Larry Shaw's Black/Gold Bug?

[plasticblack]

Does anyone out there have any good detail shots of this Great Bug.

 I've mislaid my old magazines with this car in, so could a kind soul help me out..

 

[fredy66]

think its in Japan now days
It was in a magazine some years a go

[plasticblack]

Yes you're right the car is in Japan no with a collector.

It was featured in Volksworld looking Very Dusty Sadly

[speedwell]

here we go paul 

[speedwell]

the gold DDS shifter is in belgium now , and the car went to bee haus collection since that she was at rich kimball place

[speedwell]

 

[speedwell]

 

[speedwell]

 

[plasticblack]

Thanks Fabs...

    To the Rescue....

[Cornpanzer]

I have been told that there was a reason why only the pass side was shown in that HVWs story.  Anyone else heard that?   

[jamiep_jamiep]

Hmmmm, was one side a little better than the other? Or is it one of those double takes where you look at a babe and are sure one boob is higher than the other   

The cars colour scheme always remind me of the JPS lotus F1 cars.... which I loved as a youngster (Sclaextric!)

[Rennsurfer]

I remember that, very well... it was the beginning of the end. No longer was a normal Cal Look VW (read: daily driver) able to do well at the old Bug In events.

[plasticblack]

Thanks for the info/Pics Folks.

  It's the chassis/underside detailing that I'm most interested in.

    Overall I'm not a Lover of the Car. but it has a place in Cal Look History as Larry rightly points out.

       The Rules had been well and truly rewritten in terms of what a Show Winner had to do from then on.

          Good or Bad?       Right or Wrong?

             That's History for you..  

[Zach Gomulka]

To the guys that were around when this car came out... How did you feel about it?

[Gary Justus]

Not that my opinion meant anything then (or now for that matter) but I had mixed feelings. At that time, the car was beautiful and well done. Very high quality. But there was that "over the top" aspect that left me a little cold. It really wasn't too much different than many of the over-engineered cars we're seeing today. That car did set a high bar that continually got higher during the mid to late 80's.The last time I saw it was at Pomona in the cars for sale area. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was  mere shadow of it's former glory. The brass plating was very scratched and dull. The car really was in sad shape. Now it's gone,,,,,,and I still have mine.

[plasticblack]

As I said it was featured in  looking very sad & dusty.

Not really a fitting situation for a milestone car from back then is it?

I agree that it did seem a little OTT even back then, but everything has its day.

I quite like the idea of some Gold Plating, but getting the amount just right is not so easy as Larry's car proves?

Who's going to be brave enough to' go for Gold'?

[Lids]

I almost got my glovebox door gold plated so that i could mount all the bug-in plaques (inside and out), but decided against it, £200 was a little steep!

[speedwell]

here's the car in bee haus collection 

[Rick Meredith]

To the guys that were around when this car came out... How did you feel about it?

IMHO

[Dan Mazur]

Wow! Gold plated wheel adapters!! 

[jick]

As I said it was featured in  looking very sad & dusty.

Not really a fitting situation for a milestone car from back then is it?

I agree that it did seem a little OTT even back then, but everything has its day.

I quite like the idea of some Gold Plating, but getting the amount just right is not so easy as Larry's car proves?

Who's going to be brave enough to' go for Gold'?

i'm brave enough!




im going for a black&gold theme  for my engine....a few gold anodised parts and a few gold plated.....
apart from the interior i love the overall look of Larrys car........sure it's OTT, but its refreshing to see amongst a sea of rule-book cal-lookers

[plasticblack]

i'm brave enough!




im going for a black&gold theme  for my engine....a few gold anodised parts and a few gold plated.....
apart from the interior i love the overall look of Larrys car........sure it's OTT, but its refreshing to see amongst a sea of rule-book cal-lookers
[/quote]


You're my Hero.........

[volksnut]

funny, I always thought the car was parted out, as years ago I had the gold plated Deano shifter

[Cornpanzer]

If I recall correctly, either the day before or the day of the photo shoot, the drivers door flew open and crunched the quarter panel.      Maybe Deano can fill in the details.

[Eric Justus]

If I recall correctly, either the day before or the day of the photo shoot, the drivers door flew open and crunched the quarter panel.      Maybe Deano can fill in the details.

Jeez..even I am old enough to remember that. Here bud:

 
"Larry Shaw, owner of the 'Brass Bug', called me to color sand and rub out his new black paint job, as R.K. Smith was going to shoot the car for the cover of Hot VW's magazine.

After a few hours of work, the car had deep and brilliant show car shine, was detailed from top to bottom, and ready for R.K. to show up. Upon arrival, R.K. outlined the details of the shoot at Larry's shop in Costa Mesa. We were all jazzed to get rolling.

Larry hopped in the car, gingerly drove about 50 feet , then suddenly put the pedal to the metal, and revved the brilliant black beast to over six grand. He let out the clutch, lit up the rear tires, and the passenger side suicide door came unlatched. The door flung open and smashed the entire rear quarter panel of the car.

We all had tears in our eyes after witnessing what seemed like the worst carnage you could imagine. Despite some serious depression, we all agreed let R.K. Smith perform his magic, positioned the car just right, and R.K. finished a beautiful the photo shoot, with no one but us the wiser.

At the end of the session I turned to Larry and said, 'I think I know why they call them suicide doors now...' ".

[dyno don]

yes young justis/my words.....and all very true.  when larry unveiled the "brass bug" heads were turning/some slower than others and visa versa. that day of the photo shoot was tragic indeed but larry recovered rather quickly as they say and had "one day"body and paint respray the passeneger side and I reworked the side and detailed it for its first show win.  YUK..!! was my first impression/not into suicide custon stuff or lots of brass/chrome or whatever/alloy adaptors..etc....but will have to say a nice piece regardless. Kimballs friend and neighbor,(Andy), bought the car and had me detail it like the old days and I negotiated a very fair deal to Akira Ueno from Bee Haus where the car sits along with all the other 'dirty' relics of history.

[plasticblack]

Where the car sits along with all the other 'dirty' relics of history.
[/quote]


 Thanks for the History Don.

   It's good that the car still survives and who knows perhaps it will return again one day in some form or other...

[DKK Ted]

Hey, what ever happen to Larry Shaw?

[71CALRIPPER]

bee haus collection ....what else is in this collection?

[Neil Davies]

bee haus collection ....what else is in this collection?

Kris Klingaman and Mike Smith's Modified Compact racers, the Goin' Bananas car, and several others. Remember the Volksworld feature a few years ago? Seems like the storage for them isn't great though. Not water tight, everything covered in dirt and dust. I'm hoping that it's all just temporary storage until something more permanent gets sorted, but I know that land is at a premium in Japan so the chance to build something with enough space to show everything off is pretty slim.  At least Akira had the foresight to store the cars at all, not part them out as often happens to cars that at the time were considered not important.