Why are you into Cal Look?

[Georg/DFL]

Hi gang,

I really would like to know why you are into Cal Look? What makes it so special to you?

For me it's more than just a look, it's more a way of life. Like most of us I got in touch through Keith's book. I was fascinated by the history of that style, fascinated by the old storys about the cars and their owners and the friendship between the people who were into it. And maybe it helped that I was born in that decade, even if I was far to young and to far away to join the fun. In generell I love old things and like to listen to old storys. It's quiet difficult to express everything I connect with Cal Look, especially if you can't say it in your native language. I was thinking about that topic while I emailed with JHU today telling him a story about the friendship and readiness to help between the Cal Look people in Europe.

So how about you?
Cheers,

Georg

[SOB/RFH]

Back in the late 70's....I was ready for a driving licens and my folks did not like my idea of a full on street races on a Chevy Nova platform...you know tunnelrammed 327, 4-speed with vertical gate and slicks, the gutted interior type of car. So they gave me an option: A Volkswagen! i agreed couse it could be hopped up and they thought it was a good idea as it could not be hopped up!! So there I was. With a Volkswagen and eager to get out on the street. I looked for ideas and ended up with the late 40's Ford Street Rods. I lowered it, dechroed it and painted it in solid white. Nerf bars and stock rims. I later that year got hold of feb 1975 Hot VW and realized I invented the wheel!!!

[BABOON]

I got interested in the Cal-look scene when i first saw Paul Rui`s wild BRM split. Then i bought Keith Seume`s bible and then and there i was sold.

Today i am interested in all kinds of 70`s styled veichles. Slalom, gassers, customs and just about everything with cool paint schemes.

[Jøran Larssen]

I got interested in the Cal-look scene when i first saw Paul Rui`s wild BRM split. Then i bought Keith Seume`s bible and then and there i was sold.

Today i am interested in all kinds of 70`s styled veichles. Slalom, gassers, customs and just about everything with cool paint schemes.

Thank god for that. Remember the white mudflaps and stinger combination?

[BABOON]

Hmm, forgot about those. We have all done some minor mistakes in our lives ..Never again

[Jon]

Ohh, another great thread!!

I have always been into cars... so that was a given... I think I stumbled over the Cal-look/bug thing in 1989...  Later that year I bought the book called "Air-cooled Volkswagens" by Colin Burnham... and I fell in love with a Cal-look 1303 with rake and IDA!! I think I know every text in that book by hart!  And the Californian sunlight... it makes ANY car look like a million dollars!! By 1990 I had bought my first vw, a red 1303 and welded my first trim holes...with a severe rake   I was 15 years at the time. Since then it's been a one-way street...  and Keith's book sealed the deal, it's a bible...
BTW: I was born one month after the Cal-look phrase...   

[Tobi/DFL]

When I got my oval in 1998 I loved those resto cal lookers which were becoming en vogue in germany. Then, in 1999 I met George and the others guys from DFL at a meeting in Hockenheim. george showed me a copy of the 1975 Hot VWs and a copy of KS´s bible which I ordered 1 day later and completely read it the evening it arrived. That book changed everything for me...

[jose del orto]

Even if I owned already a lot of aircooled, I feel I've been deeply sleeping and dreaming of 100% stock, vintage VW's until a couple of years ago. And then, as it often happens, I got into the wrong bad boys group and was initiated to the worst drug ever! Obviously, if you want to talk about cal look, you will start reading the KS-book, as most of you also did. There I read about the 60ies and 70ies "calllok-heroes", and liked their total passion for strong engines, blowing away many much bigger cars on the stripe, and so I started thinking low and fat!

[Rocket-Racing]

I have been into VW's for as long as I can remember. But when it comes to the cal-look style I suppose a certain book made its impact on me too.. Thanks to mr Seume for writing that book and make so many of us see the light!
As for why.. I love the cars, the look and the VW-community. Lots of nice people who share the same interest is great.
I am also very fascinated by all the old and sometimes mysterious parts that were made back in the 60s and 70s.
At the moment I am into the "pre-cal" style and building my car in the spirit of the early DKP pioneer cars.

Lets do what we can to keep this thing alive!

