The new Cal Look book launch party... what great day.

[Stephan S]

Had a great time, too!
Thanks again for your great work, Keith. Can't wait to read the book!

greet picture from the past as i see 

[deano]

Here's a little help with that photo...

[speedwell]

thx boyzzzzzz

[Bill Schwimmer]

I've just reviewed all of the comments regarding Saturday's gathering at the Mische's.  Doug & Leslie, thanks to you both for making this happen and Keith a big thanks to you for keeping the flame lit.

Who would have thought that when I was a kid with a new VW some 45 years ago that I would still be into them and the DKP thing and the VW thing in general would have evolved into something this monumental.  Ron Fleming and a couple of others (sorry, can't remember who else was in that conversation) were discussing how fortunate we were to have lived the experience.

My personal thanks to all of you younger guys who have the disease and keep the movement going.  To all of you older guys, thanks for being such a big part of mine and Christie's lives over the years.  Even though we don't see each other all that often we think of all of you often and feel so blessed that you have been in our lives.

Dave Galassi, you are a real inspriation to me and I lust for your wheels!!!  Bill Schwimmer, I'm so gald to have finally met you and had the oppertunity to spend some time discussing your car as I've admired it for years.  I hope we see more of each other in the future and maybe I can get a ride???

Last, Jim & Sharon we have such a long history and great memories of our youth.  Jim, you have been the keeper of the early days for so many of us and we couldn't be more pleased to see YOUR car on the cover of Keith's latest offering.

Yes, I have the fever again and  hope to do something in the future to make it go away.

Best to all,

John & Christie Lazenby

It was great talking to you John, I would be honored to take you for a ride in my car.  See you @ Cars & Coffee sometime   Bill

[Jason Foster]

Ha HA Stephan I was thinking today of asking you to post that one.

   Heres a Memorable momment from that glorious day....

  Mr. RON FLEMING  at the TOP of his lungs catching EVERYONES attention....
Give me a P
Give me a A
Give me a N
Give me a Z
Give me a E
Give me a R        WHATS THAT SPELL?   


                           And a crowd of the most notable names in V.W. history young and old in unison answered PANZER!!!!!
               
                            I said DAMNIT WHATS THAT SPELL?!!!!??!!!!     
                           over 40 voices screamed into the quiet air of Dougs beautiful neighborhood  PANZER!!!!!!!!!!

  That was one hell of a gathering See everyone on the 7th.     Jason

[deano]

I thought Ron was going to have a heart attack after that out burst! "What's that spell?" Call 911!

I was thinking about that great afternoon today, and how there was many generations of "Panzers" and fellow California Look folks all together to enjoy Keith's new book. There was the friends in their '60s, '50s, '40s, '30s, '20s and even some in their 'teens! Amazing party. Thanks Doug and Leslie.

[Rennsurfer]

I was walking out of the garage when Fleming started that and I managed to get every letter except E.

"GIMME A P!"


"GIMME AN A!"


"GIMME AN N!"


"GIMME A Z!"


"GIMME AN R! WHAT'S THAT SPELL?" "PANZER!" "I said, damnit, WHAT'S THAT SPELL?" PANZER!!!"

(Note Sarge giving the mission his approval, thus walking away while saluting his refreshment.)

Wocket cabin.


At car parties, they tend to flow out onto the street.


Boys and their toys.


Three notable cars that of which are Cal Look.


Russell... taking off into the canyon twilight.


Another view of Crawford's black car.


More driveway party scenery.


Good times.

[Jason Foster]

awesome pics!  Great job capturing the momments.

  The shot of the Wocket the Crawford car and Dougs Ghia is great.

[Rennsurfer]

awesome pics!  Great job capturing the moments.

The shot of the Wocket the Crawford car and Dougs Ghia is great.

Thank you, Jason... but that's Sarge's car in the foreground.

One more picture of the Karmann Ghia's club hood badge. (I know Sarge already posted one... but what the heck, right? Like-minded car nuts think alike.)


Doug was kind enough to give me the grand tour of his K.G. When I got to the hood... I was really pleased to see that the badge was still on there after all of the years that have since passed. VERY impressive, to say the least.

