The Cal-look Lounge

As I mentioned in Shubee's post.....name 10 or so guys that influenced you personally in your VW circle of friends. Somebody that taught you stuff, helped you out of a jam, went to almost every show with you....etc.
While your list may not consist of "famous" guys, I think it will be interesting to read....paying homage to those guys that got their hands dirty with you.

I have to think about my list....

Let's hear who influenced you guys

ok here's my list in no particular order........

1. My Dad. Got me into cars, convinced me to drive a VW as a teenager, took me to VW drags at Baylands Raceway as a kid. Gotten me out of more VW binds than I care to remember

2. Mike Collins. Probably the smartest VW guy I had ever met. Sold me my 48's in 1991, always answered any question I had for him, built amazing transaxles, could fab anything you needed, but above all, just a great friend. Miss him

3. Frank a.k.a Sheep. Got me really into old Cal Look stuff around 1989, one of the few guys back then that "got it." Too many memories to even think about. How many trips in my '67? How many drag races out in front of his ranch? How many laughs at Buggy House. Good to see he is still as crazy as ever and into VW's again.

4. Jerry Young. My former boss at Buggy House. While we banged heads more than occasionally, he was a good boss, and taught me more about tuning a VW than anybody else. If you get past his rotten temper and gruff language, there's a good guy underneath.

5. 'Big' Frank Schirado. Worked a few years at BH with Big Frank, had a lot of fun working with him, taught me lots of tricks on fast VW engines. Nobody can consume mass quantities of BBQ pork like this guy.

6. John Bates. Customer, VW-clubmate, roommate and good friend. Much like Frank, been all over California with John on all kinds of weird VW related outings, tons of fun out street racing, playing jokes on others, working on cars together. One of the guys you know that will be into it for life.

7. Jim Edmiston aka Sarge. One of the coolest guys I've met in a long time....wealth of VW folklore, all the DKP 1 stories, into good food, good music, a great all around guy. Got me 'back' into the VW scene after my 'burnout.'

8. Rob Lockett. Engine guy for many years at BH, showed me a lot of the basics of building strokers....geometry, end play, full-flow....and always interesting to talk to.

9. Bill Schwimmer. All around nice guy, cool guy to BS with at all the shows over the years, awesome car....his car like Gary Berg's always kept me interested in cars set up like theirs.

10. Larry McKenzie. Long time friend, brunt of one of the best "pranks" I've ever pulled on somebody. Been there as a good friend through thick and thin. Convinced me to run the car at Carlsbad '99. Always owns some bitchin cars, always fun to give a good ribbing, and a hell of a race car pilot.

1) mike hodge...my best mates step dad & nextdoor neighbour when i was a teenager.....always had beetles and splitscreen buses, we used to tear around the fields in them as 13/14 year olds.....he used to stop us doing our homework as kids and sit us down to make us watch Big Wednesday.

2) my grandad....an engineer, and biker in the 50's/60's......i recently found inone of his toolboxes his admission ticket from the 1st british drag racing festival in 1964, for which the S&Sparts team shipped over K.S Pitman's 33 willys along with george montgomery to race.

3) my dad....had absolutety NO interest or idea about cars....but put 100% into helping me with mine when he was alive because he knew i loved it.

4) phil royle.....a complete cock.   he was a friend of my older brother and had a jeans beetle in 1985, i went to a couple of shows and was hooked......i soon got my 1st car, a bright yellow 66 bought from a dude who had the hottest girlfriend in town....i then pulled her younger sister!   a week or two after buying it i went to the 1st bug-jam in 1986 and have never looked back.

thats about it really....i just get on with it slowly (very) by myself.

Geoff Thomas – owner of Autocavan , the UK's first serious VW performance shop.

Dave and Judy Kawell – enough said

Deano – because...

Dean Lowry – such a nice guy, the godfather of our scene...

Dave and Judy Kawell

Dave Kawell

Judy Kawell

Dave and Judy Kawell.... ;D

Hey, that's 11 not 10, Keith!
How are things by the way? Did you get my email a couple of days ago?
Steph

1. Jacky Morel. I discovered beetles thanks to Super VW issue 18. Man that 2 tone resto-cal with polished fuchs and fluo engine looked the bomb! Many people diss the mag nowadays but I say respect!

2. My father. Can build anything. Taught me how to work with my hands. However, I still don't understand why he allowed me to buy a rusty basket case of a car and 3 van loads of useless parts, while I was only 19 and starting university. And no, it's not finished...

3. My wife, for supporting my hobby.

4. The DAS guys. Met them in 94. They already had quite a reputation in Belgium and France back then. I remember some people even described them as a close and arrogant little group - I just found a bunch of super nice guys with bitching cars.

4. Keith Fastbrit Seume. Best book ever?

5. Hector Bonilla, Dave Rhoads, Art Guttierez, Greg Brinton. Just perfect.

6. The mags and websites people. Keeping the flame alive during those long winter nights.

 1)  Pete Dayton ....The mind behind DKP
 2)  John Lazenby .... Taught me the "fine art" of car detailing
 3)  Ron Fleming......The ESSENCE of DKP and a true friend
 4)  Greg Aronson....Master Cal-Look craftsman and inovator
 5)  Gene Berg....A lot of Gene channeled into DKP through employees Ron Fleming and Greg Aronson
 6)  Keith Seume....Got me back to my VW "roots".  I'd probably still be driving a sand rail and forgotton about all those good old DKP days
 7)  Bill Schwimmer...What a real Cal-Looker is all about
 8)  Darrell Vittone...Great answers to pressing questions...Me; "What do you think of MSD ignitions?"  DV;  "I'd run a Joe Hunt magneto just for the Mojo!"
 9)  Stephan Szantai...My buddy the photographer
10) Jim Ratto....If you guys haven't figured it out yet, Jim lives and breathes Cal-Look...just look at his posts!

1. Jick, he talked me into buying my first bug, and my first cigar.

2. Jim Calvert(Stateside Tuning), he showed me the way to power heaven.  Used to let me hang out during my hols and learn a few of his tricks.

3. KS he edited the magazine(Volksworld) that I used to digest, and then spit over my car.

4. the posse from WSM and going to Malvern every year.

5. My mum for letting me restore my car and spray it in her garage.  Its still blue now.

...somebody say CIGARS???

Sarge, I don't deserve to be 'seen' in such company.. but thank you all the same. Now where's my WINE!

No prob Gov...you'll get your juice!!  I'm parched just thinking about it...when are you coming to collect??   ;D

My older brother Paul, He bought a 67 bug in 71 and we souped it up. He brought home a copy of Hot VWs in 1970 and I've been a subscriber since 73. He also built most all of my race car engines.]

Greg McNair, he was my school bus driver in high school, he had a 49 Bug. He took me for my first ride in a really fast VW.

Ray Schubert, Taught me how to produce a really nice restored VW. I learned a ton from him about vintage VWs. He makes me do the job right when I say good enough.

Bill Collins, Let me go on the Back to the Fatherland tour were I meet some really cool VW people.

Rich Kimball, Got me excited about all kinds of VW events, Bug-Ins, DRKC, Vintage ralleys, etc.

Keith Seume, For relighting the real cal-look fire.

Jim Ratto, For always egging me on, and he put my name on his list.

Plus many more.

 Man this is such a good topic, I cant believe more people havent responded.

1. Jim Ratto, who I met almost 20 years ago. Jim built his first motor when he was 16 years old.
when we were 16 most kids couldnt even tune there cars little lone build a motor. From the first time I drove Jims car(that he still owns today) I was hooked.Jim is the reason I am addicted to this hobby, and I am thankfull we have been freinds for twenty years.

2. Jerry Young. He was my boss at Buggy House for many years, At times I felt like we hated each other, but in reality he treated me like a son, and he tought me so much about vws. I believe that if Jim and I could of put up with his shit he probably would of left the company to us.

3. Ken Butler. My step dad who owned vws the entire time i was growing up. He taught me how to shoot squirrels out of the rag top of our baja oval.

4. John Bates who is Cal Look to the bone, who used to be my brother in law and will always be a brother to me.

5. Mike Collins who owned a vw repair shop, and he would answer any really stupid question I had, and not make me feel stupid for asking. He would build trannys for all the kids in the club and none of us no matter how hard we tried could destroy them.

6. Erik Maxfield ( Emax) This guy had no money, but a big brain. He proved to me that a little intelligence can out perform a deep wallet.

7. Bill Schwimmer.This guy has no idea who the hell I am. Jim and I have followed this guys car and his life style from the early 1990s I dont think there is any body who is more Cal Look than him.

8. Dave Rhoads.Same as Schwimmer above, Jim and I actually drove all the way to Arizona to watch these two guys race there cars. No one is as legit as these two guys.

