The Cal-look Lounge

You have probably heard it before, wheels are over 50% of the look of a car. And people often refer to cars by saying " It's the (red) (57) model on (fuchs) wheels"
There are only so many populare wheels out there, so in the end you end up with a few populare "styles" of car.
These are the styles I recognize today, feel free to add your own or oppose to mine.
Some wheels more dictates the total look of the car than others, I have tried to make a list starting with the wheels dictating the style the most.
So the further down the list you come the more the style of the car varies. Clear as mud... I know...

Erco zero offset cars, racecar of today looks, IDA cars
Chrome/painted Sprintstars, stock bodywork cars, old speed engines
Gasburners on DKP3 looking cars.
BRM copies mostly stock bodywork lookers.
Fuchs any lowered bug, can be used to anything.

If you use another wheel than these or use them in another way than I guess, you have slipped under my radar, good for you! :)

I have a hard time with that title  :-X

I run porsche cookie cutters now but want centerlines ;D
Alot here in holland use the empi 8 spoke or some ugly chrome mangel type of american muscle car look kinda wheel ;D ;D

cookie cutters = 80's cal slow look

Cookie cutters cars can be pretty fast............  ;)

I saw some pictures of a blue car that looked pretty cool on them a while back, not sure where though.  :)

there was a green choptop running around North Calif in the late 80's/early 90's running cookie-cutters and a 2.2L 48IDA Engle 130, I think built by Rick Eichler and Dave Bonbright. Ran 13's on street tires.

What about mag style wheels, i.e. American Racings, E/T's, the new Flat 4 mags?

Awesome topic JHU. I like the topics that bring up opinions. Makes us use that organ in our skulls.

NOoooooooooo



 :D

cheers richie,uk

what about slot mags? and chromies?  ;D

As you notice the GB’s are a bit down on the list, as they are almost ALWAYS on cars with trim....
So GET IN LINE, get the trim on there again, and put the GB's on top of the typical list ;-)

No really, don't!  :D

Empi 8 spokes (original) - dechromed late model looker
Fakey 8-spokes - almost anything!

Slot Mag wheels, around here, goes on the really bad tast cars, I don't think anyone over here has had a real plan about fitting slot mags... to those people they are just "wide wheels"
If I go to my personal box of fake memories form the seventies, I think I remember to have seen them mostly on custom cars.... and boy do they look right on them!

For me the real fun is under the radar, as it gives you so many styles to play with... American Racing Torque Thrust is a long time favorite of mine. The sharp spoke 130x5 version. The 205 version looks like a octopus for me ::)

The new Flat4 mags are still to uncommon for me to have a feeling about... but it turns in DKP3 direction...


About the thread Jim, its a bit of a narrow topic, but very interesting to some.... and the lounge is for those too, the few with a nose for... ummh... cal-look thoughts  :P

I don't have a plan about slot mags, I fitted them a year ago, but I have trim in my car so what do I know  ;D ;D :D

I need to specify this a bit, I’m talking about here in Scandinavia, and that the bad taste cars often are built by people who never even have heard the phrase Cal-look...
Us VW enthusiasts on the other hand can easily make a plan to use it slots with good effect.... like my new Starsky & Hutch plan... :-X

Pat Freil (2manytoys) owned the chopped M&M green car. "The beanie guy" from Sears Point, Rick Eichler built the engine and still builds Pat's engines.

I don't care what people say about cookycutters, but one day, and fully polished, theire gonna be cultwheels.

Agree!

 ;)

I've got a set of cookie cutters, pair of 6" and a pair of 7", came on a floorpan I bought a while ago! On the right car they look amazing, on the wrong car they look dreadful. I saw a white early Bay bus slammed with them on a while ago and they looked awesome, but then I saw a set on a later bus at stock height an they looked wronger than a Manson Family tribute band... :o

I might leave them on the '70, might put the Empi 8's on. Depends if they fit under the wings!

I think polished cookies look great on any early (ratty) car. ;) (Neil keep those 6 ", i got already 11 of them) Just throw em away guys !

I liked M&M Green....actually a lot more than I like his newest red car.

whats the view on enkei slot mags nice or not? fancy a set on me 67.its a four stud with disc brakes and dont really wanna go down the 5 stud route.

JHU, here are some beetles wearing ansen slot mags. I think they look neat!!  ;D

You forgot... Rivieras are for Super Beetles ;)

You forgot wide 5 centerline too!

Wide 5 Centerlines look great... without the silly hubcaps!!

Here's a Picture of my Red Oval With Centerline's before I put the Americans on and painted it Red

I love Centerlines but these aren`t them.

Close enough.  :P They came on a car I just bought.

very nice car slot mags are cool  8)

Ansens look great, but I like them better without the caps on. Wide five real centerlines have allways been one of my favourite wheels, satin, not polished...

What an insult JHU....hereby noted.

what about randars ?

One set on a DKPIII car...

(http://www.flat4.co.jp/drive/enkei/wheel/image2.JPG)

Super detailed set on Darren Dilley's 55...

(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/281847.jpg)

Standard set on my 63...

(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/334133.jpg)