Anders

[Luftkraft]

Hey José,
Welcome to the look! Glad you found the right path!   for me it started in '96 when I discovered the french Super VW mag. They featured many "old school" bugs, from the USA (dkp3 special etc) but also from the belgian DAS guys. I liked that pure "form follows function" look. Thanks to the internet I got lots of inspiration e.g. from Tero's Cal Look Site and so on. I met more and more people that are into "the look" and finally bought KS' bible. The rest is history as they say...

[speedwell]

i start in vw in 94 and my first car was a 74 1200  and I wanted to age it and put fuschs simply to him but it was the period of the resto- cal and  I did one , after having seen super VW n°62 special old school I brought brm on my car, t bars , and speedwell steering wheels, in less than one year I passed so that I wanted with my VW and then I bought the bible of ks ,I fell in love with the nostalgia drags  and the 70' S cal looks,.and for me what I like in the old cal looks these their simplicity, for me a front dropping to accentuate  the sporting look and a period set of rims and some period accessory also and it's played
go to this links to see the different style of my first beetle and the pict was my 61 and i hope to finish this year 
http://www2.cal-look.com/nostalgia/fabian.htmlhttp://

[Ole]

To me, it came outta da blue... I've been into VW's since I got my driver's license. My first one was a '67 with Automatic transmission. I attended the Kaeferblasen at Giebelstadt/Germany and was blown away by the performance the tiny VW's were capable of . I started thinking about converting my bug to a drag car (OK, I was dreaming of...), but after the Kaeferblasen was canceled in 1992, there was almost no possibility to race the 1/4 mile in Germany. Some good fellas competed in the german Kaefer-Cup these days. I joined them and learned something about aircooled VW's. Didn't take long till I wanted to race my own car. I swapped the '67 body for a '53 ragtop and prepared it for circuit racing... talk about youthful transgressions  (at least, it's still alive...) Later I was offered to drive my buddies 1302, that was the point when I realized that my car will NEVER perform like a car with McPherson suspension . Then I build a 1303 (we were young and we had the parts, we changed it to RHD...), I eventually raced it in 1999.

I was impressed by the D.A.S. lineup at one of the VoWo-shows, and I wondered why my buddie couldn't keep his hands of this book showing a white beetle on the cover After he got the author's autograph, I couldn't resist to take a look... I highly appreciated what I saw, but didn't spare a thought for building my own looker, I was too much in this Kaefer-Cup thing, that time.

Years later, Frank Schmitz from Luxembourg asked me if I'm interested in an old VW gasser. I replied: "Hell no! Not another project! I got some cars for sale, too!" He said:"Anyway, I'll pass you some shots and a list of the parts..." The rest, again, is history...

Saludos,
Ole

[Andi/DFL]

it startet in 98 with the resto-cal look, that I really liked. but then my preferences changes to cal-look. some of the DFL cars were an inspiration, of course the KS book and lots of internet stuff. also i can still remember seeing the muppet racer and thinking, that this is a cool car :-)

to be serious: if there would not be the cal-look i probably would not drive an aircooled volkswagen. call me narrow-minded, but that's the way it is for me today.

[Fritte]

My first meeting with vw was in 1994, my dad bought a 1964 T-1. My father and I started to go to some vw-meetings, and I also started to look in to some vw- magasins. Hot VW and VW-Trends. Later I bought KS cal-look bibe.I was sold.!
I remember HOT SHOP. A vw-company in Norway had a spring vw-meeting and in their store they had some pictures of a black bug fited with centerline and a Hot IDA motor. It was the company drag/street car.
It was the start. when I was 18. I bought my first vw. A 67 T-1. In the beginning It was fited
with stock rims, lowerd front and a 1835cc, later It was fit with some BRM.
I sold It. and now i have a 1959 T-1. with 2044 IDA, and BRM(Sold) It's going to be replaced with centerline, and Real EMPI 5, Need a repaint.
 
Fritte

[Pekka]

In the early '80s the Swedish hot rod magazine "Wheels" ran a couple of articles about the California Look. I don't know why really but from then on I was hooked on souped up bugs. I think why I like Cal-look cars so much is the simple clean understated look on a really fast car. In fact I actually hate how a stock bug looks but as soon as you add the right wheels and the rake etc. it strangely turns into something "sexy", stylish and cool. Also the element of surprise plays a factor as people are not prepared for an old slow VW to be really fast.

