DKP I - Rick Winter

[Fritter]

I always thought Rick's car was very cool.  Haven't seen a lot of info on it, though.  Sarge or other DKP 1 guys, can you enlighten us?   

[dyno don]

One of my favorite cars from the "old school era". I almost bought the car back in 72/73? when it was about 99% finished. Absolute pristine detail and assembly from my old age recollection. The car was sold to a young gun who also liked it as well and shortly after purchase he wrapped it around a telephone pole after losing control of the 48 ida equipped 2 liter. BUMMER..!!

[speedwell]

here's 2 mores from JOHN L 

[Fritter]

Cool, Dyno.  Remember any other details about the interior or motor?  Did this one have Brad's interior and Beckers paint?

[johnl]

I remember the car but remember it's owner better.  Rick was a quiet and giving friend who assisted me with projects many times.

After I left Auto Haus myself and a friend opened Autopia Motoring Accessories on Main St. in Orange.  Rick lived very close and was by often and helped us with displays and even let us use his Chevy van to take parts to shows.

He had a nice girl friend named Virginia who he ended up marrying and still is.  They have a grown son.  He lives in the Temecula area and still works for Art Alvarez's dad.

I do believe the car was painted by Becker's but had a rather stock interior as I recall.  Don't remember the motor specs.  I never knew the car was totaled until I read this post.  Far to many of those early Cal-look cars met with bad endings...

[dyno don]

 Well... being some 40 years ago,going to college full time and holding down 2 jobs I can say that Im lucky to remember anything back then.  What I recall though is when i saw the car at Ricks moms house in sant Ana is that the car had Deano wheels? ...A full array of gauges and a NICE biscuit interior. As a detailer even way back then this car brought chills to me as it was one of the nicest assembled Vws to this day that I have ever seen. It sported a flawless paint job and Chassis detailed to the max with painted and polished fender wells,suspension detailed with chromed bits and pieces here and there, Deano shifter, hand bound carpeted interior AND trunk, impeccable engine bay with polished gen, 48 manifolds, and chromed air stacks....PERFECT..!! It was my biggest disappointment(to this very day) of my vw life not to have owned such a beautiful example of DKP inspired Iron. Truth be known that even at $2200? or so back then it was difficcult for most of us in that era to afford such a nice piece. To hear that the "little Dick" that bought the car just drove it into a pole and destroyed it just devastated me for quite a long time..!!  R.I.P.....

[lawrence]

Yeah, what is the deal with people buying cars back then and wrecking them. Were rich kids with no driving skills the only ones who could afford cars such as this or "butternut"?

[johnl]

Yeah, what is the deal with people buying cars back then and wrecking them. Were rich kids with no driving skills the only ones who could afford cars such as this or "butternut"?

Well, in my case the guy that showed up and made the offer was the ONLY one.  Today I suspect I'd have them standing in line but it wasn't that way back then.  The guy that purchased Butternut for $1600 was named Perry and worked for the phone company.  Within 6 months he had rolled and destroyed the car.  I saw it for the final time in a lot on Harbor Blvd. in Fullerton in  pieces.  Although I sold it because I'd lost interest and wanted to "move on" the sight of that moment is forever embedded in my brain.

I remember Perry showing up with his dad and he was younger than me so I don't know if dad was paying for it but that is exactly how it went down.

[javabug]

Yeah, what is the deal with people buying cars back then and wrecking them. Were rich kids with no driving skills the only ones who could afford cars such as this or "butternut"?

Sadly, in the context of the time, it just wasn't a huge deal. Wreck one, get another one. Think how you'd feel about a kid today buying a ten-year-old Mustang or Volkswagen GTI, or (insert enthusiast car here) and wadding it up in a moment of inexperience and poor judgement. Even a really nice one, it causes a moment of pause and then we move on.

Now, 40 years on, we wish we had them intact, and for good reason. I'd love to see that car, and many others as survivors being found in a SoCal garage somewhere. I guess that's why there's called "survivors."

[Fritter]

Bump for a cool DKP I car....

Anyone have a pic of the engine of Rick's car?  Appears it had IDA's, and I would guess it was a 1700 most likely?

