Looks like most of those cars couldn't touch your bug and they all looked far more heavily modded and racer-specialist. Your sleeper bug is a monster!

Flat out awesome to see you actually racing and using this sweet ride how it needs to be. Makes me want to restart working on a bug soon.

One of the best sleepers I have seen on YT. Greetings from Germany and keep up the good work

So cool seeing that showroom stock looking street car competing against those full blown race only cars and holding it's own!!

Nice to see you running the strip. Love this build. No need to feel shame, you had some excellent times

There is no walk of shame with that race. Brother you built one bad beetle and that is the walk of fame. Loving your channel and man those crazy builds I have no words👍👍👍

I’m a big fan of this car, such a great build. Well done !!

Hi John , i watched you just this morning on Nicole Johnson's Detour ....no bloody wonder you were nervous as hell while she drove that little beast ! As a Kombi and an Aussie built VW Country Buggy owner , I am definitely just a little jealous of the power you have beneath your right foot . Nicole said it was "squirrely" .....that may have been quite a massive understatement. G'day from Australia.

Good job John. Up against race bugs that don't drive on the street you held your own. Pre Eliminator is a fast class.

Fantastic times and great to see the new clutch is holding together! The stock look is so cool.

That bug is crazy amazing!!! Nice work 👍

Yes, John Schuerger is an absolute machine with an amazing car and member of Team Gene Berg. Your sleeper bug is an outrageously cool “street” sleeper.

awesome john, glad you had fun, not bad runs at all not bad for a stock looking sleeper you stay up with them..

This bug is so cool. Looks completely stock unless you get up close. Love it!

Can’t win em all. Killer bug, great video.

Love what you have done with that VW! I am now suffering serious envy, my first new car was a 73 Super Beetle. $2,770.00 out the door!

Drove one of these and hated the underpowered stock motor. You are living my dream, brother!

Wow even with the miss shift... 3rd to 5th you still almost caught that blue bug. Practice makes perfect.. Good luck!

Well done John, well done.

Thanks for the ride along! 😎 very cool!

Lovely Sunny day for a race 🌅 Thanks for another excellent video 👍

Sleeper slaying. Two thumbs up brother

Those ride alongs were great

Nice going, Herbie!

Greetings from Germany, your VW Käfer is the Bomb! Nice Work!

nice passes John. I'm sure you'll get the hang of drag racing soon enough and will be rowing those gears every single time. Cool bug!

I once drove through Osnabrück in a Opel Astra G 1.2 16V which was a pain in the ass on highway-ramps but it was amaysing in the city. It was the ring driveway and in my back I heard a sound I knew. It was knorky, rough and it was in no way avocative to what I saw overtaking me on this two way road. It was a beetle in baby blue. These cars could be very suprising.

Your bugs picture needs to be placed in the dictionary under sleeper. I have always been a fan of the sleeper look. Nobody knows the amount of work that went into creating what you have done. congratulations are in order. Maranatha

So very nice and the journey is what matters most in life and you are on a masterpiece of a journey. Peace out

This is a supremely built Super Beetle. I have an orange 71, since 1989, and would do the same thing to it, if I had the mad skills and time. Bravo on that 73. Good Stuff!!

Excellent! "The Sleeper Bug" My first vehicle was a super beatle. Red will be missed.

Beautifully done 🍻 love the sleeper rides 👍

Wow only 1/8 mile at the bug- in. They always raced 1/4 mile when I use to go to them many years ago. I miss going to them now that I see this video. Wish I had the energy to build another VW. Thanks for sharing. Take care and God bless. David

Dude no bad runs! That's insane! I always wanted to do a Nash Metro!

👍👌👏 I came here from the Nicole Johnson video where you showed this gorgeous woman your extremely impressive sleeper bug. I already watched the Detour video several times. You, Sir, are as skilled as cool! And your beautiful harmless looking baby blue bug definitely runs like it could frighten the devil. By the way: The famous Rallye driver Walter Röhrl once said: Only if you are already frightened by unlocking a cars door, it is strong/fast enough. You, Sir, definitely built such a car. Congratulations for this masterpiece. Best regards luck and health in particular.

