled its purpose of increased horsepower, in fact the cars a giant killer. If it weren’t for the lowered stance of the car and the Porsche wheels the car would be the ultimate street sleeper, which is exactly what the owner was after. But there is always some goal of a project that is never met. For this project it is exhaust noise. Hoping the turbo would in fact chop up the exhaust note was in fact wishful thinking. It seems that the 3" system which although increases horsepower has also increased exhaust noise. The car is now noisier than ever and resonance and exhaust note resembles that of a WRX on heat.
The car recently made a trip to Autronics Dyno where tuning took place. The car was found to make 115hp at the wheels at 4000 rpm on just a low 7 psi. No higher rpm or boost levels could be run as the ignition spark was being blown out. But what has been realised is that this car will be easily able to make 160 hp at the wheels on just 15psi of boost and all at around 4000 rpm.
As the dyno operator stated "its not just the horsepower that’s impressive it’s the torque and just how early everything happens."
 |
The car carries itself very well, turning heads wherever it goes. If it weren’t for the chatter of the wastegate or the whooshka of the blow off valve you’d think you were staring at just another fat looking beetle. Maybe that’s why this owner hasn’t bolted on his recently acquired number plates EAT-911, after all it’d give the whole game away. |  |