{"id":4271,"date":"2025-09-30T01:24:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T01:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/?p=4271"},"modified":"2025-09-30T01:24:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T01:24:18","slug":"c3009007-harry-lewis-brought-slick-moves-to-semi-finals_part2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/?p=4271","title":{"rendered":"C3009007 Harry Lewis brought slick moves to Semi Finals_part2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=476&#038;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F100088633698345%2Fvideos%2F1123156376165610%2F&#038;show_text=true&#038;width=476&#038;t=0\" width=\"476\" height=\"591\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowFullScreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Wild VW Beetle Paul Newman Turned Into a Muscle Car<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The actor&#8217;s humble VW ragtop got a Ford V-8 heart, creating one of the wildest Beetles ever built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matt StoneWriterEvan KleinPhotographerSep 25, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"group\/card block w-full text-left @container\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/files\/68cb477b4583270002188541\/001-paul-newman-vw-beetle-motor-trend-classic-alan-muir-design.jpg?w=768&amp;width=768&amp;q=75&amp;format=webp\" alt=\"001 paul newman vw beetle motor trend classic alan muir design\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[<em>This story originally appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of MotorTrend Classic.<\/em>]&nbsp;Nobody knows exactly when and where iconic actor\/director\/soon-to-be-racer Paul Newman first met San Diego-area Indy car builder Jerry Eisert. Speculation is that their first meeting took place sometime in 1969 at Ontario Motor Speedway, where Newman hung out a lot while he prepared to film&nbsp;<em>Once Upon a Wheel<\/em>, a documentary about the people of motorsport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Newman was self-admittedly addicted to sleeper cars. He had been upgrading his humble VWs with Porsche engines and brakes since the early 1960s. It probably didn\u2019t take too many Budweisers to convince Newman and Eisert that putting&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hotrod.com\/how-to\/351-cleveland-engine-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a Ford V-8 engine<\/a>&nbsp;in the middle of a VW ragtop was a good idea, and that Eisert was just the man for the job. It\u2019s believed this screaming-red rocket was stock, already owned by Newman when he turned it over to Eisert for a more than substantial reengineering job that replaced the bug\u2019s humble 40-horse four with a Ford 351-cubic-inch Windsor V-8 and a Ford GT40 spec ZF five-speed transaxle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"group\/card block w-full text-left @container\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/files\/68cb478b52b0fc000283edf1\/002-paul-newman-vw-beetle-red-side-view-ford-v8-engine-swap.png?w=768&amp;width=768&amp;q=75&amp;format=webp\" alt=\"002 paul newman vw beetle red side view ford v8 engine swap\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eisert deduced that the only way to make it work without turning the car into a tail-heavy, evil-handling monster was a true, race-car-inspired amidships installation. He put the engine way ahead of the rear axle line, or about where the rear seat was on the VW, and the engine radiator well up front to balance out the weight distribution. This also left room for a proper transaxle to be mounted behind the engine. The relatively new, all-iron Ford 351 Windsor V-8 had a factory rating of 300 horsepower in four-barrel carbureted form, judged more than enough for the relative flyweight Beetle, so it was left stock. The German ZF five-speed transaxle is a tough unit incorporating a limited-slip differential and had proved itself in the Ford GT40 racers and Ford V-8-powered De Tomaso Mangusta. Eisert\u2019s biggest challenges were cooling, and creating enough chassis rigidity so the car wouldn\u2019t twist itself into the shape of a pretzel. The stock engine and transmission were removed, and much of the rear floorpan was cut away to make room for the new motive force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eisert used boxed-steel tubing to creative a subframe of sorts, plus a conventional rollbar to add chassis stiffness and a measure of safety. The new steel members run the perimeter of the passenger compartment from the rear of the cabin to the front, meaning you have to climb over them to get into the short bucket seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"group\/card block w-full text-left @container\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/files\/68cb478ec3890d000262204e\/003-paul-newman-vw-beetle-351-ford-v8-engine-swap.png?w=768&amp;width=768&amp;q=75&amp;format=webp\" alt=\"003 paul newman vw beetle 351 ford v8 engine swap\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The purpose-built radiator is fed by two triangle-shaped holes cut into the lower portion of the front trunk panel. Specially fabbed grilles add a finished look to this modification. The exhaust system is simple, yet effective. A Mustang Mach I transverse rear muffler, which has two