So first cut the mold out for drag-tuned motor in innocent street VW?

[Jim Ratto]

I mean cars like Schwimmer's beige oval. Full tilt motor like that, on full kill. Compression of 11:1+, 48 Webers, drag-spec only cam, the type of engine "that will never work on the street", but got a license plate hung behind it all the same... who did it first and when?
I'm taking a guess it was either Don Crane or Mike Mahaffey. I don't know much about Crane's '67 except it was red, had Berms and what is rumored to be the first set of 48's on the street in a VW. Was this car tuned to race specs early on? There's blips of info here and there, the car ran K gas in the 13's at some point... 1970 I'm guessing?
And if you've read either of Keith's books on the early Cal look movement, we know Mahaffey's car was deep into the 13's on Pirelli's, running 92 x 78 or 82mm.... in 1970.
Or did somebody else build an e-ticket wolf in sheep's clothing, along the lines of Bill's oval, or the two cars mentioned above?
The cool thing about this hobby is you can trace the "bloodline" of the different types of cars way back when. The cars that really pushed the envelope, yet played quietly, appearance wise... no, not all Cal Look cars pushed the state of tune quite as far.

But name off some that did.... and maybe share a story or two if you have one

[Bill Schwimmer]

There were a few cars in my day. They had a huge impact on me.  The cars that had my attention back then were out of Lonnie Reed's head shop. I remember seeing them on Whittier Blvd. @ Wendy's. there was Ron Lesnicks Super Beetle, big ol 2ltr w/ IDA's & nitrous & slicks. Low 12 sec  maybe high 11 sec Super beetle. Ted Trabue's '69 before it was painted .Same deal 48's mag , NOS & slicks driving around on the street. Joe Hullets Ghia, back when it was white & primer.Also there was Dave Harryman's grey beetle, before the Johnny's lettering & supercharger. It had a N/A motor w/ dual quiet packs. I saw it doing wheelstands on Bolsa ave in H.B.  Jeff Denham also had an ol' junkyard dog of a '67 doing wheelies on the street beating motorcycles.  I also remember a dark blue late 60's Fastback hanging out w/ the Lonnie Reed crowd. Stock wheels & hub caps, slicks, huge t4 motor w/ IDA's & NOS. Never saw it go ,but I heard it used to bust trannies like cracking an egg. Back then if you had a 12 sec car you would own the place. Everybody did'nt have one like they do now.  Great times  Bill

[kingsburgphil]

The person to ask is Sarge, he was there and he should know. Because not everybody ran 48's in 72', Sarge remembers because I bought his 1600 Holley motor by way of Fleming & Aronson. A lot of guys ran 2 barrel motors then, 1700's were common, stock tranny's the order of the day. By 1974, mid to high 12's were the standard for club cars in OC. I joined DRF and bought Don Cranes 82x88 motor in pieces and joined the 12 second club. Lonnie Reed was still in the construction business, Roger Crawford was just getting warmed up, the highly respected Panzers were just cooling off, DDS was gone and Gene Berg was showing everyone else how to go fast. Jere and Dean were putting our pictures and stories in the magazines, and we still had hair!.. Times were good.

My how things have changed!  The shock and awe we inflicted on the the unwary was priceless, and I'll leave it up to you if that's still going on.

In the early 70's there was an unspoken sense of excitement surrounding hot VW's, both on and off the street, I think, I can feel that feeling coming back again.

Please feel free to opine.




My motor just off of FAT's dyno, rather basic stuff.

[Jim Ratto]

Sarge did you make that ad for F A T ? Looks like your handwriting.

[Sarge]

Greg's brother Jeff did that flyer, Jim.  Same guy that did the FAT logo and the DKP Cal Look bug shirt.... a very talented guy.

[Rennsurfer]

Sheesh... Lonnie Reed & Ron Lesnick. Haven't heard those names in years. Great stories, Bill & Phil.