9.Bill Fisher. His book is the bible of engine building.Everybody I know still refers to this book even though it was written in 1970.

10. Sarge. Sarge reminds me how fun it is to own a hot vw.And how fucking cool is it to be friends with one of the founding members of the DKP.

My Dad, Earl Gomulka. Bought his first VW in '68, brand new. Brought me home from the hospital in our '71 Westy. He always had VWs around, most not running, and he always made me help him. Now Im deeper into this hobby than he ever was!!

My best friend and roomate, Chris Predmore. We share the same passion for traditional Cal Look cars. Its great having someone like that in your corner!

John Whinery. A total ass clown to most, but once you get to know him, he's a great guy. I got him into VWs in high school, and I commisioned him to draw out my VW tattoo when we were 18- no doubt its the best looking part of my body!!

Steve Hollingsworth. The man has forgotten more about VW engines than I will ever know.

Howard "Only girls and queers call me Howie" Washington. Sit shotgun in his minivan with him on a errand run and you will see what I mean. Wearing his cataract sunglasses and leaning over the steering wheel, he wholeshots EVERYONE!!

Travis Alward. Another good friend of mine. We fought like cats and dogs for the 3 years we lived together, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Owner of the fastest true daily driven aspirated VW on the planet.

Keith Seume. Without him, I wouldnt have a clue.

Frenchy DeHoux. Self explanitory.

Luke Vodopia. "Meet me at Quattro Peako at 3"

;D

You guys had me tearing up there for a second. My 10 biggest influences in VW stuff were

1) Jim Ratto - always been a great friend through all lifes ups and downs, hard core VW and Cal-Look guy,music lover, and mentor. I met Jim way back in 1991. I lived and breathed VWs with him and I did inhale :) We did a lot of street racing together. He taught me an engine bigger than a 1641 would not blow up. Camping, raw chicken and bare foot carb tuning were our past times. He was there when my first son was born almost 11 years ago.

2) Frank Seifert -(aka Sheep) he influenzed me so much I married and divorced his sister. I worked with Frank, I fished with Frank, but I really never drank with Frank. I too still consider him a brother. I also met Frank back in 1991 when he sold me the wrong parts. :(  We need to get together and go dancing at the the "dance hall across town". He always put crazy notes on my Buggy House receipts. I found one the other day that said "Please come back with a gun and shoot me, please" and another that said "I want to put my meat in your fridge". Frank always keeps us laughing.

3)Mike Collins (RIP)- He showed me function comes first and looks always come second. I kept breaking axles in my 67 and I would bring my car to him and he would tell me  "You stupid ass, raise up the rear of your car so your axle spades get oil." I still have a Collins gear box in my car today 6 years after he passed, 8 years after he built it with the same axles.

4) Les Kovach -He has been a friend since we were both 15-16 years old. He has built more outstanding cars than I can fathom. He always goes the extra mile to get the look he wants. He is a recluse of sorts but still one of my best friends. He currently owns 16+ VWs of top notch caliber. From a 54 panel bus, 2-55 bug verts, 62 type 341, 67 OG paint squareback, 60 OG paint single cab, 56 23 window, 49 split, 67 fastback, 65 bug vert, 66 bug vert, 65 hard top, 67 cal look bug, 63 15 window bus, 55 cal look bug and so on. He is the essence of a true hard core VW enthusiast. All these pictures that people post of their lifetime Empi/DDS/Speedwell collections looks like his closet in comparison. He has more cool stuff than he cares to show people. We also both shared an affinity for blowing up $hit and good beer too. We used to turn on the fire hydrant in front of his house and do burnouts and donuts all the time too.

5) Ken Butler - he showed me what not to do to a VW -by example. LOL

6) My dad - he should have been at the top but I put him here. When I was born (1975) he had a 1966 notchback with a 1.8 liter 914 motor. He was and still is a very mechanical person. He first got me interested in cars in general by having me change the oil on his 1937 Harley Davidson Knucklehead (which he still has today). When I was 14 he paid me $100 to build him an engine for his 68 bay window bus out of junk parts. I built a complete engine without using 1 new part. The center mains on the case were so spread you could see light through them. It lasted about 6,000 miles till it didn't have any oil pressure. From then on I was hooked on building engines.

7) Eric Hitchew-Young - I met Eric when I was 13, just starting High School. He had an all stock 69 bug on chromies. It was a very clean car even with it's original paint. He was a dreamy kinda guy with his surfer blonde hair, cool bug and his love for VWs. He started Ground Level and Cali Style V-Dubs VW clubs. When I was 17 he built a 2276 with 48 IDFs and a spooled IRS box for his 69 after his ultra reliable 1500 single port gave up. He left my house one day, completely sideways, across my a$$hole neighbors lawn and across the sidewalk. The marks stayed for years. I still see Eric every couple of years at he Sac Bug-O-Rama. "KPVUDBN" -his California License plate. Keep Vee Dubbin. He was also a huge influence on Les Kovach.

8 )Steve Duttman -Back in high school this kid was a real outcast. He hung out with all the stoners and rockers. He looke like he wore his pants and used them as grease rags at the same time. He was a gear head to the core of his being. His family lived and breathed sprint cars and raced at Baylands Raceway until they closed in 1987. For his first car he was given a 67 bug and he pulled the 1500 and tweaked it a bit. He added a 69mm SPG roller crank, Crown flywheel,  Engle 130, welded and ported single port heads, Autocraft 1.25 rockers, 40 Kadrons with welded Truehaft aluminum manifolds, 1 1/2" header and stinger and 10:1 compression. In high school he had the fastest car except for a guy with a 454 powered Vega panel wagen. He showed me to think out side the box and you can make anything fast, even if it is 1500cc.

9) Jerry Young of Buggy House fame. Back in 1969 when the MacCarther (580) freeway in Oakland was not open yet, he flew by my dad at 120+ in his black split window bug. My dad and and couple of friends were hauling ass down the unopen freeway as fast as his Norton 850 Commando would go when out of nowhere a black beetle passed them as if they were parked. Many, many years later I told this story I had heard my whole life to find out the other side of the story. Jerry Young was at the helm of that black beetle upon his return from a tour in Vietnam. That memory greatly influenzed my dad and influenced me though his stories.

10) My ex-wife April -She showed me how hard I had to work just to remain active in the VW community. Before life and kids it was easy. After kids and married life I had to put in 150+% just stay on the same level. 50 hours of overtime, 6 months on end wasn't uncommon for me.  She made me realize most important thing in life ...............VWs.

Well my list is easy.

1) Herbie, this was how it all started.....

2) Keith while he was doing VWxyz in Custom Car and talking VW's

3) Julie, my wife, she had a beetle when i met her, the love bug thing again....

4) Dale Clark, (he started the NOS VW Club -North of Scotland) a true friend and and the best hand you could ask for.

5) Kevin Dawson (1/4 panel Kev)

6) Volksworld (Keith and Ivan)

7) keiths book and the Chop

8) Chris Morley via Keith for making the Race Shop Ghia possible

9) Kobus and crew, great guys

10) My BANK Manager for being errrrr understanding !

If i have missed anyone out sorry, all my friends have been important but this is a top 10 of who got into the cars.

Fun topic :D

You just registered sheep? 1 post? LOL Are you the guy that registered under Poncho?

For those that don't know who Ken is

Hey John where did you find a picture of Jim Ratto???
He needs to get off the pot and finish my motor, I would like to show up for the classic.
I deleted my acount on accident and had to re register, and no im not Poncho.

 ;D ;D ;D

In the order I thought of them.

1. Mark & Eric Roos. Friends that first got me interested in VWs

2. Bill Schwimmer... we were dangerous back in the day... we really fed off of each other when it came to ideas. And also for keeping after me for over 20 years to do something with my car(s)... but mostly for being a great friend, and being there to share some of my best memories,

3. Gene Berg

4. Dyno Don

5. Henry Mayeda

6. Rich Kimball

7. F.A.T. and Keith Goss

8. Dave Griener

9. Greg Brinton

10. Danny Gabbard

11. Many of the members of DKK

ok... I went one over!

Jeez Jim, don't be so hard on Sheep...I think you need a time-out and one of Jordy's chocolate bars  ;D ::)

So if I ate one of those chocolate bars and looked at jim, would he be wearing a police uniform?
Jim how about posting some pictures???

