The Cal-look Lounge

http://www.hotvws.com/news2.php?contentID=129

I'm looking forward greatly to reading the full story on this one... apparently, from what I saw posted on Facebook, it's been hiding out in a small town north of Phoenix, Arizona, for more than 40 years... which begs the question where is the rest of the body shell and/or body parts? 

An amazing find, that's for sure. Has anyone got a copy of that photo with the Inch Pincher Too sat outside a garage and the original body sat inside? I think there was one door off the shell, which could be why this door has survived.

I saw it yesterday. Unbelievably cool 8)

I guess it's the door used up until they started using  the later fiberglass doors (67?), by the way, isn't that a ribbed door?

Yes, this door is ribbed.

 ;)

That's the one! The Archivist strikes again! :D

here're the 2 doors ,on the left the one founded , on the right the 65->
note some difference on the inch pincher name and riverside

the line below the empi logo is just on (early doors) and more below on the 65->
note the difference between the riverside name and on the 65 door there a point between riverside and california and on the early one it's a comma

I don't believe the door in the shed is the same as the one that was found. First, I *think* that the shed door is post 1965 with a larger window. Secondly, I can't see any hinge damage, but that could possibly be before then. Mostly however, the "DRIVER... DARRELL VITTONE" is placed more to the left on the door in the shed.

  For pleasure ?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :D :D :D :D :D

What is the "thing" with the N°1 ?! It looks awesome !  :o

Seems like the place to post this..................
Pete Eastwood is currently restoring the digger up front, but it's the background that's most interesting (along with the two guys who are gawking at the dragster).  That's Joe Vittone standing by the inch pincher.  Lots of neat details.  Enjoy.



[attachment=2]

Holding this door, and see that photo above, with Joe and Darrell Vittone there at Pomona, gives me chills to think where this door has been... I got to thinking, since the Inch Pincher One is hopefully still down in Mexico somewhere, but surely repainted, chopped or ?, this door is most likely the only thing left painted in Inch Pincher colors and art work!

Its the left side, but it does look like the same paintjob on the door?

Winternationals 1970
(http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=22101.0;attach=69422;image)

The only time I ever saw it was at the 1967 AHRA Winternationals at Beeline Dragway here in Arizona.  Gotta love that paisley roof...!

The door found was on the car BEFORE the paisley roof was added.

By 1970, the Inch Pincher had production Empi fiberglass doors on it, made from '65 and later window size. The door we found was made from a '55 and earlier "ribbed" door, used before the flamed paint job with the paisley top.

I know about the later 'glass doors, but in that picture I posted looks like it's an older small window door, with what looks like the same exact paintjob as the "found" door (empi globe just touching the pinstriping)

that picture was taken at Dallas during the World Finals in 70

here's a picture of inch pincher at the  1970 world finals in Dallas
check the doors those "ribbed" one  for me the fiberglass 65-> doors were around late 68 early 69  check on the picture vs the dds car it was at bug in 1

It appears that there were three sets of doors used on this car: steel, early ribbed fiberglass, and later/flanged fiberglass.

i don't stop watching photos of IP and i 've found something interesting about the doors  , i will let you know tomorrow  , that's something i 've never paid attention before 
 ;)

While this find may not rank as the Holy Grail of the VW world (the Inch Pincher2 yet to come to light), it's certainly one of the greatest of the crown jewels.
How it's been hidden away for 40+ years is a story that I am eager to hear.
To all of you photo archivist's, Thank You for filling in gaps as to the different incarnations of the IP1.
I hope we all will get to see a current photo of the door taken with Darrell.

You're such a tease!  ;D

dean , here we go

on those pictures inch pincher had the 252 I/G number so i suppose it was the same day , and it was at OCIR
if you look closely , the driver doors is the 65 model (The line over the empi logo is higher)
and if you look the passenger door , it the "ribbed" one ( and the line over the empi logo is just on the top of this one )

thus inch pincher ran with 2 differents doors on the same car
I surrounded the differences
[attachment=1]
driver door is the 65->  car with  252 number
[attachment=2]
passenger door is early one car had still the 252 number
[attachment=3]
on this one you can see the passenger door opened and we can see clearly that it was the early one and if you zoomed on the  driver door you can see the line higher than the early one and the difference between the door mount and quater rear window mount


 

Cool find.

The door posted at the beginning of the thread is  driver side not passenger side.

lawrence it just to show that inch pincher had both type of doors  on her/him   . the doors are different from side to side!

;-)

What an awesome find Deano! Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the Inch Pincher an early oval car and later big back window was grafted in without any air vents? I think the door you found was the very first original door that was assembled with the car. Anyone have any dash pics of the car?

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff84/49-rag/384591_10150453222642743_623767742_10396606_263825886_n.jpg

That pic with Dean Lowry is the original steel door. The Inch Pincher was a '56, the fiberglass door found was based off of a '55 and earlier door. The big back window was grafted in when this fiberglass door started being used.

I would say the ribbed 'glass doors were used before the roof was covered with the material. Which by the way, had to be done to cover all the paint, and filler that flaked off when the car was in a very cold part of the county overnight, Kansas?

would say that was on this version of inch pincher that the door was

Looks like it! good job!  :)

Do you know when was that picture taken?

would say  in  1968

I would say it's earlier than 1968.  When I saw it at the 1967 AHRA winternationals it already had the paisley roof. 

I feel fortunate to have seen both Dean Lowry and Darrell Vittone drive this car in competition, before it was taken apart and sidelined here in the States. So to me, to see and touch this door after sitting in the rafters for over 40 years, is quite special. And for those who never saw the famous Inch Pincher run at the NHRA Winternationals, or early Bug-Ins, I guess this door is proof that it really did exist and kick some serious Detroit butt back in the day. As Bug-In 39 rolls around again in two weeks, Darrell Vittone will be racing once again, as well as Paul Schley. I am looking forward to reliving those days once again with all these "old farts"....