The first one! The Greg Aronson/Jim Holmes looker?

[kingsburgphil]

check behind the 63 it was greg aronson 356 A cabriolet

If my fading memory serves me right, that pic was taken before Greg put a 2 liter with 42's in it .....sweet 

Phil, you are probably right. But the first VW engine Greg installed into that 356 was a 82x88 slipper skirt killer with IDAs. Soon there after, the slipper skirts were removed and replaced with full skirt Mahles, the IDA came off and DCNFs went on. A stock weight flywheel also went on.

Dean, I wish my memory was as sharp as your SLR. Where you still shooting with a 35mm then, or did you use a big Pentax like Jere ?

I only vaguely recall the car with 48's, but I do recall the wheelspin    I think the later motor dyno'd at 150 or 160 hp. And typically a very clean install. 

[speedwell]

check behind the 63 it was greg aronson 356 A cabriolet

If my fading memory serves me right, that pic was taken before Greg put a 2 liter with 42's in it .....sweet 

Phil, you are probably right. But the first VW engine Greg installed into that 356 was a 82x88 slipper skirt killer with IDAs. Soon there after, the slipper skirts were removed and replaced with full skirt Mahles, the IDA came off and DCNFs went on. A stock weight flywheel also went on.

Dean, I wish my memory was as sharp as your SLR. Where you still shooting with a 35mm then, or did you use a big Pentax like Jere ?

I only vaguely recall the car with 48's, but I do recall the wheelspin    I think the later motor dyno'd at 150 or 160 hp. And typically a very clean install. 

phil correct about the HP, according to vw greats the engine output 156 hp
here's the report from vw greats 

[Zach Gomulka]

I remember seeing him race the car  in the early days of renn kafer along side many killer cal-lookers (Mike g's flying tomato, Art G's killer green 67', Larry Mckenzie's red 67', Ray Medrano's black car, Mike Lawless and the ghia, Kevin (KCR) bitchin looker, Damon, Patrick and the chopped notch) Sorry, the early days of DRKC were great. 

I agree! They were the best days. I got flamed on for stating my opinion about that on the "other" forum years ago, haven't been back since. The people here just "get it".
Anyway, back on track...

[Jim Ratto]

I often wonder, how much influence did the 911R have on Greg's 63's stark appearance? Not too many other "production" cars of the era were so free of tinsel. Everytime I see a pic of a 911R (in white esp), it makes me think of the Aronson/Holmes sedan. And vice versa. In any case, I have to agree with Marc that this car has to be the car that turned the VW hot rod scene upside down. Amazing how few cars in recent times are painted a appliance white (instead of stock ivory or Lotus or whatever it's called).

[kingsburgphil]

Sigh!

As far as I'm concerned, Aronson's car started the California Look. I know someone will refute that statement but for me, this is the car that changed history. I don't remember what year it was, early, early 70s I think, but I first saw it at a small car show (I believe at Don Burns VW). No one painted their car appliance white back then and did it stand out!! It was so clean looking without chrome and here I was trying to find more crap to bolt onto my bug (remember whip antennas?).
This was the start of the California look in my book.
A few years later (1975), I was honored to be in the same magazine article with it demonstrating the "Look".

When I was at the Auto Haus store in La Habra, one of my regular customers owned the car......I think his name was Jim also...he owned a picture frame store in Brea. I'm thinking he bought it from Holmes. Anyway, he took good care of the car.

Of all the cars, this one deserves to be restored....it's a treasure.

Marc

I concur Marc, Greg's car defined Cal Look. But IMHO the look was refined by Ron, Greg, at  F & A (later FAT perf), several members of DKP and other notable VW clubs. An environment that included Berg, DDS, Empi, Beckers, Brads etc. It was all there at one time in virtually the same space.

 As I'm sure you recall everything was changing so quickly, in a state of flux ...so to speak.  Just when we thought our cars were "finished", fresh paint, motor, wheels etc, someone like Greg comes along with a car that looks so "right".  And ours looked so wrong!  Fog lights, nose high with bumpers, woody goodies......what were we thinking? 

[mg]

Rumor has it that Mr. Bakken's car has been stripped of the race parts and the stickers are in the trash. Those are just rumors though....
Anthony D&A Racing

afaik Scott did more performace driving with his replica.
Fearless driver, great running car.
too bad Greg's car was not developed as Scott did with the replica.