P.S how is my dam motor coming along >:(

1. Dad.  Dad loved type 3's, and was a whizz at sorta fixing stuff.  I learned how not to fix cars from Dad.  He let me take a pair of squarebacks apart at 13,in the backyard, just to see how they worked.  Let me work on my projects in the driveway.
2. Dave, the guy next door.  He was a sandrail guy, and showed me how to put together a stroker motor on a stand.  Drove a streetlegal sandrail all year long, rain or shine.  I learned a bunch from him.
3. Steve (Woods?)  He was a guru in the Arizona area in the late 70's.  He had an old B/MC on BRM's in his workshop.  His shop was all dusty from being in the Tempe river bottom.
4. Sil Modesti.  Fabricator extraordinaire and a good man.  The Jade Grenade had one of his fabbed breathers
5. Mike Fischer.  Always gives me the "inside scoop" on new stuff or ideas.  I like how he runs his shop.
6. Buddy Hale.  Showed me that hard work and perserverance can get you to the top of your game.  A good friend who was always fun to hang with on a roadtrip.  Ask sometime about the "Redding Run".
7. Bryan Peters is cal-look to the core.  Another roadtripping buddy.  He can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  Makes the most of the least.  I bought my white 67 from him.  Only did the things he would have done, had he kept it.  Love that stupid car.
8. Daniel Hood.  Presently on sabbatical (RC cars).  Has more talent than any one man has a right to lay claim to.  One of the few guys who can "do it all".
9 Steve Hollingsworth  I agree with Zach, Steve has forgotten more about VW's than I'll ever know.  I really do miss hanging out at VW Performance.
10. My family, nuff said there!

1. For Me it Would Have To Be Bill Chosky For Giving me My First Job in a VW Store Auto Haus Pomona where I Worked for 3 Years

2.Ron & Lynn Rosevear For Giving My My Second Job at Auto Haus Store in Buena Park Where I Met So Many People And Saw So Many Original Old School Cal Looks, I Was Moved To The Van Nuys Store to Take Over  as a Manger I Still Rember All The Deals I Got Threw The Store And Customers coming In  Boy Those were the Days

3.When Auto Haus Closed there Store's I Went On To Barrett Ent. And Worked for Ron Barrett  he was a Real Gearhead Don Meling Also Worked for Ron Barrett Which some of you older Guys Might remember Don Went On And Went to Work At Car Custom  which Sponsored his Cal Look 67 Sedan  Which Was  Scott Bakkns Old Medfly..

4.Gene and Dee Berg Were Probally the Biggest Influence To All That knew the Family Gary is a few years younger then me and Doug And Clyde did not even Have A drivers License yet Just Punk Kids LOL

5.Steve Tims (Goofy Grape Sedan & Mean Machine Ghia)Was Another Great Influence and taught me How To Build A Real Race Motor And Things to set and check that I would have never done on my own.

6.Then From Barrett Ent. I Moved on To Small Car Specialities Where I Worked  With Geno Combs, Geno Was also a DVB Member so  I already knew him  I Met Guy Bryant which was the Head Porter for SCS and Dose Great Work between Me And Guy We Came Up with some Great Stuff.

7.Steve Sims Who use to work the Counter At Gene Berg Was great Friend he was the guy responsible for getting a lot of the Street Race's  Going after the Club Rallys  unfortunitly Steve had a Massive Heart attack and Died about a year ago.

8. And I Cant Forget  Roger Crawford (Bad Company 67 Sedan) LOL I Can Still See Him  Fat And Barefoot in a T shirt  at Brookhurst and Orangethrope Parking lot where the Bug Clubs Went After there Meetings to Invade The L.A County Street Racers Parking Lot We Had our own  Section of the lot and none of the V8 wanted to mess with the VW's they use to refer to them as sewing machines with Dual Tolets LOL

9.My Mother for always Being There no matter what I did or was Doing She Was always there to Lend A Hand She New What all my tools were   I could be under the car and tell her to get me a 13 mm wrench or a 10mm socket  and there she was Tools in Hand I trained her well LOL.

10. And Last but Not Least My Best Friends Larry Rick,Steve Walker,Scott Bakken,For Keeping The Cal Look Alive In Me Once its in your Blood you can never get it out I am Now Building my 48th Old School Cal Look and I am already Planning #49 to build.

I've been inspired by many and have been helped by many (in many ways), but these are the names that have had a "root" effect on me:

1. Steve Domon - My first ride in a "fast" VW (1835cc in '77).
2. Jim Nolan - One of the original owners/contributors to the "Jumbo Shrimp" drag Fiat in the late '70s.
3. Don Simpson - My uncle who is a good friend of Lee Leighton.
4. Frank Fabozzi - Still driving the rasberry oval that he won Bug-In with in the early 80's.
5. Rod Shultz - Gentleman, racer, all around good guy.
6. Dick Roy - The original "Mr. Kadron"
7. Clyde Berg - When Clyde said "That's always been one of my favorite rides" to me, I was honored.
8. Dave Mason - "Just fix it".
9. Hector Bonilla - My good buddy.
10. Eric Justus - My son, who had the nastiest T3 ghia on the planet.

Great post Shubee.  I remember your mom very well when I visited your house off Ramona.  Not every mom will let you keep engines in the house.


1.  Russ Welch - owner of VW junkyard I worked at 10 years
2.  Gary Shubrook - enough said
3.  Larry Rick - knows his parts, cars and quality
4.  Steve Walker - ditto
5.  Chris Morley - think about what he knows and has found.  Gassers.......
6.  Bill Makepeace - historian, parts identifier.......
7.  Kid Dean - quality body work, cool ideas
8.  Gene Berg
9.  Jim Moore - first car I fell in love with
10.  George Schmidt - honest, creative, hard working fabricator and builder.

LOL Dave Thats True But With All The EMPI STUFF I HAD Do You Think I would Put it anywhere Else how many guys moms let them use the spare room in the house to store car parts LOL

Here are a few that have meant alot to me:

Mark Herbert....opened a lot of insight not possible to get where I live, allways taking hes time shaing knowledge on heads, cams and Cal-look apperence

Dean Lowrey......that guy invented the race engine and made us all haul ass

Gene Berg............Put the race engine on the street and wrote the info on how to do it

Bill Fisher..........gave us the HP book

Christer Lindström.....Our swedish HP inventer that led me right with lots of patiance answering the questions....how importent is he: He supplied the bergs with the crank cores

Keith Seume........A man that recogniced and made Cal-look popular again

Jere Alhadef............he is the guy who took photos that no one else did.......race or cal-look, he is the man

Dean Kirsten........all around nice and knowledgeable...............and the blue car rocks and I am sure the new one will too

Greg Aronson........Developing the type 4 engine, the cal-look and patiantly answering me questions over the years.........hope to see him in a cal-look car once again

Its amazing that a goof like me could have influence over anyone other than my children... Thanks for including me in your lists of heavy hitters. I am honored .  (honoured?  just for Keith).
   Here is my list in no particular order.
 Mark Voegtly
  With out him I would'nt have a clue. He has always helped me out & gave me the ear to make them run like they should.
 Gary Berg
   He set the standard for a fast street car & brought me back to the fold when I strayed.
 Mark Herbert
  Told me I was a wuss if I did'nt put 94's on it. He showed the world that 2300cc street motors would live.
 Glenn Gaskey
 We have been friends forever. We built a lot of cars & had some very hectic times together.
 Jim Edmiston
 To me he is the spirit of the OC Look. it is awesome to have his influence around.
 Keith Seume
 He romanticized & brought to the world what a small handfull of enthusists were still  doing in OC.
 Rick Meredith & the members of DKK
 My 1st taste of the VW club scene.It was a total blast to have been a part of it.
 Greg Booras
 He had the Hot Tub turbo dune buggy, he towed my oval window to the races with his convertable Cadillac w/ horns on the front.We always managed to entertain ourselves no matter what the situation.
Dave Mason
 Another long time friend. Always willing to help. His car is scary fast...
Greg Brinton
 Yet another friend forever. One of the biggest smart alecks I know.
  There are many many others .It has been awesome to have been a part of this hobby & to have grown up in the midst of it.
     Bill

   

After my slightly flippant posting earlier, I'd better set to and give you my 'proper' list! :D

Geoff Thomas – founder of Autocavan, the UK's first true VW performance shop
My brother David – he was a VW owner way before i could drive and showed me how cool air-cooled VWs are
Dave & Judy Kawell – never before have two such knowledgeable people answered so many dumb questions...
Dean Lowry – the Godfather of our scene and such a nice guy. I am proud to have known him
Dean Kirsten – helped introduce me to so many influential people (and a very cool friend, too)
Bill Schwimmer – my friend and one of life's good guys. He is the spirit of Cal Look today
Jim Edmiston – the missing link! Bridging the gap between the 1960s and the 2000s. And a wine lover!
Jere Alhadeff – the man who first brought Cal Look to the public eye. Thanks Jere.
Ron Fleming – Da man! He sure knows how to have fun (even when you're old! ha! ha!).
Darrell Vittone – a legendary figure for a kid brought up 5000 miles across the world

Well, I'm sure there are a ton of people that have had an influence on me and my addiction to VW's.  But here's just a few by chronological order as to when I met them.