[dyno don]

 Hey Fritz... question/ where the heck do guys like yourself get the names from yesteryear... Winters got out of vw's after he sold the car WAY bACK in the earlt 70's..... and I  KNOW you and most others are too young to have known about him.. im stumped but impressed. Unless the silver tongue of "Butternut John" has slipped out some clues over the years. John's car was also one of my ALLTIME favorite cars and remember seeing it after he just finished it/also another Stunning example of craftsmanship throughout..!!  Dyno

[Fritter]

Dyno, of course I got the info from the oldtimers on the Lounge and also Seume's books!   

I love the DKP I stuff, I compare it to the birth of hot rodding Fords, etc in the 30's and 40's.  Breaking new ground.

I was definitely too young in the early 70s to be involved in this, however, my father had a 56 Bug which had a Weber motor in it.  I remember riding around in that as a little tyke.

So, I ask these questions in anticipation of finding out some more tidbits about these great cars. 

[johnl]

Hey Fritz... question/ where the heck do guys like yourself get the names from yesteryear... Winters got out of vw's after he sold the car WAY bACK in the earlt 70's..... and I  KNOW you and most others are too young to have known about him.. im stumped but impressed. Unless the silver tongue of "Butternut John" has slipped out some clues over the years. John's car was also one of my ALLTIME favorite cars and remember seeing it after he just finished it/also another Stunning example of craftsmanship throughout..!!  Dyno

Don, silver tongue of "Butternut John"??  , well I've been referred to as far worse.  Oh and thanks for the kind words regrading my car.

I guess those days that the original DKP I group did do some creative stuff and I found it of interest that Fritter compared our efforts to that of the Hot Rodding of the '30's & '40's Fords.  As I've stated before we were just a bunch of younger guys living our pasion at the time and I don't think any of us had a clue where or what it would lead to all these years later.  Isn't if funny how something you are not even aware of can turn out with such a profound impact years later???

[dyno don]

 Mike, Sometimes I forget about the cal look printed history ... I have owned literally scores of nice cal lookers over my many years and some nicer than others as well as being magazine covered VW's, but all seemed to lack to "Spirit' that I only wish others could have seen firsthand when it came to Rick and Johns cars. Superb Fit'n'Finish examples that i will carry in my mind for many years to come. For me personally I am a purist with attitude about things these days. Not so much Anal about things, rather disappointed with what I have seen with the various styles and fashions such as the rat rods/the patina look/the slammed look/the accessory look/etc..  I am delighted to see a tasteful stocker or a well built cal looker but other than that I really dont have too much interest although there are some nice people and some nicely done cars out of my scope but thats what makes this vw world keep rockin' I guess. It really grabs me when I hear of someone who scored big money with an absolute piece of shit when I  get peanuts for a nice clean machine. I am blessed to have had the early on opportunity to come to orange county in the early 60's  from the Boston, Mass. region to witnees firsthand what became an explosion of an era that became my life. Sorry to rant.....    peace out/Dyno Don  "The Voice"

[javabug]

"Spirit' that I only wish others could have seen firsthand when it came to Rick and Johns cars. Superb Fit'n'Finish examples that i will carry in my mind for many years to come

That's good stuff. Having you guys around to tell us stories of the old days is amazing enough in itself. When someone like Dyno, or JohnL, or Sarge, or any body else who was "there" looks back in true appreciation of the time period they lived through (and played a part in making it what it was), well, that just gives me goosebumps.

Thank you, gang.

[johnl]

"Spirit' that I only wish others could have seen firsthand when it came to Rick and Johns cars. Superb Fit'n'Finish examples that i will carry in my mind for many years to come

That's good stuff. Having you guys around to tell us stories of the old days is amazing enough in itself. When someone like Dyno, or JohnL, or Sarge, or any body else who was "there" looks back in true appreciation of the time period they lived through (and played a part in making it what it was), well, that just gives me goosebumps.

Thank you, gang.

Nice words and I know I appreciate them and I'm sure that Sarge and Dyno do as well.  The world was a much simpler and in my opinion much less complicated and better place to be than currently.  Times change and not always for the better even with technology.

Each of us should learn to appreciate what we have now and cherish the memories of our past times.  I hope you will all take the time to reflect as such.

