The Cal-look Lounge

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Nico it is an honor for Tickled Pink to have a thread.
The owners over the last 25+ years have treated her very very well.

It was built in 85/86 and then in 87/88 we entered it in Southwest car shows and races.

Love it or hate it the colors are stunning.
The Custom mixed colors created under the shadow of the Big A at Betz Speed and Color in Orange, California.
Stan the owner on a stool behind his shop would custom match or mix colors all day.
Stan Mixed the Pink and then the double Turquoise metallic pan color too.
The pan is a dark turquoise metallic and everything bolted to it is a matching but lighter metallic turquoise.

One mothers day I wanted to give my mom a peach tool box.
Stan mixed up some Peach paint and I painted my moms tool box gift with his gun behind his shop.  :)

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/betz-531495-hot-rod.html

 ;)
at scs 87 & 88

 ;)
at classic 87 &88

at jamboree87

 ;)

 ;)

I thought the car already had a thread :) It's great to hear your stories and see your picture!

And thanks for the pictures Fabs ;)

Thank you Nico and Fabian for posting all the photos.

The starting line photo was as I staged the car for the win in the Bracket A final.

In the overall bracket final it was the fast bracket verse the slower bracket.
Jim Upshaw was the slower bracket winner.
Jim would always do well in bracket racing dialing in around a 16 or 17 second ET.
He would have his wife ride along with him in the car down the track during the race.
So in the final for overall bracket Jim ran closer to his index and finished first for the overall win.
Kind of a treat to race Jim as he had a history of racing and winning at Bug In's and Drag Days.

That day we had a cheap urethane shift coupler fall apart.
I was able to get another shift coupler from the nice guys at the SCS pit.
Unfortunately it too kept falling apart.
So during the last couple of runs I would pre stage the car.
Then reach back and with my hand and press the shift coupler tightly together hoping it would hold together for 4 more shifts.

After that race we had a shift coupler made of aluminum and it never failed again.
We were paid $400 for winning Bracket A.  :) :)

We returned many months later for the next VW race.
Night before the race relaxing at our hotel in Bakersfield California near the Famosa drag strip we were surprised that we seemed to be the only VW drag bug at the hotel?
We made some calls and found the race promoter had canceled the event short notice.
So we split and 5 hours later we were back in San Diego.

Wow to think this car has survived and still looks and runs great after almost 30 years.
How many drag bugs have been as lucky as Tickled Pink?
Not many for sure!
https://youtu.be/YqhUbZ9txFk

 :D

the gasser was recently sold
 remained in Italy.
  the new owner is a friend of mine named Paolo Villa.
great lover of old vw

Tickled Pink is still in good shape.
Photos of September 2016 Rivanazzano Dragway

tickled Pink

me and Paolo Villa.

Papysss great to see Tickled Pink is in the right hands.
Paolo has contacted me but his English is about as fluent as my Italian.
Was that video link I posted taken from on top of your car? is so excellent!!!
He said the trans was acting up?
What gear box shop does your transaxle work?

I plan to ship Paolo some car show awards that should be kept with Tickled Pink.
Thank you for sharing your photos.
Imagine 30 years from now seeing Made in Italy in amazing condition... 8)

I found these photos a few years ago, maybe from France.
I good video of it about the same time off track at 80 mph mowing the tall grass.  :D

Hopefully soon I will add a dozen photos from my 4 years building and racing Tickled Pink.  8)

you, the video I did. the gopro was facing tickeld pink to make a beautiful video.
I have problems with the second gear and the third and fourth gear too long.
the made in Italy is on the strip already for 6 years, so it there are only 24.
Villa Paolo is a good person and a great lover of old vw.
we are friends for many years and is a pleasure to have tickled pink next on the strip.

Photos I took this year :

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Someone was tired  ;D

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Thanks again Nico for sharing your shots, very nice seeing the racing and the pit areas too.
Looks like those Italians know how to race and can set up a nice hospitality area too.  8)
In Italy is there always a bottle of wine on the hospitality table?  ;D

Next week I will be able to post some old photos.
I know Poalo was looking for a gear box shop maybe the Italian locals can recommend a place to get his transaxle refreshed?

Perhaps other previous owners of Tickled Pink will find this thread and share their experiences with the car as well. 8)

Nice topic to read.

I'll take a look, but I must have a few pictures I took previous years too :)

Pictures I took in 2013 :

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Nico the pink in your photos looks awesome to me.
It just jumps off the screen, Stan Betz (paint mixer) really has an eye for color.