1.)  My dad.  Like most young boys, "My Dad was my super hero growing up."  He could fix just about anything.  We didn't have a whole lot money when I was young, so I'd go with him to get parts at the local junk yard.  I'd change oil, and plugs & wires on our family car.  I learned the basics from him.  He also showed me what an education can do for you and your family.  ;)  He was/is a self made man and has gone through the ranks to eventually become the CEO of mid-sized medical company!  Go Dad! ;D

2.)  Bond Way.  Aka "Old Man Way"...  Old Bondy lived in central Pennsylvania on a obscure farm 40 minutes outside of town.  He had collected almost 75-100 VWs for parts cars and future restoration canidates.  I found out about him through the "good-ole-boy" network.  The first time I met him he was 78 years old and was walking with crutches and an oxygen bottle.  I was 18 years old and he sold me the parts I needed to fix my 74 Super Beetle that had been rear ended.  I've always been a kid that respected my elders, and he took a shine to me.  He invited me to come back and rebuild my 1600 with him.  I JUMPED AT THE CHANCE!
      Half of the time I spent with him, he'd show me how to rebuild my motor.  The other half was him showing me all these rare NOS parts he had stashed away.  Eventually he showed me some of his Hi Po items and I asked him about it.  He took me out back of the barn and showed me a 74 Super of his that was mangled really bad.  The story came out that he was hot rodding down a back country road where he had this car with its dual carbed 1835 maxed out.  He flipped it on it's lid twice and then stopped with driver's side pan slamming into the concrete guard rail on a bridge!  He was pinned and now he had to walk with the crutches.  We was lucky to be alive.
      Time went buy and he recovered from the accident, but age caught up to him.  He couldn't kick the oxygen bottle due to the years of smoking had taken it's toll on his lungs.  I really felt the man reaching out to me to "pass on" what he could.  He wanted to sell me a 56 Oval Rag Top that needed to be painted and put back together for the incredible price of $1000, INCLUDING to 36 HP motors, 1 NOS W decklid, 1 used W decklid, 2 NOS running boards, 2 NOS moulding kits, and all the original parts to put back in.  I REALLY WANTED THAT CAR, but my Dad said I had to sell my 74 first.  I couldn't afford to do that, so I had to pass the lead on to another guy I knew would do that car justice.

3.) Mark Herbert - I saw Mark's word famous "Quiafe Test" video and I was hooked!  I needed to build something bigger! (I was planning on building a 1915.)  After gathering all the parts, I was working in my office in New York and found Mark on an instant messenger 3,000 miles away.  As I was assembling the engine short block, I was a bit confused setting up the timing on the distributor drive shaft.  He'd tell me to do something, I'd literally run to the back of the shop, do what he said, and then run back up to the front of the office and report back.  We did that for about 45 minutes as I got it right.  I didn't really get to know him other than his posts on Keith's CLF, but I did get to thank him in person at one of the Hot VW Drag Day events.  He is a tragic loss to our community.

4.) Steve Richardson - Aka "VegasSteve"... Steve helped me from 2500 miles away, as I made a life changing decision.  I decided to move from Rochester, New York to Las Vegas, Nevada.  When I came out to Vegas for my interview, Steve had me to his home, we went out to dinner, and for a cruise in the "Pink Panzer".  He helped us choose a location to live, and introduced me to the local VW fans, as well as, a lot of his So Cal friends of which some were DKP members!  As a kid growing up on the East Coast, I was in my glory to see their cars in person! ;D

5.) _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _  - Aka "Wilson" ...  Wilson really loves his annonymity.  Which I will respect here in this post.  I met Steve through Keith Seume's Cal-Look forum and he agreed to mentor me through some autobody projects as he had been working in the trade for as long as I've been alive!  I've been a good friend to him, and we get together on a regular basis to tackle jobs or just to socialize.  My cars would not look any where near as good if it weren't for his supervision and guidance.

I'm sure there will be more!

Scott Faivre

1. Gene Berg & family,

2. Keith Seume

3. Dave Rhoads

4. Hector Bonilla

5. Art Gutierrez

6. Frenchy Dehoux

7. Bernard Newbury

8. Ian Clark

9. Dean Kirsten

10. Jacky Morel

Keith Seume wrote a artikel from this topic in Ultra Vw. Cool huh?! :)

i couldn't resist... while i was taking pictures. i believe this rasberry bug is his. correct me if i am wrong.

Yeah, but who's those two old goats in the picture??    ::) ;D

Wow Ratto's topic made the press! He always has good ones that make us, remember, dream and think :)

Yeah, you're an old man dude, I didn't expect that ;D ;)

 ;D ;D ;D ;D...still a teenager at heart!!

I am most humble to see my name mentioned above, thank you. This means a lot to me.

My List:

1. Sarge; if he wasn't selling life insurance via a 13-second VW, I doubt if I would have ever traveled the road I did, or went to work for HVWs. And that was 35 years ago.
2. Ron Fleming; took the time to show me how to work on Hi-Po VWs when I was a total dump-ass geek. Still am, but he continues to talks to me....
3. Dave and Judy Kawell; for being open to all kinds of crazy ideas, and some of them actually work! For spending more time dynoing bolt-on crap for the magazine, when no one else in the business would take the time (without be paid).
4. Darrell Vittone; for setting the bar for all of us to reach.
5. Dean Lowry; for being someone who would listen and be happy to answer dump questions, and not affraid to share some of his seemingly unlimited knowledge.
6. Jere Alhadeff; for teaching me that taking a photo of a VW is much more than merely pushing the shutter button down. It is a moment in time that never will return again...
7. Frenchy; setting the detail bar higher, just to show it can be done better! And for keeping the spirit of the California Look alive all these years.
8. Jim Wright; for having the insight to purchase, and then continue to publish Hot VWs, from Bond Parkhurst (1971), when they, and no one else, saw the future in a monthly magazine about nothing else but VWs! Not a bad investment for $2500.
9. A motorcycle photographer named Phil Beckman, who (unknowingly), showed me how to flash-fill action photos.
10. My dad; for backing my decision to quit the printing business, and go to work for a publishing company (1977).

Dean Kirsten

I'm honored and flattered to be at the top of your list, Dean.  Who'd have thought where life would take us.  All I can say is it's been one hell of a trip and it just seems to get better the further we go!  Thanks for the recognition.  8)

1.) Lee Norman, a lad i used to work with, went to newquay with him in about 92 and spotted load of vw's crusing around hooked after seeing a low squareback in the train station car park with a 10ft longboard on the roof,

2.) Lids_2001, after a chance meting at his sisters wedding, talked about Beetles whilst drunk, gave me the volkszone web address and lots of advise before I bought my first air cooled.

3.) Jick, for inspiration and remembering spotting Jick back in around 93/94 in a cool green resto cal 66

4.) Ian Gillies, bought my 64 from Ian a topbloke always cool for a chat

5.) Andy Ham, For pointing out on numerous occasions how consuming this hobby will really be, and for being a straight talking no nonsense dude,  even though he's a resto cal freak.

6.) Dave Plummer, awesome welder fabricator and all round top bloke who just kept my spirits up whilst sorting out the 64


Thats about it no big names, but i would point out that around 30 people in my local VW club have been the most supportive, even those not really into the whole cal look thing.......THE LOCAL SCENE IS WHERE ITS AT FOR ME....after all there cant be many clubs where you have a club meet one minute and then help a mate with a roof chop can there  ;D

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/spennyp/roofchop064.jpg)

Ya know... this topic is way to good to let it drop off the radar.

I'm bringing it back to give you guys another chance at it!  ;)

Lets see......

1. Bill Demoss, John Leslie (had DKP VWs at my high school, drooled before I could drive)
2. Jay Wasserman (worked at Auto Haus Orange)
3. Eric Geisert
4. Bill Schwimmer, always buds, always will be.
5. Dave Greiner (my boss at Auto Haus, later Proformance)
6. Kawells
7. Bergs (all of them)
8. Dave Mason
9. Danny Gabbard
10. DKP III

My list isn't very long, that said here they are.

1. Gene Berg (those who know me would not be surprised)
2. Rick Mortensen a great friend and fellow Berg Cruiser...
3. Gary Berg.  When he helped me fix my engine in Wisconsin that was great!
4. Clyde Berg.  I was fortunate enough to become friends with all of the Bergs and they have been great to me and influenced me greatly
5. Steve Hollingsworth.  He is an incredible VW machinest and a good friend.
6. Sil Modesti probably the best fabricator I have had the pleasure to know.

This is a nice topic.

1) My dad for buying a black 63 sedan for my oldest sister and a black 67 sedan for my next oldest sister.  He then bought and rebuilt my Burgandy 69 for me from when I was 13 to 17.  As if that wasnt enough, he let me use his garage and helped me with the bodywork on my current 67.