[The Ideaman]

Been doing this since 1979, and stepped away from 1986 to 1997, when the "High Performance Engines II"  drew me back in.  Then found the CLF, and it's been downhill since.  Jim Kaforski's 63 still does it for me.

[Bryan67]

I think what you need is clone of that car. Now lets see............. Where can we find one?

[62 Ragtop]

Well, I guess it started way back in the mid-80's, hanging around some older guys at my street who were into american muscle cars and hotrod's and whatnot, reading magazines like Colorod, Wheels and Bilsport. hmmm, well, perhaps not the entire truth I had no clue as to what "cal look" was at the time... 

The truth of the matter is, yes, as a young boy becoming a teenager in the mid-80's, some older guys at my street were indeed into american muscle cars and hotrods, and they were all reading magazines like Colorod, Wheels and Bilsport. One day the younger brother of one of the elderly came home with an orange 1303S and immediately started to order some parts from Dalhems, a Swedish aftermarket dealer. Being very interested in cars I was very fast on offering my help to unpack the boxes we picked up at the local post-office and hanging around the garage. Shiney new parts posting names as "Empi" and "Scat", not knowing anything on what they really were or the history as such. Soon a single qp muffler made its way to the orange bug and my much older friend offered me a ride in his bug. As a young boy this was heaven, being able to hang-out with the older guys and riding in a car that sounded like it had a million horsepower to boot. 

Growing up I found myself drifting away from old Volkswagens, sure my aunt owned a -60s bug, and I got to ride in the "duckbay" as any other child did at the time. Time moved on and with a fresh drivers license in my hand, no tought of having a bug of my own entered my mind (to much dismay in retrospect!).

Time warp 1. Having spent a couple of years, well a decade really, fiddling with english cars, such as Mini Coopers from the mid -60's and experiencing some mid-life crisis when I turned 30 a few years ago of not owning a nice "classic", I decided to get a bug, a nice, shiny one, with a classic cal-look appearence. Said and done, I was biten by the bug! Spent a fort-night on the web searching and reading up on this craze called "The California Look". Found a car on the internet and voilá; after many years living in the dark, I was the proud owner of a 1962 Bug, OPWs, with BRMs, 135s Michelin up-front, some beefier tires at the back, a single empi qp muffler reminding of my childhood days growing up. Well, the car was perhaps more of a resto-cal as the know-how increased as to what cal look is all about, built in the late-80's-to-early-90s and well maintained with a light slam at the back and not hosting a souped-up engine. I felt right at home!

Following the purchase; I immediately started to subscribe to HotVWs, VolksWorld, Ultra VW, VW Trends (R.I.P) and got hold of the "Cal-look Bible" by Mr.Seume and alot more got-to-have literature found its way to the bedroom table.

Time warp 2. Quite content with my -62, driving it, looking after it, it was by the luck-of-the-draw during the summer 2004 visiting a swedish bug show, BugBash, I found myself in a bit of a predicament and needed to get hold of a "project car". Always thought that "ragtops" was very closely connected to bugs I got hold of yet another -62, this one with an original factory ragtop, black BRMs, some Porsche gauges, a new Puma front-end. The small rental garage-space soon became cluttered and the better-half back home started to make comments about "owning too many vehicles". I decided to sell off the first bug in order to "do something on my own" and to free up some cash of course for the "new" bug. Being the proud father of two small boys, and a demanding work, time in the garage has become a scarse commodity and the "project" has been sligthly delayed to say the least. Car is looking more like a SoCal Volksrod in the dimming light in the garage, no fenders, removed interior, no glass, no rubber no nothing, dust from paint being removed has slowly but surely started to cover every little bit in the garage, I spend my evenings hushing my babies to sleep while fingering on my Gene Berg shifter standing proudly on the bookshelf and dreaming of roaring IDA 48s...

Well, what's another year!

BTW, my congrats on a very nice forum!

