Hoonigan Scumbug Update: Ready for Baja—Sort of

As we mentioned in a previous post on our OnAllCylinders blog, our friends at Hoonigan decided to turn Scumbug, a clapped-out 1973 VW Beetle, into a full-on, Class 5 car to run the 2018 Baja 1000. Summit Racing even helped out by providing boxfuls of AN fittings and hose and some other parts for the fuel, ignition, and oil cooling system (which is how air-cooled VWs stay cool).

The transformation began just before the SEMA Show in early November. Of course, hilarity ensues as Hoonigan and veteran V-Dubber Bad Brad Daddy gets just five days to finish the project. That includes stripping down the Bug; redoing the suspension; stuffing in a roll cage, a built 2110cc engine, and Bus transmission; and safety prep to meet Class 5-1600 specifications.

Even with the help of Blake Wilkey, VW desert racer (and star of the infamous Urban Assault shredder videos, which Summit Racing does not condone in any way), the Scumbug build went down to the literal wire. Enjoy the shenanigans in these videos at OnAllCylinders. 

The Hoonigan team made its way to Mexico to prerun the Baja 1000 course—and to absolutely no one’s surprise, Scumbug had issues. Things like loose suspension bolts, missing motor mount bolts (and one installed backwards), bad shifter linkage, and a busted oil feed line had to be fixed before heading out into the desert. After placing all the blame on Brad and with the help of some local VW whisperers, the Hoonigan crew took Scumbug out on the Baja 1000 course and had silly amounts of fun. Watch it all in this video. 

We can’t wait until Hoonigan posts the Scumbug in action in actual Baja 1000 competition. We’ll post an update as soon as the video is live.