2) My good buddy John Plow who gave me the chance to help out with Cal-Look.com which led to all the freelance work.  Too bad he will never see this  ;D

3) Dave Cormack for convincing the powers that be to let me do some writing for VW Trends - my first magazine work.

4)Keith Seume.  Obviously for his book which sparked a forest fire of enthusiasm, but also for approaching me to work for Ultra VW.  I am still honored by this.  (Although it pains me to admit this publically where KS can read it)  ;)

5) Dean Kirsten for going out of his way to encourage me to keep writing and for being free and open with photography advice.  (Oh and for putting my car in "The Book")

6) Mark Herbert - Mark always took time to help me when I had problems and would surprise me with random late night calls just to chat about the old days.  ("Dude, I forgot you are three hours ahead of me")

7) Bill Schwimmer- Within 15 minutes of meeting Bill, he handed me the keys to his car and let me drive it.  That car (and Sarge's)taught me that a Cal-Look car could drive, handle and stop like a new car and made me go home and go back through the mechanicals of mine.  I was never so proud as when he took my car for a drive a few years later and complimented it.  In fact, probably my favorite autograph in my California Look book, is from Bill - "Thanks for not crashing my car!"

8) Troy Palmer for coining the Cornpanzer name and keeping me motivated to be quicker than him (which I still am..HAHAHAHAHA!)

9) Stephan Szantai for all the encouragement over the years both with the car and the freelance work.

10)  Steve Beecher for building a great trans, letting me crash at his place and just being a Bud!

11)  Jason Lauffer for keeping me from throwing in the towel with my engines on more than one occasion.  He is also responsible for the hairdryer (that dirty no-good son-of-a -b.........)

Wow Dave... Thanks!

   1) Jacky Morel - he created Super VW Magazine and had a huge influence on the French VW scene. Gave me my first freelance job (1987). I learned a lot from him, including some photography tricks. Helped me get my first job in California in '88.
   2) Bill Schwimmer - a friend who always has a good advice or two.
   3) Jim Edmiston - another friend. When he talks, everybody listens. We wouldn't have the Lounge without him and his DKP buddies.
   4) Keith Seume - think The California Look Bible... What else can I say? A great friend, too, of course.
   5) Gary Berg - gave me a ride in his '67 back in '91. And what a ride!
   6) Colin Burnham or more specifically his "Air-Cooled Volkswagens" book. I read that book a thousand times. The format of his book inspired me when working on Demon Bugs.
   7) the current generation of DKP

I'm sure I'm forgetting some people...

1: My cousin who got me into vw beetles
2: My dad who got me into cars
3: Keith Seume
4: Kris Klingaman
5: Chacho Leyba(local antillian dragracer)
6: Dave Kawell
7: Cory Mac
8: Chris Bubetz
9: Jack Sacchette
10: Me ;D

        # 1         My wife Judy and my son Marc for the support all these years to put up with my hobby.
                      and to allow my car in the living room.

        # 2         Shaky Jakes for all of the help while I was building my show cars giving me advice.

        # 3         Rich Kimball for giving me the chance to be part of his team all these years Bug - In, Drag Days,VW Classics etc.

        # 4         Steve Tims for hiring me back in the early 70's and teaching me all about the VW world.

        # 5         Dean Kirsten / RK Smith for all of the great comments and great article in the magazine all around great people.

        # 6         Dyno Don / Ron Fleming good all around friends to be with and always very professional  in everything they do.

        # 7         Keith Seume recognizing the old timer in his Cal Look book and great person to talk to.

        # 8         Berg family  always there to support my needs and always very professional.

        # 9         All my friends who supported me over the years with my hobby too many name to remember.
                      Wayne Elam , Mike Fischer , Dan Lawson , Buddy Hale , Matt Howard, Bill Taylor, Hole family ,
                      Stephan Szantai, Rick Mortensen and many others but not enough room to write there name down.

        # 10       All of the businesses and promoters who supported my needs. And all VW clubs from back in the days.  

                     Thanks
                      Frenchy   ( Doctor Detail )               
  
      
                              
  

Hey guys, my list of the big influences... no especially well known folks, but they're the big names to me none the less. In no particular order:

No.1) My Dad, took me to the VW Action UK shows in the early 80's when I was knee high to a grass hopper... some of my best childhood memories are of riding in the back of his 1970 Beetle in the luggage area behind the back seat and falling asleep to the steady thrum of a flat four. Yeah, we didn't really have many toys ;) hehe...

No.2) Lee, my big bro. We mispent most of our youth together messing with old wrecks, and seem to be trying to ruin the rest of our lives doing more of the same!

No.3) Mark, my other big bro who let me help him build his first brit-come-cal looker in the late eighties. I say help, what I actually mean is he didn't get too mad when I sprayed his wheels black and managed to get over spray all over his new paint job on the bug itself...

No.4) Would be my cuz, Paul B, some of you may know him as poe... the time we spent at school together reading Volksworld instead of studying truly makes a mockery of the british education system :) Then the trips out more recently (school days are LONG gone) in his 2332cc 12 second street bug finally got me into SPEED.

No.5) John Walklett - a local guy who is a bit of a performace guru, knows his onions and is good company to boot. He also enjoys scaring the diddly out of me in his bug regularly.

No.6) Not one person - but two! The Brothers Lovatt - Chris & John, for always making my sides ache at any show or get together we have. Congrats on the birth of your little boy John!

No.7) KS - Cal Look book, just awesome and as far as I'm concerned steered the UK's scene in the direction to where it is today, turning out some awesome cars.

No.8) Brian Burrows, the man behind most of the shows we enjoy in the UK today.

No.9) Would be all the people in my local VW club - SAS VW's - we all get on so well and have so much fun, I look forward to another year of fun with you all!

No.10) My loving wife & kids for putting up with me & my VW obsession!!!

Cheers guys, great thread!

In no particular order just what comes off the top of my head and probably no well known people as such.

1. Ben Sedgewick.  He's the guy who first got me into VWs seeing his cool late 70's beetle (suppose it would be classed as resto cal these days) on my way to work every day in the very early 90s.

2. My mum and dad for putting up with all the old cars I then bought and for the multiple emergency calls and even helping me bump start my splittie most mornings.

3. Glen Dalton (49-Rag).  Just for all the good times hanging out in the 90s at shows and stuff.  Oh and also driving me to Newquay and back for Run to The Sun when I inadvertantly put too much oil in the splittie...... :-[

4. Jon Devereaux  >:(.  For draining my wallet of hard earned cash during the early 90's.

5. Alex Taylor (Defcon3).  For taking me for a ride in the Black Bitch and finally making me realise what owning a Cal Looker is all about. He's also one of the nicest and most honest guys around in the UK scence and his work is exemplary.

6. Pete Roberts (Funkenblitz/JG54).  He gets a lot of s**t thrown at him (okay he also throws a lot around as well!), but his dedication to the JG54 and UK Cal Look scene is inspirational.  He also likes to do things the right way which may take longer, but is worth it in the long run.

7. James Dore (JG54).  For being mad enough to drive my 58 Standard back from Germany (with Alex Taylor) to the UK on cross plys and cable brakes - fookin nutter!

8. Paul Medhurst (T3D and T2D).  For being THE Type 3 expert and one of the coolest guys to deal with as a paying customer.  His attention to his customers is top notch and if I ever buy another Type 3 (one day!) it will be from him again.

9. Brian Burrows.  For the commitment he shows to keeping the VW Show scene alive in the UK

10. My wife.  For being relatively supportive of my hobby and coming to shows and all the s**t that comes with it.  If only she knew how much my 58 was costing  :D

Thats it for today I think.  Great subject.

Mitch Elher

Doug Perry

Beaver

Dan Lawson

Frenchy Dehoux

Buddy Hale and his mom "Mona"

Matt Howard

DKP

Tony "the guru" Simon

VW Classic

I'll never stop building!

All of the founding members of DKK, not in any order of significance:

Paul Harris
Dee Phillips
Joe Larson
Mike Tucker
Tom Tucker
Bob Wargo
Mark Ramirez
Boyd Hauer
Roy Maple


DKP, you guys were awe inspiring with your quality cars.

