Brian Bly

About

Brian Bly was a pioneer in the world of Canadian Volkswagen drag racers, along with Norbert (Nobby) Siegfried.

Known for competing in NHRA national events with their record-holding 1965 VW Bug, their most notable achievement was a class victory at the 1974 NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Here, they won the A/Modified Compact class with the ”4 Banger Hanger” Race Car.

The Vehicle was a 1965 VW Bug, originally purchased from a used car lot in Toronto, it had served as a delivery parts vehicle for Norbert Siegfried’s father.

To be NHRA legal for the A/Modified Compact class, they chopped the roof themselves and used a paint scheme inspired by the famous EMPI ”Inch Pincher.”

It featured a 2074cc (78 x 92) engine with hand-ported cylinder heads developed by the team.

The car recorded a best time of approximately 12.39 seconds in its class-winning configuration. Later iterations of the car, which ran into the 1990s, achieved a best of 10.35 seconds using nitrous oxide.

A unique detail of the car was its asymmetric sign-writing: one side read “Bly and Siegfried,” while the other side was labeled “Siegfried & Bly.” 

Beyond their 1974 Indianapolis win, Bly also competed at events like the 1975 Sanair Molson GrandNationals. They were considered ”record-smashing” racers within the NHRA’s Modified Compact category. The team was a regular competitor at Cayuga Dragway Park in Ontario.