[Sarge]

More nice pics, Mark!  Doug's hood badge looks like an original first edition piece.  I kept the one I had on my '63... it looked exactly the same.  It was mounted on the drywall out in the garage up until a couple of years ago.  When we decided to make our current hood badges, it was the one we used to bid the job.  A little Brasso and that thing would shine like 24 carat gold!

[Dave Galassi]

I just listened to the stories..........Howdy Doody Mahaffey's only street loss in the split, Paul Schley's discovery of water injection.......Doug Haydon and Lazenby's purchase of all the remaining Americans the company had............Dean's story on the origin of the Engle 100 series cams............

i have time to read all about it, if you have time to type it all down. 

must have been great stories that were told that day.

I asked Mike Mahaffey to tell me some racing stories and it evolved into..............did you ever lose one?  He told (with a lot more color than I can put into print) how he agreed to street race an early nova with a hot small block in it.  For those who are not up on it, the Nova was a "sleeper" with the V8 and had pretty good weight transfer on launch.  So, Howdy Doody gives the nod on a rolling start, and, as he stated, there was the problem.  The split was light and fast out of the hole, but lacked the top end of a V8.  Giving away the hole shot doomed the split and he was sorely beaten by the Nova.  Never did that again.
On the same note, he was at OCIR one night and lined up against a Barracuda with a hood scoop and bigs and littles.  The tree lights up and Mike launches.  He glances into the other lane and the Barracuda's smokin' the hides as Mike bangs through the gears.........as he approaches the big end, he sees the Cuda in his rear view, coming on HARD!  Too late!  Mike's lane lights up with the win and he turns around on the short turn out for the return road.  The Cuda driver takes the long turn out, but catches up to Mahaffey and is giving him the bird and using colorful language to express his displeasure at having been SPANKED.  Mike said, with a priceless grin, "Wonder what his buddies had to say when he got back to the pits!"

If my recollection is right, around late 1970, John Lazenby and Doug Haydon, both newly married, put their marriages on the line by pooling what little money they had and purchase the remaining magnesium American 5 x 205 wheels from the American Racing Wheel Company, at that time, I believe, in Torrance.  Each kept a set and hawked the remaining wheels to avoid marital discord and spread the wealth to other enthusiasts.  Good times..........

Enough bedtime stories.  Time to go to bed

[Jason Foster]

awesome pics!  Great job capturing the moments.

The shot of the Wocket the Crawford car and Dougs Ghia is great.

Thank you, Jason... but that's Sarge's car in the foreground.


  Well it's a fantastic shot either way, they are all the same anyways aren't they? (red '67's that is)

[Rennsurfer]

DANG, Sarge... that hood badge is beautiful! Thanks for the one of me and Doug. I was in awe and in a state of semi surreal being, standing there, looking at Doug's K.G. Stoked that you captured me trying not to spill Newcastle (Russell's favorite bier) on the car.

Jason, thanks for the kind words. I lucked out with that shot. I'm not touchin' that red '67s comment. I'll let you, Sarge, and Doug sort that out.

 

[Cornpanzer]

Mark,
can you tell us what you were shooting with?  Is the depth of field from the lense or post production?
Thanks for sharing the pics!!

[speedwell]

nice shot guys

[jholmes]

uote author=johnl link=topic=7345.msg110578#msg110578 date=1227543226]
I've just reviewed all of the comments regarding Saturday's gathering at the Mische's.  Doug & Leslie, thanks to you both for making this happen and Keith a big thanks to you for keeping the flame lit.

Who would have thought that when I was a kid with a new VW some 45 years ago that I would still be into them and the DKP thing and the VW thing in general would have evolved into something this monumental.  Ron Fleming and a couple of others (sorry, can't remember who else was in that conversation) were discussing how fortunate we were to have lived the experience.

My personal thanks to all of you younger guys who have the disease and keep the movement going.  To all of you older guys, thanks for being such a big part of mine and Christie's lives over the years.  Even though we don't see each other all that often we think of all of you often and feel so blessed that you have been in our lives.

Dave Galassi, you are a real inspriation to me and I lust for your wheels!!!  Bill Schwimmer, I'm so gald to have finally met you and had the oppertunity to spend some time discussing your car as I've admired it for years.  I hope we see more of each other in the future and maybe I can get a ride???

