This site is about the restoration of the R&R Machine Drag Bug that ran west coast VW drag race events from 1987-1989.

  The car was built by Mitch Evensen of R&R Machine in Napa California. The tube chassis was constructed in 1984 for his Ghia race car. In 1987 Mitch & crew built the Bug body and installed it on the Ghia chassis for the new Pro Sedan class. The race car was on the cover and featured in the November 1987 issue of Hot VWs Magazine. When the Bug made it’s debut in spring of 1987 people nicknamed the car UFO because of its wild low and wide looks. The car was the Hot VWs Magazine national record holder for B/Sedan in 1987, 1988, 1989; with a time of 10.29 sec. The car was one of the first and quickest in the new Pro Sedan class that began in 1987. The R&R Machine drag Bug pretty much dominated the Pro Sedan class for three years straight.

  The R&R Bug body was sold at the end of the 1989 season and the Ghia body was reinstalled to run the 1990 season. The R&R crew built an all new light weight Bug which debuted in 1991. The Ghia was sold in 1991 without the running gear. Some time later the Ghia was bought by Tim Greer in Arizona. Tim also located the Bug body and bought it. Then he put the Ghia body back on a pan and was planning to restore the Bug to its former glory. Tim decided he had too many projects and the R&R drag bug was put up for sale on thesamba.com web site in April 2006. The car was  purchased by me, Larry McKenzie.

  The race car will get a faithful restoration by Larry McKenzie & Ray Schubert, then put in the Merrill VW Museum. The Bug will also be taken out and raced at a few VW events on the West Coast. The goal is to get the car back on the track before 2007.  I hope you will enjoy our progress as it unfolds in this blog and the photos of the restoration.  

 I would also like to thank Brian Watts for his original photographs of the R&R bug back in the day.