I may have to update later. Sorry if I missed your name, it wasn't intentional; getting old is the shits. ;D

Kevan

  1. My Dad brought me home from the hospital in a splitty bus (yes my mom made the curtains) had a killer '63 rag and '66 Baja while I was growing up and for awhile ran a shop in Bellflower with my uncles called diversified V.W. firmly planting the "bug" in me.
  2.My uncle Lonnie  alwasy took the time to answer my questions at the shop.
  3. My uncle Floyd built the first 2180 I ever heard or felt and had an awesome baja.
  4.Daniel Kurtzman like a brother to me known him since he was 2 ha ha  he rekindled my VW spark by relying on me to help him with his super gas car, and was constantly pushing  me to finish mine. He is truly always there for me whatever I need.
  5. Bob Sagar I met Bob when I was about 13 or so racing R.C. cars he took a liking to me and used to talk V.W.s all the time. One of my fondest memories was going with him to Firebird raceway it must of been around 86 or 87 or so he ran pro turbo had a green bug with polka dots. I remember him taking me to Ron Lummus shop and I met Chris Bubetz Dave Perkins Dominic Lupino and others I was just some kid to them but I still remember being on the line during the burn outs and launches.
  6. Bill Tatti I've only known Bill a few years but I really admire and respect his integrity and knowledge.
  7. Clyde Berg  what a great guiy. Only known Clyde a few years also but he is an honest to goodness real guy much respect for him and his talents.
  8. The Berg Family for all they have done for the V.W. high performance community.
  9. Frenchy inspired me with his coral car with the plaid interior and his overall style of build.
 10. Hot V.W.'s magazine ya gotta have yer Hot V.W.'s

1.  Jim Ratto.  Met Jim early on when he was working at BH.  I remember going into BH and mentioned that I was having problems with my old 40-IDF's, Jim told me to bring my car to his house later that night and he'd try to sort them out.  I thought that was cool that he'd take the time to help out some punk kid who he barly knew  :)  Over the years, Jim became my GO TO man, if I had a engine related question I always knew that he'd give me the correct advise.  I remeber talking with him at Kelley Park and he told me to come to him when I was ready to build a REAL motor, and 8 months later I did.  He again, went out of his way to help.  And even recently with my new 2165, Jim was the guy that came up with the combo.  Besides all the help he's given me over the years, the stories are what I appreciate the most.  Hearing him talk about VW's or any car for that matter gets you motivated and enthused!  Thanks JIM!

2.  My Dad, He wasn't really a direct influence for chosing VW's, but he was always there to lend a hand when it came to pulling the motor or holding a flash light.  He helped talk my mom into the idea that me dropping 2K to by my Oval at age 16 was a good idea.  There were plenty of times in highschool where he was there to lend me a couple bucks for parts when thing went bad.

3.  Gilbert Perez.  My buddy from Livermore who I met shortly after getting my car.  He drive a 67' and he was always there to help out and vise versa.  We got into plenty of trouble cruising around (even getting arrested by Livermore's finest)

4.  Zenjoe Green.  A Buddy that I met at the same time whom I havn't spoken with in over 4 years.  He was a cool guy and was always keeping up on everything knew and shared any new knowlede with Gilber t and I.  He had a 65' with a nicely built 1776 and later converted to car to run a 12A Mazda Rotery. 

5.  Mark Herbert.  While I never knew him personally, He was a big influence!  He was usually the first person to answer questions when I would post on the old CLF, and his SSB was just so cool.  And of corse, the burn out video in the Black Bug was watched at least 5-times a day!

There's more, but I'm outta time  :-\

1. Caleb Kenney ( wouldn't have had my first VW without him)
2. Walter Stark (my mentor at German Auto Salvage- R.I.P. Walt)
3. Deb Dixon (customer of mine with a great 71 Bug that she loved. R.I.P. Deb)
4. Ian McCarthy (learned patience and love for the Karmann Ghia)
5. Jim Ratto (most of the stuff on my car was ordered from him)
6.Terry Griffin (my old boss- helped me out with the car)
7. My mom (buying a German car is rebellious in my household)
8. Cat Spediacci (She has the VW I'm trying to make, but can't fund)
9. Todd Crum (my friend, the guy I call when I'm in a VW jam. The master)
10. Me. What would my little VW be without me. It gives me as much personality and I give it.

Great topic! Allright, here we go:

1. My Dad - Even though he's into British cars. From a very young age, he took me to tons of car shows, swapmeets, junkyards and bought me car magazines. He taught me the fundamentals of wrenching. I remember helping him bleed the brakes in one his Morris Minors when I was about six years old. I had to sit on the floor to reach the pedals!

2. My uncle Dan-He sold me first car (the 67 Bug I still have) for $50 when I was 12 years old. It was also his first car. It had 199,603 miles when I got it and it ran. Sort of.

3.Eddie Radillo - One of my oldest friends. We met when we both worked at K-Mart in 1992. He is the most hardcore Bug hot-rodder that I know. He's the guy who will tear his car apart over and over again, changing one little thing to get that extra 10th of a second out of it. He helps me build my engines and amswers all my dumb questions. He's the guy who will drive an 11 second Bug to work and back every day, even in the snow.

4. Dayton Painter - Owns our local VW machine shop, Painter's Grinding. He always let me hang around watching everything, asking dumb questions and let me have parts on credit when I was short on funds.

5. Keith Seume - For giving us the California Look book

6. John Farrara - Owned a VW parts store called Smokin' Small Car Parts a long time ago. I worked for him for a few months. I think I spent more than I made.  ;D


That's all I can thing of for now...

1. Herbie -  I loved that little 53 as a kid!
2. Uncle Pat - My first bug ride in a 67, I was so small i couldn't see out of the window!
3. Keith Seume - for THE BOOK
4. Volksworld magazine - Whilst other guys at school were looking at Playboy.
5. Dad - For helping me buy and modify my first bug at the 'I know diddly squat age of 15!
6. Mum - For encouraging me to work on Bugs, Because she said Quote: ' At least it keeps you off the streets and stops you sniffing glue!'.
7. James Wotton - Vee Dub, Welling for working on my bug, being a decent guy and not ripping me off like other so called VW specialists in Kent.
8. Jon Rathbone - For letting me crew for him at the drags.
9. Richie Webb - For being so helpful and informative at the old LDD meets, for cups of tea at his place and bringing outlaw flat four to my attention.
10. The boys from Kent - For the best shows, inspiration, Chimay drinking and bratwurst eating competitions and giving me stick to get off my arse!

At first I thought it would be hard to think of 10, now i can think of so many, tried to put it into order, theres so many more people, I am still meeting people every year who I would add to the list, you got to love this hobby of ours!

Rob

Well, influence can be many things. I am - mainly - an engine guy, so people that knew and know stuff about that end are the main influence for me.
In random order:

Frank Andersen,
Jørn Dalsgaard,
Gerd Joost,
Greg Aronson,
Pat Downs,
Bo Kristiansen (Owner of West Speed)
John Brewster (Former manager of Autocavan Ipswich)
Keith Seume & wife, for keeping on rocking, even when it gets tough. (Hi Keith. It´s been a while)
Johannes Persson, for opening the possibllity for even more type 1 super street power.
Old man Berg. You cant really get around him.
T

The list is longer than 10 but here are the VW people who influenced my involvement in and lifelong participation in the VW hobby:

1. Don Ward - Der Wagon Shop in Orangevale, California, who in 1970 blew me away with a bug that had a giant VW motor in it. Decided I had to sell my 56 Chevy and buy one (a VW).
2. Mike Laurmann - (1970)The VW Mechanic at Sunrise Motors in Citrus Heights, California, who took an uneducated VW motor guy and turned my 1300cc 66 bug into a 1968cc, 40P11 topped rocket ship toy. 
3. Ray Vallero - VW mechanic and Drag Racer from NIELLO VOLKSWAGEN in 1971. His machine work and VW enthusiasm that got me into more serious VW engines.
4. Dave Vanderbeke (1971?)- A crazy VW drag racer I talked with at a points race in Sacramento...where I also saw the Econo Motor modified compacts of Darrell Vittone and other VW guys like the Schley's.  What a weekend that ruined me.
5. John Stafford (1977)- Who allowed me to announce early Sacramento Bug-O-Rama's, including the one with the largest California Caravan, who later encouraged me to start my own event in Phoenix when I moved there from Fair Oaks, California.
6. GENE BERG - One of my first major sponsors for the First Arizona Bug-Run and later all my Phoenix Bug-O-Rama events through event 31. He was a mentor in many regards, a friend and someone I was fortunate to know beyond the rumor mill...He was nothing but a great support and encouragement to me.
7. Dean Lowry - Personal friend and who did my heads until passing away. We spent some quality time together...one was to a PRA meeting in Cal one year and time we spent together when I built the first set of IRS arms for his Chopped PRO Sedan (first in the 9's naturally aspirated w/o nitrous)
8. Gary Berg - For raising the bar on what a Cal Look Street car should be with his 67 Bug (which I patterned one of mine after). For a great time every time I have had a chance to interact with him...and for being a stand up guy when it comes to knowing his stuff and doing first class work.
9. Don Bulitta - One opinionated friend but always someone who is who he is...and a friend through the good and the bad. One heck of a talented automotive electrician who has helped me on my projects.
10. Hundreds of great VW editors (Dean Kirsten, Keith Seume and others), enthusiasts, sponsors, racers (Dick & Cory McClenathan who were always gentlemen and appreciative of the work a promoter went to), car show people (Frenchy DeHoix to name one specifically, who raises the bar when it comes to detail), swappers and VW lovers who made my years in promoting events something that kept me anchored in the hobby. Plus the great people we met during the years of doing the BERG Cruise, including dealers and VW event promoters.  The greatest of all these VW supporters was the Milwaukee Policewoman who I talked into letting us to burnouts in the street next to concours motors in 1996. A truly unique experience!