Last, Jim & Sharon we have such a long history and great memories of our youth.  Jim, you have been the keeper of the early days for so many of us and we couldn't be more pleased to see YOUR car on the cover of Keith's latest offering.

Yes, I have the fever again and  hope to do something in the future to make it go away.

Best to all,

John & Christie Lazenby


I agree John with everything you said....Great history of friendship, great cars we share and still have the pleasure to hold on to today.....

Jim Holmes
[/quote]

[johnl]

I've just reviewed all of the comments regarding Saturday's gathering at the Mische's.  Doug & Leslie, thanks to you both for making this happen and Keith a big thanks to you for keeping the flame lit.

Who would have thought that when I was a kid with a new VW some 45 years ago that I would still be into them and the DKP thing and the VW thing in general would have evolved into something this monumental.  Ron Fleming and a couple of others (sorry, can't remember who else was in that conversation) were discussing how fortunate we were to have lived the experience.

My personal thanks to all of you younger guys who have the disease and keep the movement going.  To all of you older guys, thanks for being such a big part of mine and Christie's lives over the years.  Even though we don't see each other all that often we think of all of you often and feel so blessed that you have been in our lives.

Dave Galassi, you are a real inspriation to me and I lust for your wheels!!!  Bill Schwimmer, I'm so gald to have finally met you and had the oppertunity to spend some time discussing your car as I've admired it for years.  I hope we see more of each other in the future and maybe I can get a ride???

Last, Jim & Sharon we have such a long history and great memories of our youth.  Jim, you have been the keeper of the early days for so many of us and we couldn't be more pleased to see YOUR car on the cover of Keith's latest offering.

Yes, I have the fever again and  hope to do something in the future to make it go away.

Best to all,

John & Christie Lazenby

It was great talking to you John, I would be honored to take you for a ride in my car.  See you @ Cars & Coffee sometime   Bill

Bill, weather permitting I'll be there this Saturday probably with some Detroit Iron.  Hope to see you there and I'll be sure to bring a pair of Depends for a ride!!

John

[Jim Ratto]

I used to whine and bitch that I felt I was born too late (about the time Mahaffey was racing that Nova), but after Saturday's party, it's plain as day that the good times aren't a thing of the past. They are a constant thread among all of us. Someday somebody will be listening to stories about my car in 1998 shutting down an orange Mach 1 and wish they were around, just as I wish I was a fly on the windshield of Mahaffey's spilt against the Cuda.

some things are just timeless.

[nicolas]

just as I wish I was a fly on the windshield of Mahaffey's spilt against the Cuda.

maybe not the best seat in the house...

as for the stories; thank you. i'll sleep better tonight. can't wait for tomorrow... 

[Rennsurfer]

Mark,
can you tell us what you were shooting with?  Is the depth of field from the lense or post production?
Thanks for sharing the pics!!

Just kidding... but I DO still have one just like that, which was the first camera I shot pics with during the mid '60s.

But to answer your question... nothing too fancy; a Nikon D70 with a Nikon 18-70mm lens. I just focused on Sarge's car and got lucky, because Roger's and Doug's cars were fairly further back. Every now & then, I luck out and score something that I really like, whether it's shooting surfing, skateboarding, or cars.

Glad that the pics are being enjoyed. I've loved cars and taking pictures since my parents taught me to shoot when I was very young. Some things remain part of our lives forever.

[John Rayburn]

Thank God for you, Mark!

[Susy]

Keith,

Went and got our book today!  Can't wait to show it to everyone, and sit down and read it all!

Thank you again - we really appreciate it!  We will see you in May!

Take Care,

Susy & Mike

[Cornpanzer]

Mark,
can you tell us what you were shooting with?  Is the depth of field from the lense or post production?
Thanks for sharing the pics!!

Just kidding... but I DO still have one just like that, which was the first camera I shot pics with during the mid '60s.

But to answer your question... nothing too fancy; a Nikon D70 with a Nikon 18-70mm lens. I just focused on Sarge's car and got lucky, because Roger's and Doug's cars were fairly further back. Every now & then, I luck out and score something that I really like, whether it's shooting surfing, skateboarding, or cars.