[LuftsickTero]

For me I came aware of Cal Look in Finnish army, I had been into V8s since late 70's, got older cousins who had American cars and were reading V8-Magazine. In the same army unit was a guy from Kotka who was into VWs, so I borrowed a pile of Hot VWs from him and he got some Popular Hot Roddings from me..

After the army I never got to buy the '65 Mustang Fastback of my dreams and continued studies etc. Somewhere in '94/'95 I noticed a nice peach coloured Looker in front of our house (no trim, bumpers, steel wheels, lowered) and figured that VWs would be nice "hobby cars", and they must be cheap since they were everywhere.. I couldn't tell the difference between Super Beetle and Oval, but I asked a colleaque from summer job to bring some VW magazines from her holiday trip to States.. So she brought few issues and I started to subscribe Hot VWs and VW Trends and slowly got aware of Cal Look and year models etc.

Started to read Volksworld too, then the Cal Look issue in '96 caused a certain feeling and so I bought my first car, that being a Gulf Blue '63, was eager as hell to learn how to work on the car, things like lowering it etc. Joined FVWA, went to my first "club" meeting in Pukinmäki, was bit surprised of what I saw, I had both the oldest car and only Beetle, went there few times more, people were friendly and helpful but I didn't have much in common. I got to know Jussi Jyränkö, who pointed that I might find out West Coast Aircoolers bit closer to what I was looking for, different bunch of people  Got my car painted and got some things sorted out, driving it and trying to learn things, went to the club WCA meetings, met Pete and Kurre from Luftsick who gave me the silence-treatment, then if I remember correctly it was Heebah who said he and Kai will help me in getting the car bit closer to "specs". We lowered the car and it appeared in club display stand couple of days later in local show..

After that things started to evolve quite fast, collecting accessories, then moving from Resto Cal to Old School Cal Look and started to collect engine parts etc.. Without meeting the right people I wouldn't have gotten the kicks from the hobby I have..

This is the "how" part and the why part is "I thought that they were cheap to work on"..

[Ivan]

I am into California Look VWs as the style encompasses my thirst for improved performance, but equally gives you a blank canvas with which you can either create a 'sleeper' or a hard looking ride. It is also a way to follow a basic book of rules but come out with a unique car which everyone recognises as your car.
Equally, it has become more about quality today than ever before, so you could say any California Look car built today has to be a 100 point restoration to meet the grade, so the style now also includes full restoration.
It's basically the best form or style of VW modification, in my opinion - which has a world-wide following.
That's the why...

But what about the 'how'?
How did I get into it? By reading old copies of Hot VWs and Trends from the 70s and seeing what had been done to the feature cars.  I had seen a small number of very subtle cars when I had visited California – which appealed to me although they were very hard to spot as everything in the VW world was neon coloured with wild graphics.
I built a Notchback in the mid 80’s that was going to wear my BRMs, but decided to go Resto Cal with that one and concentrate on building my own perfect - for my tastes - Old School car.
I looked for over a year to find the best '67 I could located.  And then I was able to build my dream car with the '67 I bought in April 1992.
The car was lowered - nosedown, fitted with original BRMs and an EMPI GT steering wheel and shifter for Bug Jam '92.

At VolksWorld, I had been trying to promote the Old School California Look cars that were becoming really popular in the USA by featuring them in the magazine. I arranged to get my old friend Hector Bonilla's '67 (who's car had been very inspirational to me for years!) in the magazine along with Gary Schubrook's red Oval with convert decklid and racing mags  (March '92 issue). I also ran a one page 'VW Relics' feature on BRMs in the same issue, although this was in the days before the internet - and details on the amount which survived were conflicting. I had contacted Rubery Owen Group and found the moulds for the wheels - which had been at a foundry called Acricast in Wales were not longer. No matter what you hear otherwise. 

However, March 1992 was also the month that I did a news piece in VolksWorld which introduced the Flat 4 BRM to the world for the first time - a product which would go on to change the look of so many cars - or should that be give so many cars The Look?

In January 1992 I first made friends with Pal Rui in Oslo - who had placed a wanted advert for BRMs. Someone else in Europe who had an interest in the same things as I did, he is still a friend 14 years later.

