CLF is Gone

[Torben Alstrup]

The pages like CLF and others, provided priceless information and info, plus they brought people together as Keith menthioned. We got to "know" people all over the Globe that were into the same thing and had the same problems. Development has been good over the last 10-13 years, mainly due to the fact that people got to "talk" together and shared problems and solutions in these forums. Also, look at STF. 5 years ago that site was the shi@t. Today it is mainly type 4 people and forced indution people that frequent the site.

The next thing is, that IF a person will take a little time and sit down and do some searching, there is SO MUCH information out there that it almost makes my head hurt. A good deal of the trivial  questions have been answered so many times that the answers are easy to find.

Also, I for one have to admit that I am sort of falling off the wagon in this interactive facebook/twitter/etc World. I do not need to know what someone is making for dinner tonight. I have not really found much use of these forums. But the younger generation communicates a lot there. So looking at it from a development point of view I guess its slowly turning into that direction.

I think we will experience an ellimination race over the next few years, where only the "strongest" forums will survive. Who and which that will be, I have no clue.

T

[Neil Davies]

I agree Keith, I was on the original forum and believe I was about 15 or 16 when I found it ('98-'99?) I think I had dial up internet, worked at Carl's Jr and still have all of my e-mails between me and Jim Ratto.   I wouldn't be as interested in cal-look cars without it.  Thanks Keith, Dave, and John.

Likewise, I was on the original InsideTheWeb message board (same format as John Maher's forum!) when I was at university. I went there autumn 1996, and I'm pretty sure that the CLF started around that time. Like Taylor, I remember chatting to people like Jim Ratto, Mark Herbert and so many others. I have to confess that I think it lost its special feel around the time that it changed formats when InsideTheWeb closed. It seemed to become more race car stuff, which UAC covers, and the Cal-Look content seems to be more visible over here.

[Zach Gomulka]

The best thing about the CLF is that it lead me here.

thanks Zach. Sorry you only see it that way, but you weren't around when I started the original Cal Look Forum - that first night, among the very first people to join the fun were Jim Ratto and Mark Herbert, and it just got better and better. It was an awesome place to be, the first dedicated on-line forum for the hot VW scene. So many lasting friendships were made there, so much information exchanged... Ultimately, I too didn't have the time or expertise to take it to the next level, so was delighted to hand the reins over to John, Dave Conklin and Michael. Then the a-holes started to move in - it happens on every forum, almost without exception.

No, the best thing about CLF is that it brought a lot of friends together...

You're right. I was on the first CLF, it certainly did help connect a lot of people and got the fire really going for me. I had a Cal-Look.com tee shirt, and somewhere I still have unused quarter window decals. It was great going to the big shows (pre parties mostly!) in California and putting faces to names and shaking hands (I remember you at Doug M's house specifically) of people all over the world. I got out of the CLF years ago, once I found this place I knew I was home, that's what I meant by that statement, more of a personal thing.

[Jeff68]

RIP CLF!  When I found the CLF I was thrilled to find a site where others shared the love for Cal-Look and hot rod VW's! Learned a lot and discussed a lot of great things with many on that site. I still popped by the CLF every now and then but when I found this site it was much more to my taste. I also recognized many on the lounge that came from the CLF.  I have some unused quarter window stickers and I have a Cal-Look.com license plate frame on my car.  Maybe I should take it off now......in the future it might be worth some $$$ to a collector .

[Georg/DFL]

Sad to hear! I haven't been at the CLF for years because it was too much race car stuff and not enough Cal Look anymore - at least in my opinion.
But I do remember the early days, I learned a lot through it, I met people like Mark Herbert, Jim Ratto, Sarge, Gary Justus, John Plow, Dave Conklin and many, many more through it - it was a fantastic place especially for a European Cal Look fan like me.

I remeber the tiny pictures of our cars with some information next to it - started by John! I remeber the first videos like Marks infamous Quaife test and the first Cal-Look.com video. So many good memories...

Thanks to everyone who was involved starting it and keeping it alive!

[Prowagen]

What about all the good info and tech posts on the CLF??? Is there not gonna be an archive? It seems to be a shame if it just goes into the waste bin of cyber space!, just think how useful it is to future generations/newbies!?!

[65bug]

Thanks to everyone and all their help! There is a ton of information in those archives. Maybe it can be put to use somewhere for everyone....

[paul_f]

Archive.org has a copy of the site from October 2012.  You can see the forum posts but not search

http://web.archive.org/web/20120714040007/http://www.cal-look.com/

[Trond Dahl]

Thanks to everyone and all their help! There is a ton of information in those archives. Maybe it can be put to use somewhere for everyone....

I agree, it would be nice to keep it as a locked archive. I have a server where I could host this for free if the guys behind it was interested. Archive is better then the trashcan which is unavailable for all of us.

[Prowagen]

Hi Trond, perhaps you can suggest this to the guys here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheCaliforniaLook

[65bug]

That's listed right o their goodbye page. However, I feel no need to list my personal information for all the world to see, as well as having it sold to marketing companies. I get enough trash mail, ads etc. I guess I am just not a facebooker.................

[Russell]

It is sad that any forum/site comes to an end but to say find us on faceless is a poor second choice, one day im sure lots and lots of people are going to regret FB especially the young, sometimes it's good to remember sometimes it's not.