Rick Mortensen

there are so many people that have had an influence on me.  Here are  just a few by chronological order when I met them.

  1. my teacher in  primary school (  Swiss elementary school )
  2. Hot Vws magazine
  3. Dave Rhoads ( his car was......and still is one of my favorites )
  4. Herbert Rausch ( a canadian, lives in switzerland, build one of the first cal lookers in switzerland out of german steel. Very
      international hmmmmm? By the way one of the founders of EINHEIT 11 back in the 80s and still krzn the streets of CH.
  5. Frank Fabozzi ( if im right he worked for custom car in Azusa CA or i met him there back in the late 80s )
  6. Jim Sandoval ( worked for Johnnys Speed & Chrome. He sold a 1835 GEX motor to me )
  7. Jacky Morel ( Super VW Mag / brought the cal look to EU with its great magazine )
  8.  Keith Seume ( no Mercy.....one of the most famous race beetles in EU back then )
  9. Colin Burnham ( his cool book Air - Cooled Volkswagens )
10.  Don Heckmann ( Painter of Tim Allens Home improvment TV Show Hot Rod / we worked together for Hot Rods by Magoos )

thanx to all these people i was  falling in love with Volkswagens and still love building and krzn my cars. Thank U all. TOM

 I have eight:

1- My father-If it was not for him I would not have been into drag racing at all He tried to break me in on 409's. But fell in love with VW's after watching Mike Ragasa make a pass at the first Brotherhood raceway.

2- Steve Wade- As soon as I saw Steve's car at the age of 10 I always hoped and dreamed that someday the car would be mine. 15 years and still looking for it by the way.

3-Mike Mabe- Tought me a street car can look great and haul ass at the same time. Loved how the car lauched.

4-Bruce Lowry- He built one of three drag cars I admired the most. Tried to find it for years. Found out it was it was purchased for cheap reapainted to look like an early gasser at was sold for an outrageous price. What a shame I loved the car white with the yellow windows and the satin finished centerlines.

5-Dan Hauglestine- An other one of my favorite racers to watch when I was a kid. Saw the car crash at Palmdale during the race for the gold series.

6-Mike Ragasa- Loved the car used to see it all the time. The car besides Steve Wade's Quaterflash is the reason I got into VW's Wanted the car really bad. Will never forgive Dyno for selling it to Bear. When he sold that car He sold a bit of my childhood.

7- Dean Lowry- My father and I met him at OCIR when he was with his daughter Marla. What a humble and pleasent man. Really down to earth for man with such history behind him . I will never forget that day

8- Bob Hole- Loved watching him race Nast Habit. Car ran a small turbo motor. Just shows that bigger is not better.

I only have 7 :

1. First above everything my dad, it's thanks to him I'm into old and fast cars, and he always helps me on my rides ! ;D

2. The guy that filmed the first movie The Love Bug, if I remember well the first time I saw a bug was in this movie.

3. Jacky Morel of Super VW Magazine because it's in this mag that I discovered what you can do with a vw ! The first issue I bought was #76 (december 1995 !).

4. Keith Seume for The Book.

5. The DAS guys for their awesome cars. 8)

6. A guy that droves his type 2 bus on the road next to my house when I was a child, I was always looking at him and his bus ! Never saw him or the bus again since at least 15 years...

7. Every cal-looker here on the lounge and everywhere for the inspiration.

1. Danny gabbard- great friend for over 25 years, talked each other into and out of a shit load of vw's
2. Brent kooiman- same as above
3. Shawn middleton- best friend from high school, totally into vw's then, wouldnt touch one now
4. Ogle byers- dannys neighbor across the street, gave me my first "idiot" book and said"read it idiot"
5. Kerry lewis- my uncle who sold me my first vw, and helped me work on it
6. DKK- evryone in that club was cool
7. DKPIII- everyone in that club is cool
about it for me

Great thread!

1) My Dad. Not for VW's, but for the time we spent together working on his projects.
2) My older Brother Bruce. Still shares the VW madness with me, he drives about the cleanest VW Baja you've ever seen, and he's talking once again about building another Cal-Looker. He's the kind of guy that you want to do things together with. He taught me so much when I was young, I was able to return the favor later.
3,4,5) Rich Denham, Clyde Ford, Bob ??(I forgot his last name). Neighborhood VW guys, all of 'em talented, all of 'em let the pesky VW kid (me) hang out and work on my car and learn from them.
6) Marc Souter. Nice guy and knew how to build a Cal-Looker.
7,8) Herb Roberts, Hugh Teitsworth aka H&H Motors. My first job as a VW Mechanic. They hired me at 18 years old... I thought I knew it all... Those guys ran a quality shop and they patiently taught me the "right way"
9) Gene Berg. He and I spent some quality time in a parking lot behind a pizza parlor after a rally. He taught me some basics on dual carbs that I still use today. I bought a lot of parts from G.B. over the years.
10)John Rayburn... Bona-fide VW nut and good friend for 25+ years... Thanks for all of the encouragement John, I'll be out tearing up the streets in the Oval in 2009.   I promise.

I could go on...

Honorable mention, The Lounge.
It's been a lot of fun sharing stories with like minded good people from all over the world. The memories, stories, photos have helped motivate me to get back in to VW's.

~DR.

I was fortunate to have some great friends mentor me from day one. Here are my top 10 VW influences:

1. Mike Laurmann - VW/Porsche Mechanic at Sunrise Automotive in Citrus Heights, California, in 1970
2. Ray Vallero - VW Mechanic at Niello VW dealership in Sacramento, California when I first met him in 1971.
3. Sandy Braden - First Cal Look (pre-cal look era guy) in Sacramento, California in 1971, who had a 57 oval that had a PAUTER 92mmx73mm REVTRUE motor, aluminum wheels and CROWN close ratio gears in his street car.
4. Dean Lowry - Whom I met for the first time in 1972 when DDS was actually discussing closing. I drove from Sacramento to look at his chopped white sedan with Purple and Yellow accents and DDS running across the roof along the drip rails on each side. At the time he was selling it there was a 5 speed gearbox in it.  I could have owned it for $2500 minus motor. I was destined to have a chop to drive. Later Dean honored me by asking me to build the rear suspension for the last Chopped drag sedan he built. The car left hard and ran high 9's at Sears Point on the first outing with my rear suspension on the car.
5. Gary Berg - For his openess and sharing information about his first generation 67 when I first saw it at a BUG-IN, carrying the wheels in competition.  That same event he raced against GENE in the BLACK family race car. Later, after rebuilding the car after his terrible wreck, he took me for a spin in the new Minerva Blue version and I decided to build my next 67 like his.
6. Gene Berg - Who when overseeing the RACE for the GOLD helped form a group of racers to support our first BUG-RUN event in Arizona in 1984. I was priveledged to get to know Gene, Dee and the family through their years of generous support.  Always enjoyed discussions with GENE and the boys.  More VW talent in one family than I think has ever existed.
7. John Isaacs - A VW engine builder in Arizona when I first move there in 80 from Sacramento, California.  John was the first guy I met when I arrived in Phoenix. I had a ton of VW performance parts I was selling at the time and he came and laid down $2,000 for some of them.
8. Mike Fischer - Who I met second in Arizona and has done my machine work for the past 26 years on all my engine projects. Mike is very pragmatic and pays attention to detail and things that keep motors running.
9. Steve Hollingsworth - One of the best all around VW mechanics I have ever met.  He does all the little things that no one else does...that make a difference for longevity.
10. ALL VW ENTHUSIASTS WHO FOR 21 YEARS GRACIOUSLY ATTENDED FIRST MY BUG-RUN EVENTS in 1984 and later for 20 years attended all the Phoenix Bug-O-RAMA events.  They kept my VW enthusiasm alive for 2 decades. People like Dean Kirsten (Best VW Editor/writer in our industry), Bill Taylor (For years of hard work helping the PRA come into being), Doug Mische (Talented Engineer and King of the One Liners), Bernard Newberry & wife Carol (great hosts), Don Bulitta (most loyal friend a guy could have), Sil Modesti (best TIG welder on the planet), and Frenchy DeHoix who like myself and the rest of us, are a lot of old guys who still share the enthusiasm for VWs that got us into this hobby to begin with over 38+ years ago.