Glad that the pics are being enjoyed. I've loved cars and taking pictures since my parents taught me to shoot when I was very young. Some things remain part of our lives forever.

That is interesting.  I have the same combo and while that low budget 18-70 doesnt get a lot of respect from the pro's I find that I use it all the time!  In fact, the Ultra cover this month was with the 18-70.  Thank God for photoshop eh?  ;-)

This is the winter that I buyme new glass.  I expect the secondhand market to be chock full as people try to pay bills and I am going invest!

Thanks for taking time to share all your pics.

[Rennsurfer]

What also helped, was that I was almost in the garage when I shot that. So I had to use what little zoom that lens has to achieve that effect. My Nikon 70-300mm that I use for surf photos works great, too. If I ever get the money saved up, I'd like to buy a Nikon or Tokina 12-24mm lens. That would complete what I need for that camera.

Back on topic; Keith, please drop me an e-mail when you get settled in back home. I hope that your flight was a good one.

[stealth67vw]

I used to whine and bitch that I felt I was born too late (about the time Mahaffey was racing that Nova), but after Saturday's party, it's plain as day that the good times aren't a thing of the past. They are a constant thread among all of us. Someday somebody will be listening to stories about my car in 1998 shutting down an orange Mach 1 and wish they were around, just as I wish I was a fly on the windshield of Mahaffey's spilt against the Cuda.

some things are just timeless.

I'm glad I was riding shotgun when we shut down that Mach 1. I'll never forget it as long as I live.

[Roger Grago]

Now it's my turn to thank everyone.  Keith I thought your first book was great, this one is even better!
Doug, I'm very fortunate to have you as a friend and to have shared such a fun time in my life with you sooooooo many years ago.  It is very cool that you have your old Ghia back, I'd love to have my old car back.  I'm so jealous.  You and Leslie are teriffic hosts!
Ron, Sarge, the Gregs, the Mikes, John, Doug, Jim, Art, and all the other first generation DKP members; thanks for your encouragement and letting Randy, Dumphey, and I start things up for the second go round.
And to all the third generation DKP members for doing such a fantastic job with keeping DKP very much alive and very well.
Deano, thanks for all you're contributions to the Cal Look and VW world.
And Russell, if you'd like to underwrite it we could build a nice Charcoal Gray Metallic Cal Look Karmann Ghia if your interested.

All the best!
Roger Grago
DKP 1975-1978
K Ghia

[Frenchy Dehoux]

    I wish I could of been at your party but I was too busy on the internet looking for my Ghia LOL. I will have to see where I can locate your book. DKP in my book is a very dedicated club and they all respect each others this is one reason why the club is still around after all these years good job. Roger do you have any idea where your Ghia may be today.

    Take care
    Frenchy

[Jim Ratto]

I used to whine and bitch that I felt I was born too late (about the time Mahaffey was racing that Nova), but after Saturday's party, it's plain as day that the good times aren't a thing of the past. They are a constant thread among all of us. Someday somebody will be listening to stories about my car in 1998 shutting down an orange Mach 1 and wish they were around, just as I wish I was a fly on the windshield of Mahaffey's spilt against the Cuda.

some things are just timeless.

I'm glad I was riding shotgun when we shut down that Mach 1. I'll never forget it as long as I live.

actually I was thinking of the guy that went to Las Positas College and we used to cross paths at Bernard's gas station. He had a bright orange Mach 1 that ran DOT Hoosiers. Very nice guy, not your typical Livermore V8 meathead. He was eager to race, but was cool about a VW running in front of him. I think Wenzel was there that night with his car too.
That Mustang on 580, he pulled us up top of the ramp, remember John? The K8 and my homemade heads ran out of steam. The Las Positas 'stang went up against my 86C/Denhams heads. Big difference.

[speedwell]

here's some pictures when lenny copp owned the car , if i remember i saw on a blog that the car was sale to japan too

i found this picture on lenny's blog and said that he bought the car in 87 http://classicvws.skynetblogs.be/post/5307181/k-ghia#comments

rgd
fabs

[Carlos De Alba]

Great weather, great people, great drive, awesome book.................!!!! the party was a blast!!!