Whilst life without the internet would be dull, boring and even impossible, I still prefer magazines and books, a record that you flip thoughbtime and time again

Just my 2 cents  or tuppence worth !

[Sarge]

Still my favorite shirt.  RIP

[Mike Lawless]

Still my favorite shirt.  RIP

Man, who's the hack that drew that? I heard the guy is a real jerk!

[Zach Gomulka]

Still my favorite shirt.  RIP

I had the long sleeve version, loved it until I left it in a hotel room in Vegas!

[kaferdave]

I was actually wearing my CLF shirt, the one with the IDA   on it, when I read the news...

[glenn]

I was actually wearing my CLF shirt, the one with the IDA   on it, when I read the news...

Maybe you can sell it on Barret-Jackson

[Rick Meredith]

Still my favorite shirt.  RIP

Man, who's the hack that drew that? I heard the guy is a real jerk!

Yeah but he has a bad ass KG

[65bug]

New update on the final CLF page:

December 1999 – January 2013

We had a wonderful time over the last 13 years, but like all creative endeavors, this one had peaked and it was time to move on.

While the site quickly grew to be one of the most visited VW sites on the Internet, we realized that, as wonderful as extrinsic recognition is, it was the creative process that interested us most. Unfortunately, increasing career and life demands have limited our ability to create and innovate in recent years, removing the challenge and joy of working collaboratively on the site.

Our hope for the future is that VW sites will strive to be more than egocentric blogs; that people in this wonderful hobby will collaborate with the goal of growing the VW scene in inventive ways.

Many thanks to all of the supporters and contributors over the years; it’s the friendships created that we’ll remember the most, and feel fortunate that we had an opportunity to contribute to the VW scene in a modest way.

Sincerely,
John, Michael and the entire Cal-Look.com team.

Continue to stay in touch with the Cal-Look.com Community by joining TheCaliforniaLook group on Facebook.

[karl h]

i met mark h and dave c on the CLF and later personally and will forever miss it  ....and whats facebook?
a short history of the old/new CLF would be great, keith
as long as we keep politics out of it, the lounge will not die. same people on here that drove the last bunch of guys away and pissed off miichael

[alex d]

now that's a coincidence, I log on to the lounge for the first time in a couple years and I read about CLF's disappearing! I was an avid reader during those earliest days (before cal-look.com) and definetely learnt a lot in there!

[Eric Ellis (57HotrodVW)]

As much as I enjoy the Lounge, I'm bummed that the CLF is no more - especially given the huge amount of content that I hope is not gone forever.

[nicolas]

really sad to have it gone now. my kickstart was Keith's book, but the CLF was definitely the fuel in the beginning of my cal look adventure.


now what is that Facebook thing everyone is talking about???

[plasticblack]

I've tried to start the New Year with renewed vigour for all things VW and up to now things have been going pretty well...

The news that another part (read foundation) of the VW Scene has departed is a swift reminder of the current climate we all (mostly all) live in?

Truth is I do get depressed when I feel that something I've been a part of for so long and had so many good times around, gets in some way lessened.

I spent a good 27 years working for VW/Audi and another 7 Years in and around Big Independents. I can honestly say that things have obviously changed in that time  and in too many cases NOT for the better sadly.

Moves by several of the Biggest Suppliers to our Hobby/Pastime have chosen to continue taking from it, with a determined intention to put as little back as possible.

This has/does leave Small Independent Specialists and Individuals to act as 'keepers of faith' for want of a better description. It means where our Scene goes from here, is actually all up to us now, as in small groups of like-minded people or simply individuals.

There is no safety net any longer and however much we all bemoan the passing of sites like CLF, we should really be honest and admit we have all been privileged to have had such a resource available to us for so very long.

It would be nice if those that created the resource could allow it to be kept and to those that would offer to maintain it (for free) I say 'Thanks' in advance.

I am though still looking forward to 2013 (health permitting) and the thought of a Trip to Chimay this year is sustaining me already.

Good Beer, Good Weather, Great VW's and a Fantastic Group of People.
.
 
 

[jhicken]

I just tried to visit the Cal Look Forum and saw it has shut down. Sad to see it wasn't passed on to someone else to run. I didn't post much but spent many hours reading. Sorry to see it go, it was a fantastic resource.

-jeffrey

[Peter]

No news about it?

[bugnut68]

No news about it?

Other than it's gone and have migrated over to Facebook?  I think it's pretty much a done deal at this point.

[Jim Ratto]

I miss most, after Mark Herbert's posts, all the online battles between FATMIKE and my old buddy Versgrove, crica 1999 on the old Inside the Web format. Once the Cal Look Forum became The Racecar Forum, it all seemed to lose steam for me. Keith's orig forum was (the most) fun, but I had time for it back then and it was under the radar. A handful of nutjobs figuring out there were like minded guys doing the same stuff on the dark side of the globe.

 Bill S told me about The Lounge. It caters more to the hard core traditional Cal Look and is the place to come (internet wise) to get a taste of how it all started.

If only Mark Herbert had made it over here...

Jim Ratto

[56 luftpumpe]

 
Lots of info, sad times.