Rick Mortensen

Hey Rick, that's cheating! You've posted two lists!  ;D

I agree a 2nd set should be allowed as things change..... see new topic

I have to break mine up into "Era's"

In my formative years, ages 14 thru 18...
Darrell Vittone
Dave Vanderbeke
Ron Fleming
These guys are responsible for putting me on the drag race path. I'd never met any of them, but read of their activities in the magazines of the time (Late 60's, Early 70s). I now count Ron Fleming as one of my "race buddies". Ron remains an inspiration.

I left the VW scene for a time and upon my return in the late 90s, it was pretty much "Cal Look," dancing on the outer edge of streetability and Drag racing...
Jim Karforski. His car set the tone for the Blue car.
Mike Gagen. He welcomed me into the fold, convinced me to come to the VW events and got me involved in DRKC. Mike and Art Guiterrez set he tone for DRKC right at the start and my goal was to compete at their level.
Scott Bakken. We met at the Vegas event in 2000. Actually in the hotel parking lot. We've been good friends ever since. The attention to detail he practices should be an inspiration to anyone.
Pat Downs. He was there for me to help me compete in DKRC. His work ethic and passion for his craft is second to none.

At the conclusion of our run in DRKC in '03 it was on to PRA competition, and these guys have been an inspiration and shown me and others that we compete head to head and be good friends all at the same time.
Allen Wiess
John Scheurger
Doug Berg.

I thank you all. You guys are the reason we are involved.

hmmm,  :-\
1, my bro jay for getting me hooked in the 1st place
2, ian clarke
3, "lil jay" reynolds, i loved that 67
4, mr keith zoom
5, peter englezos
7, paul bate
8, dean lowry, the guvnor
9,simon & shane, paintbox
10, greg aronson, for defining the look

#1 don oper the most talented fabricator-machinest i've ever met #2 joni bathurst -got me back into vws about 1981-2 #3 randy long- like a brother, always there to help and talk me into buying another vw. #4-mark voegty very talented machinest, engine builder. #5 Jeff denam - another good fabricator, engine builder. #6 dan fink- made me step up my fab skills when I worked for him. #7- all the guys from DKK that are still into it like glen,bill,greg,rick they all know who they are.#8 phil remington the head fabricator for dan gurney when I worked there. #9 brent koolman probably my first vw related friend close to 30 years ago and still into it and building cars. #10-ogle byer for being my suto-dad and helping me and my shop out in more ways than one #11 my great girl friend Karen for putting up with the shit when I'm working on something, very patient.

Mike,

First of all, I have Eric Vaughn doing a set of front wheels for me.  Can't wait to get them.

Breaking the list into an era is probably even more realistic.  Over the years, as I met more and more people, each one had even greater influences on me. It is hard to remember and list all the great people...hoping not to miss anyone and offiend. 

Good idea about era perspectives.

Rick M

Interesting topic with lots of untold stories behind them too 8)

1. my dad - got me into `dubs even though we don`t agree on much else..

2. colin burnham - from his influence in street machine magazine to his own red `looker & book

3. keith seume - for custom car `vwxyz`, TLF 25, volksworld, the cal look bible, an orange fastback, ultra vw & whatever else he`s  got planned 8)

4. wray morrison - always up for playing with dubs!

5. dale clark - for starting up the club which brought a lot of us together

6. russell ritchie - like going to a show with a tazmanian devil... ;)

7. the dkp guys

8. the off guys

9. the paintbox - artists! 8)

10. last but not least the wife - jo

Thanks Rick

I hear ya on not listing everyone or missing people. There are dozens and dozens, yourself included, that I can list as to why we do this......thing we do! It's all about the people!

And I know you'll be very happy with those wheels!

Hey Keith...my age is showing. I loose track of how many times I an posting! LOL

Will you be at the 2013 classic?

RM

Well, Rick brought this long dormant thread back up after 5 years. It was a pretty cool read down memory lane on many of the names, so I thought I'd play as well.

1. This is a combo - Lynn and Ron Rosevear for allowing me to work at Auto Haus in the mid 70's. I was Not a VW guy when I started there, I was more of an "original" mini truck (before they became goofy bed dancing, ass dragging useless things) and Sports Car guy. Since Auto Haus was adding more import and sporty car stuff, they thought I might be of some help.

2. John Lazenby and Pat McMahon - Pat was the Costa Mesa store manager who recommended me and John was the one who essentially hired me. Although John was no longer a VW owner at that time (driving a Green Bavaria and then the maroon 5 series BMW, one of the first in the area) his knowledge and stories taught me a lot about VW's, even if I was too dumb to realize it at the time. Pat was building a Baja for Pro Rally and I learned a lot working on that car - he has been a lifelong friend.

3. My Auto Haus Co-Workers and DKP friends of that era - OK I'm counting the following names all together as they contributed to my VW schooling - Doug Mische, Roger Graco, Stan Davis, Horrible Hansen, Fast Eddie Craig, Mark Melbreth, Dug Bug, Mike Martinez (who gave me a pair of DKP stickers when I helped work on Graco's car after the crash), Dave & Ron Greiner - there are many other from those days 35+ years ago that I am forgetting

4. Chuck Babbitt - Shakey doing his thing right in the showroom of Auto Haus Costa Mesa changed my outlook on pinstriping, detail, and subtly for ever. HE is the reason that Ruby the 66 will be dechromed with fine floating lines where the side trim used to be. Plus we had many good conversations over the years that influenced my outlook on life.

5. Bob Giese - a legend in Off Road VW lore, but also did Indy cars and many other forms of racing. One of the best fabricators I ever met, willing to teach a young punk and someone I owe a lot too. He taught me that I could cut and weld metal too.

6. The Magazine guys and Photographers - from DB&HVW to VW Trends. R.K. Smith, I still count him as a friend, Judy Smith, The Wright's, Dean Kirsten (not to mention our mutual love for Anglia's), Bruce Simurda, Bob Clark, the Parkhurst's who did the first issue of Hot VW's as a Cycle World special mag, Jere Alhadeff  - without these folks bringing us the goings on and features, none of this would have ever grown like it did.

7. Roger Crawford  - As a customer he would talk about his VW motor ideas back then, he also was responsible for my leaving Auto Haus, but he didn't know it. He had complained that the "new" IDF's that we were selling were not the right ones for VW use, they were set up for some Italian car. I reported this at our Manager's meeting and apparently Lynn took offense to it and threatened to fire me, so a few weeks later I decided to leave for another Import Parts store, which started a chain of events that led to me starting The Mini Truck Store

8. I only had our first Cal Look car for a short time in the 70's (with the Mike Martinez supplied DKP decals), like only a couple of months. In the early 90's I restored Malcolm Smith's famous off road race car while working for Jerry Penhall (Hot VW's September 92 issue) and got the "bug" for another, so I started building a Tube Frame Baja Bug, but just before it was finished a guy who worked for Mesa West just had to have it and it went away. I kind of forgot about VW's again until I hired the next guy on my list - Bloody Chris Ashworth to work in my Hot Rod Shop. We became friends and he told me of his love and history with VW's in his native England. Well this got me thinking about them again. I closed the shop and Chris started Romance With Rust and he found the car that I now have - my '66. So I have to Blame/Thank him for getting me back into this sport.

9. Most important - DAD. Although he was Not a VW guy (although he had toyed with the idea of building both a Manx and a Brubaker Box in the 70's), he was a Jazz Musician who was a car guy. He had a run of British Sports Cars and motorcycles that he was always tinkering with and that started my obsession with all things with motors and wheels. And he was thrilled when I bought my Sunbeam Tiger race car (which was during my Auto Haus years)

I'm sure more folks will come to mind as I think about this a bit more

John, you were a bit of a "Hard Nose" and even a bit "Stiff", but we just reckoned that it was cuz you were upper management and we were just Peon's  - even as store manager's  ;D I know most of us respected you though!

I will never forget first meeting Jeff Kymla, he had come into a little money and decided to go off road racing. He bought a Class 9 car, trailer and a New Dodge van. He came in the Costa Mesa store to buy some stuff and ask advice. Pat, Dug Bug and I sold him a bunch of stuff - current harnesses, some spares parts, wheels and tires - and became friends. Even went to Riverside Raceway with him when he raced the thing at the Mickey Thompson races there. Went to some crazy parties at his house as well. He and Dug in particular became good friends. He spent and partied a bit too much and needed a job and I recommended him to join us at Auto Haus. Those were some good times.

John, you are right about that amount - or very close at least. It was a trust inheritance from his father's passing IIRC that he got when he turned a certain age - 18 or 19 I think. And you were spot on, not only with what he was doing, but your advise as well. Sage words of wisdom that was a life lesson well learned not only for Jeff, but made some of the rest of us think a bit as well.