The Cal-look Lounge

Guys

Look at this link

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2433274#2433274 (http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2433274#2433274)

coments please ?

I thouight there was 2 of the 1st one....

the 1st 1 was an oval but i think had a larger window put in to save weight, however if you check the pics on Speedwells site you will see that the square window car has the proper small vents under the window, surely they did not change the rear roof section on the car too ? could this mean that there is a 3rd one ?

By the way big thanks to martin Gold turbo beetle for the heads up on this one, cheers

There is no way the car this guy is talking about is the original Inch Pincher. The cars story until it disappeared to Mexico is way to well documented by both people and pictures. And it certainly was a 56, not a 53.

When it comes to the big rear window I think they must have used a whole rear roof section. It's almost impossible to put a larger rear window in an oval without using the correct vents, at least if it's going to look half decent. In some pictures it even looks like the front window is larger, but you can see here (in one of my all time favorite VW pictures) that it has the correct front window.

I been thinking about this i know what door it is i have seen a photo of it. It is off a Empi car but not the Inch Pincher will call you tomorrow Russell.

Another bull sh*t Inch Pincher story, I'm afraid. Don't get excited Russell, it isn't 'the' car. Three IPs were built, two by Vittone, one by EMPI New York. Latter in Tokyo, the first became the second (well, the chassis did, anyway) and that was that. A '1953 Oval' Inch Pincher is no Inch Pincher at all.  :-[

For some time I assumed that the flower power vinyl roof was there to hide all the welding involved in the rear roof section swap (a common trick at the time) but it got the big window before the flower roof.

Anybody ever found orange paint when restoring a set of real BRMs?

I'll pay top dollar for the doors if found. Email me! 8)

Someone that can speak Spanish, and has nothing but time and money to burn should go down to Mexico and try to dig up what really happened to The Inch Pincher.
Or maybe we should all get together and see if they will put the story on the TV show Unsolved Mysteries  :D
(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g265/racebug67/stack1a.gif)

What I cant get my head around is that this IS a mystery... this happened in the seventies!, that's not that long ago, hell even I remember stuff from the seventies,  how come no one remembers??  Those who was into VW's at the time surely knew what a famous bug "Inch pincher too" was. Even though it was past its prime they would have remembered that their cousins neighbour owned it for some time or remembering seeing it parked in some yard... that car didn't easily blend in...

And how about on the other side of the border, one of the stories says it was sold to Mexico and broken up down there, the most lightly suspects would be Mexican drag racers, as the parts of this car would not have been very street friendly. And I guess a guy who has the original tube front suspension of the Inch Pincher on his car would be quite proud of it, or the gear box... You would think that the Mexicans that were into vw drag racing at the time "IP Too" was broken up could remember anything??


And how about that story of a guy buying a Chassis and mounting the first IP body on to drive home to Mexico.. is that a bogus story to? Since a door has showed up I mean... but that still leaves a question, is this door a steel 56 VW door, or a Empi fibreglass (late) door?? There should have been at least two sets of doors to IP (one).

I don't think we will ever find out about this stuff......    but, PROVE ME WRONG!!  :) 

look on the background ;D

I think this is the picture you're trying to show...  ;)
(http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t318/Photokernow/InchPinch.jpg)

yes JHU !!
I have with the current on the drag inch pincher too is in Mexico in the mountain since the year, it does not move!!
the owner of Tar babe told me that here

I cant believe someone who owns the tar babe would know where the IP is, and leave it there. Are there many mountains in mexico?  ;)

Si.

my friend of super VW mag was in Mexico for the report, it  told me
he was visit his garage of air cooled in centre town, he met the owns of Tar babe, he discussed like the culture VW, his owns of Tar babe, he said that I know the owns inch pincher is in Mexico but in the mountain in top, normally my friend  must go to see inch pincher unfortunately the rain is strong, he  cannot not gone it is high!!  here
thanks liou 

Liou PM moi en français stp
amitiés
Gunter

I was having a look at that thread yesterday and thought the Inch pincher is not in Mexico after all. Its in Peru, part of the legend of El Dorado.

I think its legendary status and the cold trails it has produced makes it cool if it was never found. IMHO

i find this cool pictures where empi team fit the news inchpincher2 body on old floor pan

cool pics empicollector!

Liou, can your friend get pictures? I assume the owner knows what it is he has got?

Si.

no my friend did not go to see inch pincher because of time  is bad and it is very high mountain!!  it is thus missed the next time  okay

I would like to see the mountain stopping me from checking out the Inch Pincher!  :o

Did Anyone Notice the EMPI 8 SPOKES on The Trailer??? ;D ;D

sorry keith there's 4 IP were built  ::)  3 by darrell vittone and one by richard guarino of new york , the  first IP2 was an off raos car , only after the second grag were built they names him the IP2 why?? i don't know may be to continue the name of the first drag
did someone know what it's happened to the off road car , i had some pictures from this one but never know the end story from this one  ???