Beautifully insane, really enjoyed watching this video.

I've done the 2nd to 5th shift as well with my G50 trans, it sure takes the fun out of the run. I've been thinking about making a lockout for the track

Hi ..wow .... I love the in car footage or racing pressure is so different from just being fast! i also like the tie dye shirt ! That dog box "sure does sound cranky" ! be well (or i will comment another video) ! (PS Best car i ever drove was a Passat recently , rental ! Seemingly better than all other "Germans" Aude BMo or Merzel ! Doing 230 km/h German Autobahn curves no problem !! No rocking much like a board plank lying on flat surface !) as we say in German !! 100 hp to 1 ton is already well powered over 500 hp to one tone may be insane to ridiculous !! (fast) ! Love the way you fitted everything ...(other vid) or saw engine or exhaust pipe fittings ! Real sleeper ....as no outer visibles .... (or hood intake nozzles elude to nothing) indications !! A beauty !

Love it. It’s got to be a blast John.

Would love to Turbo my 69 1/2 Ghia. Great job on all the engineering and work. Your car is magnificent.

I'm the early 90's I had a '71 Super Beetle with fiberglass widebody fenders, trunk lid, & hood, converted to 5 lug & gold BBS rims, with a 2235cc twin turbo in it, & would run low to mid 10's, & people were so shocked a Bug could move like that if built right! 😂👍 I tell everyone I was into the import tuner scene even before it had a name, imports were a niche area in cars, until Fast & Furious came out in 2000!💯

Fantastic! What a hoot! I hate to add this, but it looks like lower gearing overall would be a real benefit. The acceleration out the back is STILL so awesome that it makes me wonder just how fast she really WOULD go! BTW -- H rating is for 130.

NHRA Summit Series at Irwindale is gonna start pretty soon if you want to try your hand at bracket racing. Very cool car

Looks like fun 😁

That car with a sequential gearbox would be insane

I was trying to listen for engine recognition....lol dope build I got a motorcycle engine in my bug 🤘🏿

what an absolute rocket. that kind of speed on an 8th is seriously good. and all the other cars were proper prepped race cars with aero and such. having a stock looking super hitting that kind of pull is why beetles are just the most fun. ive been a vw addict since 98 being stationed in germany, havent built my first air cooled yet, but ive built over a dozen water cooled just for me, and plenty of cars for other addicts like us. seriously man, that is a stunningly beautifully built little box

I don't care if you win or lose man that car you have there is bad-ass!!! Good job man doing it the right way👍.... Love that it looks so stock!

One of my favorite cars of all time. I would be happy with a 200-250 horse version. Ecstatic. Sucks to be broke or I would take a yellow '79 convertible 180 horse.

John, sir you're bringing back my love of not-quite-aircooleds. I got the bug (no pun intended) bad working in an air cooled Porsche VW shop.... One day after I sniffed a bit at a customers t-IV 914, (all the shop 914s were 2.4 or 2.7 Euro MFI Porsche drivetrains, Audi brakes, etc etc typical vintage racers) anyhow Boss took me for a drive in that sweet black 914. Was maybe 1850lbs, had about 90hp, and man, what a riot.... Next week I watched one of our techs start converting a bus to an EJ... Gears started turning right then that someday I would have to do this... Still would love an EJ 914 or Ghia

I own this same color same year currently. Mine is so rusty. I just got the original engine and transmission installed. So much work. I just want to get the darn thing running at this point.

Dude, nothing loser about that. This is an amazingly engineered car!

Beautiful car, I want one!

that is absolutely insane. Who remembers OCIR?(RIP) I was there for Bug-in 21 or 22? the last Bug-In or one of the last.

Hey, John i'm still lookin' for a matchup with you and my buddy Steve!! Good talkimg to you and good luck!

Hi, John, what would it cost to build this car? Awesome!

