Stiknruda - I very much enjoyed your description of your adventure of the VP1 ! (Surely, this is Jeremy Clarkson?)
I've only seen a VP1 in a hangar - and my wife said "I'm not going up in THAT!" - I replied well no, unless you're going piggy-back.
The VeeDub engine gives me mixed feelings about the craft. I was into VW Beetles some twelve years ago. At my 'peak' I owned four and a half beetles (Two to drive, one was bought for spares, one was a 'fix it one day' and the half was a half share).
I was in a VW Beetle club, and we met up very regulariy. We had amazing fun. We swapped engines some weekends if we were going somewhere (I had a race-spec engine until it blew) - 12 minutes to swap engines was our fastest.. Anyhow, in our club we saw different reliabilty problems between us. Contact breakers - ok, replace with electronic ones. Carb icing (yes - at sea level!) - fit electic-traced blankets. Spark plug fouling. Tuned exhausts causing valve burning. Loss of oil (over-fill the oil and it siphons out to no oil). We all had a lot of fun, and so did the AA and RAC.
We learnt a lot about engines and Beetles in general, and loved the little things.... I had to give up my last Beetle when my boss really thought that the excuse "Sorry, my car broke down" was a blatant lie - I then unfortunatley had to give in and get a reliable car with as much soul as a glass ashtray.
SO that's why I had mixed feelings when I saw a VP1 in the hangar. I really wanted to go over and hug the engine, but my maker was hugging me back.
T.
As an aside - PS. Owing a VW Beetle saves you a fortune in parking. Just park it where you like, put on the hazard lights (if it was manufactured after about 1962 or so) lock the car, and lift the boot lid (where the engine is). Go shopping. Come back, drop the boot lid, turn off the hazards and drive off (or get a push and drive off)...