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Bugeye Flipped--Driver status?

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BrianN

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Does anyone know the well being of the driver and passenger of the red Bugeye that flipped on Highway 70 at the end of the Alpine 500 this last April?

I read from a post on another forum (BMW) that they survivied and should be OK. But I could find no follow up on their condition.

As a Bugeye owner I am especially interested in our fellow drivers.

Thanks.
 
My Got, what must you do to flip a BE. That is only the second I have ever heard of and the first left the track did it not Jeff?

Had to have hit something?
 
Hit something or slid totally sideways and then had the tires bite in gravel or something. This will roll any car at speed when sliding sideways. Was it in bad weather? The back end is light and if it hydroplanes??? One good reason for keeping good tread on the tires, not just the legal limit. My wifes festiva had just legal tires on it back many years ago when I bought it for her for christmas of 93, The car had 60,000 on it but was only 18 months old (someone had used it to commute 200 miles a day). The car was like brand new except for the tires and we took it on a trip to myrtle beach and hit a rain storm on I26 on the way home. It was like driving on ice or slick mud, scared the heck out of me. I kept driving slower, even at 45 the car kept slipping around. Had to drive 40 to keep control. I was upset and told the wife that if that could not be fixed then we were getting rid of the car. Put on new tires and the difference was night and day. I could take it up ovr 80 in the rain and it stuck to the road well. Then she was a keeper. Has 208,000 on it now and still gets 40 with my wife running around town (a/c running and all) and around 50 on a trip if you keep it under 65mph. I love that car, but the reason I mention it is the weights of a festiva and a spridget are almost exactly the same so keep good rubber on these light cars.
 
jlaird said:
My Got, what must you do to flip a BE. That is only the second I have ever heard of and the first left the track did it not Jeff?

Had to have hit something?
Click to expand...

I came seriously close to rolling a Bugeye way back in my younger days, and without hitting anything. I was on a two lane asphalt road and entered a right hand curve at a ridiculously high speed. I'd done it before, had no problems and it was quite a thrill. But this time I could feel the back end wanting to come around and the right side of car starting to come up rapidly. I knew then and continue to believe today that had I not countersteered (even though the car was not actually fishtailing), the car would have rolled and I likely would not be here today (no roll bar/cage, no seat belts, no protection whatsoever).

So what was different this time? Unknown to me as I entered that curve, the left rear tire was severely underinflated. It was fine that day as I left home -- must have been going down slowly while I was cruising.

Today? I still enjoy hotrodding the heck out of my Spridgets. Take a look to the left at my avatar! I have however learned there is a time and a place for everything (still hate it when my parents are right!) and hotrodding is best left to the track with the proper safety equipment. I also drive a '72 Midget on the street in street trim. No real hotrodding in that one. (though Bugeye58 could tell ya something about a yellow 'vette spinning out trying to keep up with us! <grin>)

Tim
 
They usually spin, but we have rolled (wet road).

Pat
 
I rolled a '72 240z *sigh* being young and stupid. I came around a blind corner on a dark country road doing roughly 95. Some genius left his broke down POS t-bird in the middle of the road, with the lights off, on the inside lane of the blind curve. I swerved to miss the car, hit the ditch, jerked the wheel back to the road just as I hit the rise for a driveway. Weeeeeeeee... I had just noticed I had forgotten to buckle my seat belt seconds before the crash. Walked away bruised and sad, but very much alive and whole. I don't race on the road anymore.
 
Speedy_Pete said:
Kim, have you checked out the Festiva at https://www.jaylenosgarage.com ? That would be entertaining in the wet!
Click to expand...
Ah, yeah the shogun festiva. I have seen pics of it before. You know it must be quick. The idea that I have toyed with is the fact that my festiva has the mazda b series engine. They used basically the same block and different bores. The festiva has the 1.3 but supposedly the 1.6 or 1.8 will fit right up and require no more space than the 1.3. I have been specially looking at the 1.8 dohc engine with around 147hp as compared to the stock 63hp of the 1.3. That would be awesome in a 1400 lb car.
 
racingenglishcars said:
I saw a yellow Iso Griffo that the photographer was deliberately avoiding in favour of a Jag.
Click to expand...

There seemed to be a fair amount of that, I thought too! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rolleyes.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
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