Wish you had more cameras

that thing is insane, its sick!

Even though I am not the biggest friend of Super Beetles but this one is absolutely amazing. The Subaru engine also is a real thing 👍👍👍👍

Your car is amazing :D

Your Beetle 'S' is awesome.

Dude can drive!

I just discovered your car yesterday through Nicole Johnson's youtube channel. It is a freaking amazing machine that you build!!! Since the engine comes from a wrx, it does have their patented launch system a iddle? Am i right? :)

A 6.85 in the eighth translates into 10.70s all day long. What a beast of a sleeper.

Yeah, that blue ‘74 or what ever SB gets down the road. That thing is a cool sleeper.

That's a killer car....

Really awesome 😎 sleeper

I have a 1964 bug that my mom gave me at age 14. I'm 34 now. At 14 I would drive around the neighborhood. My limit was 2 blocks to the left and 2 blocks to the right. The car had a blue pearl paint job, sun roof, roll cage, and a dual port 1776cc engine. Was a big go-kart. 😁 I've since blew the engine and the cars been sitting over 10yrs. I want a Subaru conversion. Was curious do you have a shop? Or who can I pay to do my engine and trans work? I'm located in Los Angeles

wicked cool.

Inside view was wicked

Keep practicing with the lights. Good run. That other driver obviously is a pro. Like you called it. 👍

Sir, you may want to add a parachute! Sweet ride...

This reminds me of Wile E Coyote trying to ride the Acme Rocket! Looks like a blast!! Pun intended LOL.

I just joined your channel 2 minutes ago

this is insane, it launches so hard! i reckon the car could wheelie forever if he wanted it to

Outstanding! How's the Corvair coming along?

The guy that won me! Delicious English.

Great build, sleepers are the best and it run more than 3 times what is usually problem for known tubers like Mcfart🤣

had a 1973 Beetle 1303 with 115 hp. more was hardly possible in germany 30 years ago🤣

love your bug john!

Hola John, just got a call on the Sat Phone. We need to talk. We need you to teach us before we race in the Schengen w/ Mex VW.

is there still the annual " bug-in"??

that is one bad ass Volkswagen wow

Been there done that 1, 2, 5, darn jeep at sand drags hopping, stock mounts stick slapping both seat's🤣

I think this is with his “dog box” transmission that has no synchros. Makes it even more impressive

Do you have problems with aero lift toward the end of the run?

John did you ever run a full 1/4 mi? Time? Trap speed? 10.5's? 125 mph?

6:50 i just bought a 72 standard beetle the same color... i want to do that

I think "fast enough" is a good answer here.

Love your Super Beetle... and the World Champion wheels!

You always write the dial in at your quickest pass, and you try to make 3 or 4 practice passes with no problems, that is where you get the quick time to write on the window, that what I do, it always slows down as the day go’s on , so it is a guess thanks BigAl California.

A punch buggy at 170 mph?? Damn!!! 😮

Hey, I was there. I’ve seen the videos of this sleeper bug and it’s insane. Saw it at the bug in at irwindale speedway and it was getting beat bad. What happened ?

hi, what engine management system you are using ?

As long as you put on a great show but don't win they'll love you. Beat them with your non VW "water cooled" engine VW they'll be disappointed. I speak from experience. 2002 TDI beetle Top Eliminator winner Oct 2004. Maybe it's different nowadays.

subbed cause you and car r cool

Sleeper bug.....have a great day🙂

Voice of Experience (and I'm sure there are "Tons" that will totally agree when I say)...Driver Error (Missed shifts / shift points more often than not) being the reason for a bad run...$uck$!!!!! (And more often than not, costs extra $$$$.) Then, there's the added factor of Totally P*$$ed Off Driver because of aforementioned Driver Error.

Looks like Wonderbug VS Herbie Fully Loaded.

My first was a 70,same color, 1600. From 0 - 30 I was the fastest in town lolol got her to 101 mph no joke. Motor died 2 days later and omg no down force at all🤘Couldn't imagine this rocket.