[GH85Carrera]

Long ago in the bad old days of 55 MPH speed limit I was making a road trip in my 914 from Oklahoma back to Alabama. They had just changed the gasoline formula and the 914 fuel pump was right under the heater exhaust valve in the engine compartment so the fuel pump got hot. It was a hot summer day and of course the 914 was an UN-air conditioned car. The new gas would vapor lock while driving along. My brother was riding with me and we were bootlegging several cases of Coors with us back to Alabama where I could sell it for three times what I paid.

Anyway the fuel pump vapor locked somewhere in east Texas. My brother was convinced a little gas in the air intake would make it start. He actually brought a 8 ounce bottle of gas with him to try it. I cranked and he poured in some gas. The intake burped and flames shot out and caught the bottle of gas on fire and he of course did not hold onto it for long and dropping it in the grass off the road. He had just set a nice grass fire. I jumped out, grabbed my fire extinguisher and put Texas out. I put the air filter back on the 914 and the fuel pump had cooled off enough to start. That is when a State Trooper came along.

There we are, with a smoldering patch of burning Texas and several cases of beer in the trunks. We explained I put the fire out and did not mention we had started it. He thanks us and said drive safe and off he went.

The quick cure was to pour some water on the fuel pump and it would cool off and off we went. It worked for several years before the gasoline changed, but I had to move the fuel pump to under the fuel tank to cure the problem forever.

My brother had 1st degree burns on his hand. We stopped at the first place we could which was a Stucky's and we ordered some soda. He got the largest one he could, and immediately drank some down and stuck his hand in the ice. He walked away sucking on the straw with his hand stuck in the drink. I paid for both drinks and the chick asked where we were from. I said Alabama, and she replied, OH!, OK then and nodded her head like it was normal for people to put their hand in the drink.

I sold the Coors for enough to pay my gas costs. No grass fires since that trip.