[Fritter]

Mike, Sometimes I forget about the cal look printed history ... I have owned literally scores of nice cal lookers over my many years and some nicer than others as well as being magazine covered VW's, but all seemed to lack to "Spirit' that I only wish others could have seen firsthand when it came to Rick and Johns cars. Superb Fit'n'Finish examples that i will carry in my mind for many years to come. For me personally I am a purist with attitude about things these days. Not so much Anal about things, rather disappointed with what I have seen with the various styles and fashions such as the rat rods/the patina look/the slammed look/the accessory look/etc..  I am delighted to see a tasteful stocker or a well built cal looker but other than that I really dont have too much interest although there are some nice people and some nicely done cars out of my scope but thats what makes this vw world keep rockin' I guess. It really grabs me when I hear of someone who scored big money with an absolute piece of shit when I  get peanuts for a nice clean machine. I am blessed to have had the early on opportunity to come to orange county in the early 60's  from the Boston, Mass. region to witnees firsthand what became an explosion of an era that became my life. Sorry to rant.....    peace out/Dyno Don  "The Voice"

I'm with you Dyno!  A lot of the high high dollar cars are on the cover of Hot VW's, hyped up a lot, and then sold for big bucks.  Then the guy who bought it can say he bought "so and so's" car that was on the cover of Hot VW's for bragging rights.  I think I recently saw the white Darren Dilley car for sale for over $100K.  Nice car for sure, but probably not a good "driver" and probably not "loved" like other cars, it's just an investment vehicle.  This may be blasphemous, but putting that much money into a VW is slightly insane....but then if you get the money out of it, I guess more power to you.  Personally, for $100K, I'll take a Porsche 911 GT3. 

I also tend to only like a "stocker" or a nice traditional cal look car. 

That's why I like the historical DKP cars....they were "loved", they have history, they were innovative, they didn't cost a million bucks, and there weren't that many and they ain't around no more!  Makes them special.  As John said, they didn't even know the impact of what they were doing.  I wonder how many DKP inspired cars are on the roads today?  Probably thousands.

[Jim Ratto]

Mike, Sometimes I forget about the cal look printed history ... I have owned literally scores of nice cal lookers over my many years and some nicer than others as well as being magazine covered VW's, but all seemed to lack to "Spirit' that I only wish others could have seen firsthand when it came to Rick and Johns cars. Superb Fit'n'Finish examples that i will carry in my mind for many years to come. For me personally I am a purist with attitude about things these days. Not so much Anal about things, rather disappointed with what I have seen with the various styles and fashions such as the rat rods/the patina look/the slammed look/the accessory look/etc..  I am delighted to see a tasteful stocker or a well built cal looker but other than that I really dont have too much interest although there are some nice people and some nicely done cars out of my scope but thats what makes this vw world keep rockin' I guess. It really grabs me when I hear of someone who scored big money with an absolute piece of shit when I  get peanuts for a nice clean machine. I am blessed to have had the early on opportunity to come to orange county in the early 60's  from the Boston, Mass. region to witnees firsthand what became an explosion of an era that became my life. Sorry to rant.....    peace out/Dyno Don  "The Voice"

I'm with you Dyno!  A lot of the high high dollar cars are on the cover of Hot VW's, hyped up a lot, and then sold for big bucks.  Then the guy who bought it can say he bought "so and so's" car that was on the cover of Hot VW's for bragging rights.  I think I recently saw the white Darren Dilley car for sale for over $100K.  Nice car for sure, but probably not a good "driver" and probably not "loved" like other cars, it's just an investment vehicle.  This may be blasphemous, but putting that much money into a VW is slightly insane....but then if you get the money out of it, I guess more power to you.  Personally, for $100K, I'll take a Porsche 911 GT3. 

I also tend to only like a "stocker" or a nice traditional cal look car. 

That's why I like the historical DKP cars....they were "loved", they have history, they were innovative, they didn't cost a million bucks, and there weren't that many and they ain't around no more!  Makes them special.  As John said, they didn't even know the impact of what they were doing.  I wonder how many DKP inspired cars are on the roads today?  Probably thousands.

that car, with its overload of un-needed glitz and tinsel is about the farthest thing from what I call a real California Look car.