inlet pipes and two outlets, is the sole silencing device, and it\u2019s an ideal solution. The car burbles aggressively yet doesn\u2019t scream\u2014a mandate from Newman. Eisert never won the Indy 500 as a car builder, but his prowess in that regard was adequate, as his cars were regulars on the USAC champ-car circuit back in the day. Eisert and team spent a considerable amount of effort on airflow management, with the placement of numerous ducts and scoops to make sure cooling air was directed in and through the radiator and oil cooler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enter Sam Contino. An auto repair shop owner who in the late 1960s was not a credentialed teacher, Contino convinced the administrators of Chaffey College in Alta Loma, California, that motorsport was a great way to engage young people in automotive engineering, that the school would benefit from an auto-racing-technology engineering program, and that he was the guy to develop the program and run it. They agreed, and Chaffey inaugurated what was at the time the nation\u2019s first college program that offered a curriculum in race-car development and construction. Sam and his students brought several of their cars to Ontario Motor Speedway for an event, and there he befriended Newman. By this time, Newman had had his fun with the VW, and Contino convinced him to donate it to the school, which he did. The car was repainted in Chaffey\u2019s colors of red and white and became one of the crown jewels in the program\u2019s roster of race cars and engineering project vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"group\/card block w-full text-left @container\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/files\/68cb4792e8cd230002f6c3fe\/004-paul-newman-vw-beetle-chaffey-college-bobby-unser-ford-v8-engine-swap.png?w=768&amp;width=768&amp;q=75&amp;format=webp\" alt=\"004 paul newman vw beetle chaffey college bobby unser ford v8 engine swap\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three-time Indy winner Bobby Unser, actor Paul Newman, and Chaffey College students admire this revived Beetle. The college presented it to automotive professor Sam Contino when he retired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contino remained friendly with Newman and served as an honorary pit crew member at the Indy 500 in 1985 for the Newman\/Haas racing team. He recalls that his primary job was to place the cover over the rear wing of Mario Andretti\u2019s race car when Andretti parked the car in the pits after practice or qualifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The VW lived a hard but fruitful life in the Chaffey program as an engineering exercise, and when Contino retired in 1986, the school gave him the car as a retirement present. \u201cIt was all there,\u201d Contino says, \u201cbut it was tired and rough around the edges.\u201d He and son Tom decided the car deserved to be restored to pristine condition, in honor of their friend and hero Newman. Tom is a veteran of numerous hot-rod builds and several restorations and has a fully equipped shop at his home, so the father-and-son team decided they could tackle the job themselves, farming out whatever they couldn\u2019t handle. Contino the younger said their goal was to \u201cmake the car like it was when Newman and Eisert built it; there were some engineering foibles that could have been improved upon, but [they] wanted to stay true to the original concept and engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The VW was disassembled to the last nut and grommet and beautifully rebuilt. Their craftsmanship and quality of work ultimately made the car much nicer than it was originally, but no reengineering was done. Chaffey\u2019s red-and-white color scheme was dispensed with, and the car is the original solid red. Ancillary gauges were added to monitor the engine\u2019s oil and water temperatures and oil pressure, but other than that, and the addition of custom-made PS \u201ckidney bean\u201d-style modular wheels, the car is much as Eisert built it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"group\/card block w-full text-left @container\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/files\/68cb47cf87a2260002167344\/005-paul-newman-vw-beetle-red-front-ford-v8-engine-swap.png?w=768&amp;width=768&amp;q=75&amp;format=webp\" alt=\"005 paul newman vw beetle red front ford v8 engine swap\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sound of the engine is nothing like any other Beetle I\u2019ve ever met. When the engine lights, you\u2019ll look around for a nearby Mustang or Cougar Eliminator. It then settles into an easy American V-8 idle and gurgles softly through its dual-exhaust pipes. The ZF transaxle\u2019s shifter turns out to be the touchiest element of the entire installation. In a Pantera or a Mangusta, the shifter is gated, but the linkage must be adjusted perfectly to enable smooth shifts. When everything is spot on, these gearboxes are a joy to row. In this car, there is no shiftgate, and the linkage makes a long and circuitous trip back to the transaxle. So finding gears is a little tough, and even though I have experience with these trannies, I grind and zing it more than a few times. There\u2019s so much torque that second-gear launches are easy, so I usually dispense with the dogleg first and take off in second. The 2-3 shift is a