In August 1992 issue I was able to arrange and write a feature on the black Old School '67 Flat 4 built - and this continued the California Look quest.
VolksWorld was mainly featuring custom VWs or drag racers - which was Keith's passion - or Vintage VWs (which we all loved).

In February 1993 - Volksworld ran a club feature on DKP 3. I wrote it and Keith did the photographs for whilst he was over in So Cal. Keith also wrote a little piece on the history of the club.   

We were gradually starting to get more material into the magazine, and a lot more was to come!

I was busy collecting the right parts for my '67 - I had the wheels and the Skat traks and 48IDAs, but I was now trying to collect the engine parts. The car was coming along very well.

In January 1994 I ran a article on Pal Rui's white 'Old School '62' on page 77.

I ran a feature in April 1994 on the Old School style interior re-trim Bernard Newbury did for the '67, and I planned for the car to be shown for the first time at the 1st VolksWorld Show. I can remember Bernie thinking I was a little mad to chose the material I did. He would later do many similar interiors.

The car was going to be debtued - no matter what. And it was very close, close enough that it was just a case of getting it tested.

Keith Seume had been over to So Cal for a holiday at the end of 1993 and had seen the old Keith Goss car for sale, and bought it.
It was being shipped over and he wanted to show it at the VolksWorld Show too. When it arrived the paint had cracked during the journey on the ship - so it had to be repainted before the show.

We got them together for a VolksWorld Old School front cover - June 1994 issue.

The '67 I built must have been the first true Old School car to be built in the UK.
And the Keith Goss car must have been the first original California Look car seen in the UK.
The June 94 issue also had a story on Dave mason's car, a history piece on Speedwell's test car - the '65 reg FLE114C and a story on my day with Bill Schwimmer and the DKP III at Terminal Island.

The July '94 issue featured Bill Schwimmers car and then in March 2005 Keith did a feature on Dave Rhoad's '64.
In June we feature Bernard Newbury's Oval - in it's first guise.
So UK Old School Cal Look had started to filter through.
By August '95 we had Rick Mortensen's Old School '67 and the in November I took over from Keith as Editor.
In December we ran the first feature on the DAS club members.

Then in February 1996, I decided to do the first VolksWorld California Look issue - it was something Hot VWs had done in 1975 and I loved so much. I ran the idea by Dean Kirsten and he said it was fine by them.

We also announced the new California Look book for Keith in this issue.

This was the first of many California Look issues from VolksWorld. We have tried to fly the flag ever since and are proud to have featured some of the best cars in the world.
By 1997 a lot of cars were starting to come out in the UK, and mainland Europe and we were about to be amazed at the way the California Look was back and stronger than ever. It blew the VW world apart!

It would never have come back without the hard work of the members of DKPIII, and the people who work on VW magazines. The part we played in this is something we are very proud of.

I was out in my '67 on Saturday and it was great fun.
It's been on the road since 1994 as a California Look running the only set of wheels I have for it - original BRMs and, I will never sell it.

[Bill Schwimmer]

Thank you Ivan for your statement...It amazes me what has transpired from 3 friends getting together in 1988 (Greg Brinton, Dave Mason and myself)  We just wanted to build cars like the VW's that we saw when we were growing up in OC.   DKP was legendary in North OC  (Orange, Anaheim, Fullerton ect.) & that was what we wanted to emulate.To me the Look is part of OC history & I am thankfull to be able to have it continue.To me our cars are the 32 Highboys of the 70's & 80's.They started out as daily transportation & were raced ,showed & driven home @ the end of the day. I see the cars get more specialized  (race cars ect..) however to me a true Cal Look car must be able to be street driven. The reason that I drive a fast VW is that it annoys people ,it is pretty funny to blow the doors of something that should be much faster.Anybody can make a v8 fast, try doing it with a 3rd of the displacement,in a car that lbs. per cubic inch is heavier than a Camaro.  Enough for now .  time for bed      Bill

[Ivan]

Credit where it's due Bill - your work, along with the other members of DKP III,  and the continued commitment has done more for the California Look scene than anyone else I can think of. The club is still the benchmark.
All we have tried to do is report on this and keep the flag flying.

I hope to see you again this year.