Eye Eye keith wrong again !  ;D

;D ;D ;D

Anyone Know anything about this Car It is an Oval??

the guys who's liou talking is JD COLLOMBET from super vw magazine and this 's what he said in the magazine : - it would seem that inch pincher is also in trimmings of Mexico City, alas for lack of time, it will be impossible to go to the address indicated to know some more  ::)

yes gary it's the oval  which will become inch pincher later here it is at the time of the nassau grand prix  into 63 or 64? driven by DAN GURNEY

here's the cover from a foreign car guide with DAN GURNEY with his trophy at nassau grand prix in 64

Hi Shubee, thats the 56 as far as I am aware. It was the one later updated with a big window on the back.

What do you guys reckon was the cooler, IP 1 or IP 2?

although IP 1 was the original, I would have to say that if I saw the IP2 with that paint job stuck in a barn somewhere I think I would have an accident.

Si.

el dub got a postcard of IP2 with the new owner on the pictures above you've got all the parts inside the IP2
may be El dub could post a scan of the postcard  ;D

here's the postcard with the ip2 with jim carlson and the details  ;)

Only drag racing spoken here...  ;)

Was the Inch Pincher not the only car ever to be on the front page of Time magazine. I think the picture was from the rear although it was so long ago I might have been going through my really heavy alcohol era  ;D

oh yes thanks fabian ;D ;D ;D ;D,

anybody knows something more on the ET WHEELS on the IP? it's at the bottom of the part list

Why Dose this Deck Lid Say "The Inch Pincher"  IV ?

that is a very good replica car of the inch pincher here in the uk.
it now has a silly aluminuam rear wing.

gary here's a pictures from the IP4(UK)

 ;)

another  one but this time at the EBI with the alu wings  :-[ and light wheels

let us return to our sheep ;D : inch pincher 1

Notice how the UK replica is based on a 58 or later body?  The windscreen doesn't look right, too tall.

I didnt notice until you metioned it ;D That is an awesome paint scheme. It would be cool to paint a daily driver with some gasser graphics, pinstriping, and lettering.

BTW I speak fluent spanish. If anyone would like to buy me a plane ticket to mexico and give me the location of the elusive IP 1. I would love to track it down. ;D Alguien?? Si?? No??

Photo by Glen Miller

In fairness, I don't think Travis set out to build a 100 per cent accurate replica so much as an 'inspired by' racer. It is a hell of a car, so beautifully detailed. The wing's been added because he now wants to go REAL fast! Bitchin' car in every respect!

I got to have a real close look at Travis's car at Ebi its a real piece of rolling art and quick to boot.

 I think it was his dad who said it had 20 odd coat of clear lacquer because of the size of the metal flake in the base coat.

As for the wing I think if I was going that quick (doesn’t it run tens now) I would want some extra down force as well 8)

JHU wrote:

yeah thats what I was thinking to

And the guy works for a VW magazine??????????????????????????????

Yes, indeed. About the same time period, late '80s, I got a call out of the blue here at the office. This one concerned the Inch Pincher One body..... As I recall, this guy had the body sitting in his backyard under a tarp and wanted to sell the main body only, but the doors were not for sale. No price was given, as I told him that the body was almost worthless (famous last words on my part), without the doors. With that, the conversation ended, and I never heard another thing about it. I believe the caller was from the Riverside area. I think this guy called the magazine in hopes to find someone who may want the body, and I just happened to be the one that answered the phone.

How about drill and tap an engine (fully assembled) for a full flow....

I think for anybody that has worked in the VW aftermarket, some odd stories could come out of weird phone calls. I once had a guy call us wanting to know if we stocked the milling tool that could bore for larger barrels with motor in car.
[/quote]

That story reminds me of winter days spent boring blocks with my Dad obviously not VW though. We used a milling tool called a Van Norman thats all I can remember as I was only 10 :)

Thats winter days in Scotland  :'(

Fortunately for us, these clowns that make up these stories don't do even basic research.  Here is the last time around:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=123373

cool looking car ;D

i thought the inch pincher was somewere in south america and james dean and elvis were driving it!

That is all so funny! Even I get a mention...  ::) ;D

Sorry abit late to reply on this but Travis's car is excellent and full credit to him for building running and improving it, the spolier may not be to everyones liking but WOW it has some autographs on it, id use it.

Have any photos of this " doghouse" sufaced? Or what about photos from the guy in Mexico that says he knows where it is??