Karmann Ghia Flip

[DelanieC]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1yKHa6vP6B8

[nicktcr]

Holy carp!

That was crazy.

[bimmertech]

Wow. That's not how I thought it happened.

[DelanieC]

"Holy carp" is right, Nick!

That's pretty much exactly how I heard C describe it ... but I still don't really understand. I guess it being rear engined drastically changes the physics of that particular situation.

[chuck schultz]

The swing axles didn't help (see "Unsafe at any Speed," Ralph Nader.) Neither did the fact that, after he realized he was headed off at 13, he tried to steer more to the right. If he hadn't flipped, it would've been head-on into the fence drivers' right, unless somebody t-boned him on the way there. Variations on that scenario probably happen at least once every 4 weekends that cars run out there, at either turn 4, 11, or 13.

There's lots of green space in each of these places, despite what it looks like from the car, to safely track out wide, if you don't do anything sudden, or forget to straighten the wheel, which appears to be the case, here.

[HPEVOX]

Well dern... shoot. That's that Porsche business lifting the front inside tire. Engine's in the wrong place. Another reason I want a 4 point cage minimum before I push my car on a track. Roof to center console real fast.

[fwman1]

Was the driver ok? I remember him from the TGPR movie shoot day.
Nice fellow. Hope he was all right.

[bimmertech]

Yeah, he was fine. He's even considering returning the car to the track. Might have bumped his head.

[TouringBubble]

The swing axles didn't help (see "Unsafe at any Speed," Ralph Nader.)

Was it a swing axle car? Many Ghias are IRS, like my car. I don't know what year this one is.

[JohnW8]

Looks like he was three wheeling it and 2 of them got in the dirt. Oh and he forgot to unwind the wheel. Glad the driver was not hurt.

[slowautoxr]

All set up by entry into the left/right turn preceding. The driver in the video seemed to know something was going to happen as he slowed going up the hill.

[chuck schultz]

Was it a swing axle car?

I could easily be wrong about that. I just know that, when I was a kid, every VW I ever saw was swing axle. No, I have never seen a Kübelwagen. . . ;^)

From what I see in Wikipedia, it looks like the axle change on the Beetle took place in '67. It seems likely that the Ghia changed at the same time. The taillights on the video look a lot like the early Ghias, but those taillights could also be as recent as '69.

I finally looked at the registration list, and the car's listed as a '69, so you are probably right. There's so much compliance in the suspension, though, that it almost looks like a swing axle.

Thanks for the re-education.

[TouringBubble]

Thanks for the re-education.

"Most" VWs are swing axle ... mostly because so many people don't think anything after '69 or so it worth anything. My '73 is a horrible year for anyone that really cares about them. I honestly don't know a lot about the Ghia chassis, but I do know that the Ghia was a bit ahead of the Beetle in terms of brakes and such, so I didn't know if the Ghia switched to IRS before the Beetle.

Either way, The VWs never had great suspension. Most owners don't care. This is specifically shown in the case of the Super Beetle which received McPhearson struts up front and a rack and pinion steering setup, both notable improvements. Most "VW guys" don't care much for them. I'm sure they are much harder to lower and maybe don't share the proper bolt pattern with the Porsche, which is the primary concern of too many owners these days.