Car Thoughts

[andrewlandon67]

I was thinking earlier today about what makes Cal Look cars, or even just cars that take some inspiration from the Look, so special among the car scene. Part of it is obvious, a distinct lack of additional adornment creates a purposeful look, regardless of whether or not the car is running with bumpers and chrome. Some other parts aren't quite as out-there, such as the fact that very few Lookers are run with anything other than 15 inch wheels, and those that are have 13s. I feel like this is from both a desire to return to the past "the way things were," and a reluctance/outright refusal to adhere to modern standards of car customization, and either way, I love it. I've seen SO MANY old cars, VW or American done up in the "Resto-Mod" look with either smoothed out or stock bodywork, that almost look like they're stock, until you get alongside them and see that they're FESTOONED with some godawful 10-inch deep dish, 20 inch tall polished American knockoffs wrapped in what could very well be a layer of duct tape with a tread pattern cut in it, and it's getting boring. While DKK and DKP are still out spreading the gospel of the church of BRMs, there are more and more VWs falling into the same trend.
<Rant>

Another part of Cal Look that really keeps me drawn in and inspired is that many of the cars we idolize have transcended their builders and subsequent owners to become something more than just a badass VW. While we still refer to them by the name of whoever built them, they've gone beyond just being someone's old car, regardless of how big of a name they have. Cars like the Berglar, the Keith Goss Chop-Top, or even newer ones such as Wocket, or Dave Mason's black car will always retain their own identities as hellraising, firebreathing monsters long after they've gone on to new owners or even just new hometowns. I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that I see the Cal Look scene as special because everyone who "gets it" just wants to keep these cars going on and kicking ass as they always have done instead of taking something unique with a history behind it and throwing that all away in the search for another trophy for "Best Paint" or "Least Driven," and I really appreciate that.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to get all this out of my head somewhere and I figured the place that introduced me to "the look" would be more fitting than facesuck. Thanks for all the inspiration to keep writing my car's history, and keep on flooring those Webers.

"You Know Where We're At"

[Neil Davies]

Whenever I'm asked why I like Beetles, and Cal Look specifically, I have to flip the question back to the other person. The closest I can get is asking them what sort of music they like, and when they say whatever it is, I ask them why they like it.
As former Half A Brain VW Club president, the late Ben Bosworth once said: "it's like jazz. You either get it, or you don't."

[andrewlandon67]

Part of the reason why I've been thinking about this is that the Colorado Bug In was this last Sunday, and while there were certainly a few fast, clean-looking VWs, most of the truly fast cars were the outright racers, with only one car that I'd consider a real Cal Looker running into the 13s. After a while, seeing a bunch of crappy bajas and roofracks piled high with flotsam running 18+ second quarter miles just gets boring. I know my car's hardly a real looker with stock-style '67 wheels and some rather rough patina, but my nose is down, my engine's pissed, my t-bars are polished, and my ride height is manageable. Someday it's gonna get painted, and it'll run IDAs instead of my Empi 44 IDF knockoffs, but for now, I'm satisfied with having people poking around it all day, trying to figure out why in the hell it's so fast with just a 1914. To me that's way more satisfying than having people ask me how often I scrape on speed bumps or where I got all of my roof rack crap from. I can only hope that there are some others out there around my age and interested in this sort of thing.

[flatfire]

I have had some sort of phobia in relation to driving my cal looker.Recently I have suffered a truly life changing moment. I  turned to my cal look bug and drove it everyday just to take my mind of things ,just for a moment. I have to say without the bug things would be even worse. 800 miles on the clock is quite an achievement for me.😊

[modnrod]

........ After a while, seeing a bunch of crappy bajas and roofracks piled high with flotsam running 18+ second quarter miles just gets boring........

Yep. It usually takes about the same 2.5secs the 1st one needs to get to the 60ft timer! 
Oh, unless it's YOUR crappy 18sec baja, then it's just gold. 

Well, for a run or two anyway......

[hotstreetvw]

The 13s looker must have been Eddies street car (black).  Pretty sick car.  Much faster at sea level.

Part of the reason why I've been thinking about this is that the Colorado Bug In was this last Sunday, and while there were certainly a few fast, clean-looking VWs, most of the truly fast cars were the outright racers, with only one car that I'd consider a real Cal Looker running into the 13s. After a while, seeing a bunch of crappy bajas and roofracks piled high with flotsam running 18+ second quarter miles just gets boring. I know my car's hardly a real looker with stock-style '67 wheels and some rather rough patina, but my nose is down, my engine's pissed, my t-bars are polished, and my ride height is manageable. Someday it's gonna get painted, and it'll run IDAs instead of my Empi 44 IDF knockoffs, but for now, I'm satisfied with having people poking around it all day, trying to figure out why in the hell it's so fast with just a 1914. To me that's way more satisfying than having people ask me how often I scrape on speed bumps or where I got all of my roof rack crap from. I can only hope that there are some others out there around my age and interested in this sort of thing.

[andrewlandon67]

The 13s looker must have been Eddies street car (black).  Pretty sick car.  Much faster at sea level.

Part of the reason why I've been thinking about this is that the Colorado Bug In was this last Sunday, and while there were certainly a few fast, clean-looking VWs, most of the truly fast cars were the outright racers, with only one car that I'd consider a real Cal Looker running into the 13s. After a while, seeing a bunch of crappy bajas and roofracks piled high with flotsam running 18+ second quarter miles just gets boring. I know my car's hardly a real looker with stock-style '67 wheels and some rather rough patina, but my nose is down, my engine's pissed, my t-bars are polished, and my ride height is manageable. Someday it's gonna get painted, and it'll run IDAs instead of my Empi 44 IDF knockoffs, but for now, I'm satisfied with having people poking around it all day, trying to figure out why in the hell it's so fast with just a 1914. To me that's way more satisfying than having people ask me how often I scrape on speed bumps or where I got all of my roof rack crap from. I can only hope that there are some others out there around my age and interested in this sort of thing.

Yes it is! I've actually seen his car run mid-high twelves up here, pulling the front wheels a good 18 inches up on street tires. A good friend of mine has video of it going 11.2 on nitrous in Phoenix, AZ many many years ago. It's not the prettiest car, and the interior isn't really there at all, but goddamn is it fast.

Edit: Just remembered, the rockers on my 1914 actually came off of Eddie's car. Gotta love being a part of a small community like that!