The rear decklid glassed to the rear apron removes as one piece.
This feature is common on later tube chassis drag bugs.
It required some engineering with custom fabricated heavy duty traction bar mounts cantilevered off the rear luggage shelf that are bolted to the roll cage.

This jacket was from the Al Martinez VW Jamboree that I plan to send to Italy soon.
It is in great shape, maybe wore it twice 25 years ago.  ;)

A couple short stories about the Orange County Fairgrounds.
Tickled Pink won two VW Jamboree shows in 87 and 88 and a smaller Intershows VW event at the same location too.

So the first year in 87 The Jamboree gave out double award.
A trophy for first in class was the first time Dyno Don announced Tickled Pink for an awards.
I went up was handed my award by the bikini contest winner and went back to my buddies in the show area.

As we enjoyed a cold beer(s) and listened to the other award winners being announced my buddies started to criticize me on how I accepted the trophy.
They offered you should not reach for the trophy but instead reach for a hug from the trophy girl aka the bikini contest winner.
So after a couple a beers later we were surprised to hear Tickled Pink called again for a second award, the Best Competition Jacket.

With the peer pressure from my young friends I walked up to the stage where I met Dyno Don and this bikini show winner for my 2nd award of the day.
As instructed I did not reach for the award but greeted the bikini girl with a hug.
As her back was to Dyno and my hand reached around her for a "victory" hug Dyno made light of it on his PA system.  :o
Dyno with his voice amplified on the event public address system says with impeccable timing "He's going for the raspberry bagel!"
Every time I think of Dyno that moment repeats in my memory.  ;D
PS I never touched the bagel and now I always only reach for the award!  ;)

Later at a smaller Intershows VW event Tickled Pink won again.
My only regret still today, was MC Dyno Don was there with The Martinez black chop top cal look street car.
Dyno offered to trade Tickled Pink for the black chop top.
Now days I think I should have done it.
I liked a nice chop ever since back in the 70s one night while following the Goss chop top on Lincoln ave in Anaheim.

1988 the second year Tickled Pink won the Jamboree there was a new drag bug at the event that may not have been entered in the show judging.
Adam Wik and his beautifully detailed Wiked full tube chassis car was on display.
To me it signaled a change from the pan car or gasser? style production chassis builds.
The tube chassis cars and the bigger 86+ stroke engines raised the bar on VW drag car builds.
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Great story! Being from the other side of "the pond" I had to think twice about the translation for "raspberry bagel".

Bagels aren't as popular over here......

Nice story :) Keep them coming!

re "mg" pm sent

Nice hearing from Mr Goss, if I had his chop it would still be in So Cal.  8)
Some Pink under construction shots.

It's great to see these pictures, thanks for sharing!

My pleasure Nico, thank you for the opportunity.
Tickled Pink was named after a hotel in Carmel.
Where my parents had their Honeymoon.
Perhaps the location of my conception?  ;) :D
http://www.ticklepinkinn.com/

Stan Betz made the pink and I approved, and my mom named the car Tickled Pink.
Here she is with the hang loose sign.

dash before and after...

Awesome, that's a great story :)

nice............

....very exciting

VW Classic in 87/88 Tickled Pink won a few awards.
Here I am sitting in front of it.
I have since learned my cars always photograph better if I stand behind them.
Even better when I stand behind the photographer! lol

In 87 at the VW Classic it was awarded "Peoples Choice".
I thought the peoples choice award meant the most, as it was your peers that judged your car.
Not a biased judge perhaps.  ;)

So in 87 the car was "nearly" finished when we took it to it's first show the 87 VW Classic.
We ran out of time and had no choice but to display Tickled Pink with out a single electrical wire in it.
The guy that wired Pink did a fantastic job, no twists in the loom, all the wires indexed in the loom everywhere in the car.
Unfortunately he was not able to do it till a month after the 87 Classic.

So I was a little anxious about bringing a car that clearly could not run to the show.
As it was no one mentioned the missing wires.
Perhaps it added to how exceptionally clean it was behind the dash, not a visible wire anywhere that show.

I had a photo of the under-hood area with no wires but I threw it away years ago as it bothered me still.
Funny things you think about that don't really matter at all.  

A year later we returned to the 88 VW Classic, where Pink (with wiring) was awarded "Best Engineered".

Always great to red/see more :)