[Gregor/DFL]

Hi!
I totally agree to the statement that a Cal Look car must be cabable to be street driven. For me, a Cal looker´s "spirit" is to be a fast street car which also can be raced on the 1/4mile. The whole scene seems to be going in two directions: street and race.

An interesting thing is the "OC spirit" of those cars, mentioned by Bill. It works even not being a California resident Somehow the car in combination with all the impressions you have/had by visiting California, reading all the old Magazines and Books and so on keeps the spirit alive-all over the world. It´s always interesting to expand those impressions by the stories and statements posted here by guys being into Cal Look for that long time, so this forum is also a great opportunity to "learn"

[Jon]

Gregor & Bill,

I recognise that a cal looker is a street car, but I can't help wondering how the cal-looker back in the day was used?
A "typical" 12 - 13 sec looker... would it be driven across USA?  Or was it used as a city/cruiser?

For my wallet, driving my engine 500 mile round trips seem like a waste of engine life...  better spent on the redlights around town 

[Gregor/DFL]

Hi Jon,

well, in my interpretation, Cal look went thru kind of an evolution. DKP I cars for sure where no 12s cars right from the beginning, but they where much faster than a stock VW. Since then, cars where modified and modified, and besides that, a 1/4 race scene established, powered by the well-known gassers and being a big influence on street cars. Within the years, also parts became available quite easy, and today everyone building a type1 based engine goes for 2.1 Litres minimum as "standard". It then simply depends on what´s the focus - racing and maximum hp or reliability and by that killing lots of HP (compression ratio, size of valves, cam, gearbox etc. can be chosen either matching the one or the other focus).
I think today there´s no "the" Cal Look, cars are built in two directions, being as quick as possible or being just quite quick but also usable on the motorway for 500 miles...
My personal focus will be to build a reliable 2.0 litre which can be used as a daily driver (although I don´t use my car as a daily driver). But I want to pull out the car out of the garage after 3 months, turn the key, wait until webers suck fuel and then go for a ride downtown or on the Autobahn. I don´t like the idea of redoing the complete engine every season.
But luckily everyone is free in decision how a car and the engine should be built.

[SOB/RFH]

Cal-look appeals to my eyes.....form and function....as they do accelerate good......but above all.....I do meet a lot of interesting people. I think it is more the person or individual behind the car then the result or having the right parts that stands out! Just my 2 cent!

[alfie the monster]

however to me a true Cal Look car must be able to be street driven.

Amen to that

Credit where it's due Bill - your work, along with the other members of DKP III,  and the continued commitment has done more for the California Look scene than anyone else I can think of. The club is still the benchmark.

I hope to see you again this year.

Agreed.

And I look forward to seeing you (in my rear view mirror) on Saturday Mr M 

[Ivan]

I look forward to seeing you (in my rear view mirror) on Saturday Mr M 

When you wake up I bet you find your coffee is cold dreamer!

Sadly - I'm not going to be there on Saturday - I'm going to be at a photoshoot. So, I've given the pleasure of beating you down the quarter mile to Stephen Gosling in his 2007 Ghia. He's a bit concerned you'll turn right half way down the quarter - as he reckons you probably don't know the way to the end. He said the easiest thing is to follow him.
We'll get together - don't you worry. 

[alfie the monster]

Oh dear Ivan, you've bottled out, the thought of losing too much for you? 

[Zach Gomulka]

I grew up with VWs. My dad always had one (or 2 or 3). When I was born I was brought home from the hospital in our '71 Westy that my dad outfitted with dual Cluades Buggies single barrel carbs, a 110 cam, and slip in 88s! My mom sewed up the side curtains. We drove that thing all over the USA. When it was coming time for me to drive, there was no question what I would be driving. My sister started with a '67 bug, I started by getting my dads '72 back on the road.
But back on topic here... Over 10 years ago, before I even got a VW, I thought I wanted a '66 bug with a sunroof and as much accessories as I could possibly throw on or in it. Then a friend in high school let me borrow The Bible- California Look VW by Keith Sueme- I never looked back. I love "less is more". Understated. The stance. I cant explain the feeling that came over me then! I was more then hooked, or bitten by the bug, or whatever. The vision of a over accessorized '66 quickly became a clean, cal look '67.