The Cal-look Lounge

Got news today, that Fabian (speedwell) found the article on one of my favorite street cars. This is the car that got me into fast Volkswagens. I first saw the car on display either at Baylands or Pleasanton Fairgrounds, Bug Bash '87. I have some of my own personal pics of the car that show what it was all about, but don't have a way to scan them right now....(yet). Up until this car, the nicest VW's I had seen were the couple of nice Bugs at high school....(one kid had a semi-nice red '68 Bug with Dellorto 45's, 1776, CB cam...), but this car literally blew me away, with it's stance, paint, alloys,  exhaust (first merged header I had really seen...again, I was 16 and had just got into VW's), and then the motor! Weber 48's, Super Flo heads, 911 fan, ARPM case. I still remember my jaw drop when I peeked under decklid. The car was owned by Pete Staat in Castro Valley, CA, who was a long time customer at Buggy House. The engine was assembled by my old boss Jerry, and his right hand man back then, Tony Mace. If I remember specs right it was a full on 84 Okrasa x 94mm, Carrillo rods, Super Flo heads, Dial in Cam equivalent to FK89, 48's, close ratio gearbox....pretty nasty stuff for Bay Area in the 80's. Tony M. (a good friend and customer of mine now) always has lots of stories abut this car on the street....one involves Tony and Pete running the car around to get it jetted and coming up on some hot Z-28 Chevy and just leaving the guy wondering what the f-ck? Once I started working @ Buggy House in 1990, Pete would occasionally drive The Dragon down to the shop on Saturdays, and it sounded wicked. Nothing sounds like a full on Weber 48 motor blowing through quiet packs. He'd fire the car up, clear it out with a couple of footfulls of throttle and broil the poor tires through 1st and 2nd gear down Mission Blvd.
Thanks to speedwell to locating the Hot VWs feature on the car!!!

Jim R.

de nada jim  , i hope that you will be happy with this  ;D
rgd
fabs

 8)

 ;)

That is a sweet looking car.

--louis

here's the engine specification now we're looking if jim has a good memories  ;D

Cool Fabian, haven't seen those pics in years. The color shots show the car with the turbo engine, I think it was an 1835? I don't remember.....but I believe that turbo motor ended up in Jerry's root-beer metallic-brown chop top car with original Empi 8 spokes. The decklid changed with the motor too....personally I like the earlier decklid. The black and white shots show the two motors....the 2332 has the 48's, Porsche fan, etc. The car ran merged 1-5/8 or 1-3/4 header with QPs. Thanks again for posting the pics!!

Jim  :)

jim in the report they said that the car is a 65  , but when we're watching the car it's look a late model (door handle , front & rear decklid)  ::)
however it was a cool car , it's look like the same as mike maize orange car or mike make a copy of this one  ;D

That guy used to show up at the hayward vw club meetings back in the day.I remember going to his house and seeing the spare turbo motor done on the workbench....way cool car

The car looks to have heater boxes in the color pictures. Any info on that?

what a car! i really like the bigger front tires and the beam that isn't widened. jim, i can understand you built a blue car after being indoctrinated by this car and bergs car  ;D. it looks like a blend between early 70's raceparts and a very 80's look. i dont make much sense, but i hope you see what i mean...

The late handles look like they're on early doors - wierd! Can't see a fuel flap either.

What happened to it Jim?

it rusted away from all the drooling jim did on the car.  8)

Ouch, that sucks!  Good reminder to keep a big fire extinguisher in our cars!

FWIW, Jim...I remember that story too.  It was a cool car especially the 2332, but yours eventually ended up cooler IMO. :)

Actually my car was more inspired by the Auto House sticker ;)

the picture of the car that you see does have heater boxes - that was the turbo motor - the big motor did have a merged system - car is a 68 - with early front and rear fenders - glass hood and deck lid. lourved hood went on with big motor

Hi jim - have lots of stories but no time - some day i will jot them all down for the world too see

Hey Speedwell,
 I just talked to Tony whom I haven't seen in many years and he was telling that my old bug has been a topic of discussion her latley. I may still have some old photos or even the Hot VWs magazine it was in. I'll try and locate them and post them here.

Pete Staat

thanks pete that would be cool to share your picture with us  ;)
rgd
fabian aka speedwell

HEY PETE JIM IS THE GUY I WAS TALKING ABOUT - WORKED AT B/H IN THE 90'S - TONY

                                                                        That wasn't Jim's drool........

Who would have thought that Jerry could build a motor like that. When I worked at BH the only motor he would build is a 1776 "or in Jerrys case a 1760" with a engle 110


Bryan

apparantly not...  :o

new traces in the investigation lead to his sidekick Mr sheep...


seriously, it is a very nice car, too bad that it caught fire. it would have looked good by todays standards as well.

Here's a pic Kyle Madden took back in 87.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a257/rhdragtop/PeteStattsbug.jpg)

 :o :o

awesome picture. I'm guessing Baylands. I love the paint detailed Vitalonis on the car.

awesome pictures  ;)

hey RACEHEAD (Tony M.) you promised to share some stories about this car!  ;D Can you tell us what this car was like to drive and ride around in? Maybe you should do it before you take your car to Baja and get all drunk and dusty and lost.

Please tell us about the Dragon.  :-*

and where did Pete go?

yes that car looks good!

so 80's but so good

ok for 80's cars..... which would you rather have.... Pete's Dragon or Peaches and Scream?

pete's car , but with early decklid on the car

pete's, no mods done to it. just like it is, love it.

god bless you nicolas

And we seeit again - i still love to look at that car - and yes it was a bad ass ride - Jim dont know which car i like better - yours or Pete's - The Dragon was very cool for the times - Your car will be and has been cool for time - Just like the rest of the true Cal look cars - each unique in it's own way - But not ever having to get to drive YOUR CAR i will say Pete's. ;)

Is Pink Lady an option? ;D just kidding

Man, I remember reading the feature on that car waayyyy back in grade school. It makes me want to build an 80's style looker out of my '63.

I grew up in Hayward and always saw Pete's car. Everyone loved that car. That pic I took was from Bug O Rama #8 I believe...could have been a little later. Behind the car was John and I think my brother Jeff. I have the pic in front of me as we speak plus many other Bay Area cars of the 80's   Kyle

I just love the look of some of the 80'ies cars, and this one must be the best 68-up I've seen. Even the glass hood looks good.

bump for the guy with steering wheel on wrong side....

stupid me not paying attention..... Kyle I see you already found this.
Man it is cool to have you here.... talk about some fun old times....   
yeah like when my Vanagon burned to the ground.

When are you coming to South Calif again? Oh BTW my parents moved to El Dorado Hills so we will see each other soon.  ;D

Oh your parents aren't too far from me.. that's cool . Hope to get down to LA again soon.   Kyle