straight-back motion in this box, so it\u2019s slick and easy most every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it\u2019s a thrill; the mix of muscle car sounds and sports car sensations is delightful. The steering is sharp and well-weighted. The car also reminds you how beautifully built and finished early VWs are, although, granted, this one is fresh and has been done to a high standard. As Newman once said, it\u2019s great for tight turns. It handles well enough and feels relatively neutral, although high-banked, high-speed turns might be scary, especially because there are no aerodynamic body mods present, and a stock Beetle convertible\u2019s high-speed stability is suspect anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contino has accomplished what he wanted to with the Newman VW-Ford, which was to restore it to prime condition in honor of its first owner and creator, and he hinted it would be for sale to the right serious buyer at the right price. Interested?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"group\/card block w-full text-left @container\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/files\/68cb47d3f5e8760002b57a29\/006-paul-newman-vw-beetle-aluminum-radiator-ford-v8-engine-swap.png?w=768&amp;width=768&amp;q=75&amp;format=webp\" alt=\"006 paul newman vw beetle aluminum radiator ford v8 engine swap\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1963 Volkswagen Convertible Specifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Engine: 351.0-cu-in\/5752cc OHV V-8, 1&#215;4-bbl Autolite carburetor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Power and torque (SAE gross): 300 hp @ 5400 rpm, 380 lb-ft @ 3400 rpm<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drivetrain: 5-speed manual RWD Brakes front: drum, rear: drum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Suspension: (front) control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar; (rear) multilink, coil springs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dimensions: (L) 160.6 in, (W) 60.6 in, (H) 51.2 in<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weight: 2200 lb (MT est)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Performance: 0-60 mph: 4.2 sec, quarter mile: 12.4 sec @ 117 mph (MTC est)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Price when new: More than a VW, less than an Eisert Indy car<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"group\/card block w-full text-left @container\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/files\/68cb47d54583270002188542\/007-paul-newman-vw-beetle-sam-contino-ford-v8-engine-swap.png?w=768&amp;width=768&amp;q=75&amp;format=webp\" alt=\"007 paul newman vw beetle sam contino ford v8 engine swap\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ask the Man Who Owns One<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sam Contino \/ Retired Educator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>WHY I LIKE IT:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s the only one of its kind, and it was owned and commissioned by one of the world\u2019s greatest racing\/acting icons.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>WHY IT\u2019S COLLECTIBLE:\u00a0<\/strong>Ditto<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>RESTORING\/MAINTAINING:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s a pretty straightforward car, as long as everything is working and up to snuff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a class=\"group\/card block w-full text-left @container\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/features\/paul-newman-vw-beetle-ford-v8-engine-swap\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.motortrend.com\/files\/68cb47d9bcddd9000205bac0\/008-paul-newman-vw-beetle-red-rear-three-quarter-soft-top-ford-v8-engine-swap.jpg?w=768&amp;width=768&amp;q=75&amp;format=webp\" alt=\"008 paul newman vw beetle red rear three quarter soft top ford v8 engine swap\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>OUR TAKE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>THEN:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThat Volks was really wacky. I\u2019ve driven it at Ontario Motor Speedway, just goofing off, but the car is much better on a tight track than it is on a long one because high-speed turns are really hairy in that thing.\u201d \u2014Paul Newman,\u00a0<em>Motor Trend<\/em>, August 1970<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NOW:\u00a0<\/strong>A wonderfully zany one-off, conceived and commissioned by one of Hollywood\u2019s greatest car guys, and a serious racer to boot. Worth what a serious fan will pay for it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Wild VW Beetle Paul Newman Turned Into a Muscle Car The actor&#8217;s humble VW ragtop got a Ford V-8 heart, creating one of the wildest Beetles ever built. Matt StoneWriterEvan KleinPhotographerSep 25, 2025 [This story originally appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of MotorTrend Classic.]&nbsp;Nobody knows exactly when and where iconic actor\/director\/soon-to-be-racer Paul Newman [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4273,"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4271\/revisions\/4273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gottanlent.vansonnguyen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}