True cal-lookers are built to drive

[pre-cal]

How many of you will be driving your lookers to the European Bug-In? Personally I think any use of a trailer is a no-no for a street car. Gassers are in a whole different catagory. They were built for pure dragrace. Many of the cal-lookers were pretty much used as everyday transport, before heading to the strip on the weekends.
Who will be arriving in the true cal-look spirit, driving all the way?

[ESH]

I'll probably pootle down in the skip. 

[Gregor/DFL]

I´ll go there on my own 4 wheels-something like 600 kilometers to drive, mainly on "German Autobahn". Some sections are not speed-limited, so when you drive at an average of maybe 120 kph, it´s not a relaxing cruise as you also have to be aware of cars hitting the left lane with a minimum of 200 kph plus...

[Diederick/DVK]

i can imagine that can be scary gregor! 

i don't have a big engine yet, but i hate situations on the motorway where everyone suddenly brakes back to 80-85 kmh (50-55mph) and then i can't shift back yet to 3rd and everyone's racing past again while accelerating 

btw, perhaps it's off-topic, but to the guys with big displacement engines... at what speed can you cruise? 140 kmh (85-90 mph)?

[Jon]

Many of the cal-lookers were pretty much used as everyday transport, before heading to the strip on the weekends.

You get all due credit for living the cal look life pre-cal... but I'm not sure the Orange County boys would pop over to the drag strip every weekend, if it was in AMARILLO TEXAS?? From my home and down to Bug In its a cool 1080 miles one way...  Somehow 20 hours pluss @ 4000 rpm doesen't scream "cal look" to me... sounds more like wasted engine life.   

[ESH]

Many of the cal-lookers were pretty much used as everyday transport, before heading to the strip on the weekends.

... sounds more like wasted engine life ...   

And one hell of a head ache.

[Lee.C]

I'll be driving over 1100kms in the buggy with "cannons" now thats how to get a headache 

[alfie the monster]

It's closer than DAS and we all drive there 

[lowfastbus]

btw, perhaps it's off-topic, but to the guys with big displacement engines... at what speed can you cruise? 140 kmh (85-90 mph)?

Don't know for the other guys but i cruise my IDA engined car at 110km/h max... even with the stock box

[SOB/RFH]

Wish I had the Bug In closer to where I live. But on the other hand of mouch more importence. How far can you drive your race car from the trailer and still call it a race car and not a street car .........................Happiness is a Hot VW!!

[Diederick/DVK]

btw, perhaps it's off-topic, but to the guys with big displacement engines... at what speed can you cruise? 140 kmh (85-90 mph)?

Don't know for the other guys but i cruise my IDA engined car at 110km/h max... even with the stock box

seriously? i even pull that off with my 1300 single port, 120 kmh for some bits as well...

[Rune]

I don't really see the problem. My IDA oval has been my daily driver for most of this summer, in all kinds of weather. Even for some longer drives.. The only downside is the noise level inside the car. A friend of mine from Sweden drove his IDA powered 67 all the way to SPA and back some years ago, without any problems.. It's all about dedication.

[Jon]

It's all about dedication.

"Dedication to cal-look" is 3450 kilometer roadtrips? Okay I can buy this... but when you get there... to the cal-look show in your hi-po CAL-LOOKER, would you also race it at the strip?
Offcourse you do, or are you a chicken...? No you say? What ever, to me cal look is about ENJOYING the car, not worrying about it, or wearing it out at a danish motorway. I'd rather use it around town at home... and race it at BugIn. 

What if your diff dies... or you snap a rocker? Leave the car behind and take the plane back... well fine if you got the finances to have the car picked up... and the HEART to send it by truck.

 

[BABOON]

Why waste the life of a perfectly good race engine by cruising on the boring and endless highway. And I think we all should agree that a 12 second motor is a RACE engine. And when racing the car on slicks (wich I consider a race prepped car) transmission breakage will happen at some point. Then you are far away from home with no spare trans and no trailer. Have in mind that I am talking about the 1080 miles trip each way.

If we reduce the distance to 125 miles, then the case is a whole lot different. Then I would drive it for sure

[Rune]

All I'm saying is that I enjoy spending time behind the wheel of my car, not pulling it around on a trailer. (I had my car on a trailer to SCC remember, but that was more due to the fact that I had a stock trans in it)  But by all means, I understand the use of a trailer when you plan to race that far from home. Don't really agree with all the talk about wasting enginelife though. Up here in Norway the season is so short anyway, and most people rebuild theyr engines during winter.... Tomas A ran high 12's at SCC this year, If I got it right that is the same engine that he drove to SPA with as I mentioned earlier.

[Frank LUX]

Well, they might be build to drive, but if you are living in a country like mine they don't let you drive it on the street as it is simply not Legal...you cannot register a Cal-looker in Luxembourg...

Frank

[SOB/RFH]

Tomas A is part of DBR. A lotof our cars, say 100% nearly are street driven and works ok............a few lo 12 sec cars and a few high 12 s cars............They get driven a lot like going from Sweden to London or as you say, to Spa. In that trim that Tomas drove the car it was not a 12 sec car, a little slower and backed by a GB 5 Speed. In anyones book a cool ridet though!!! Happiness is a Hot VW!!

PS
How far from a trailer can a race car be before it is called a street car!!

[Rune]

Yeah, I know. He had the FAT Performance box at SCC, with a spool.
Anyway, what I am trying to say is that a well-built engine won't have any problems with long road trips, and still last..

[lowfastbus]

Driving back from Bitburg this year... but it only 280km's.

[Rasser]

Why not continue the discussion....    Is a Cal-looker a cruise or racecar, or a mixture ?

you CAN´T have both in the same car, believe me I tried!!!    A racecar is a non-compromise car built for the fastest trip down the track, and a "cruisecar" is...   yeah well, you know what it is.

I believe the  callook scene is splitt in two....   one part loves their cars because of the speed and andrenalin, the other part loves to cruise their car all day (to a show far far away, or perhaps just a sunday-cruise to the beach). But common for both group of people is that they share the samen passion for nostalgic old vw´s....   in the cal-look spirit!

[Gregor/DFL]

...well-I agree! Main thing is the common interest. If I would build a car to be as quick as possible I´d save weight by kinkin out the whole interior e.g. I also wouldn´t care that much about a smooth paintjob or "stylish" wheels. There are lots of cars around representing quite a good mixture-but I also think you more or less "need" two cars-a racer and a "looker"

[ESH]

I think it's fair to say the look is derived from the drag strip so taking that as a starting point running on the 1/4 the car is a given, how you get it there I guess would then depend on what you are trying to do with the car and how far you've got to go to get there, in every sense. All the people I know and respect have always had slightly different ideas on this and that's cool by me. I don't yet know what my car will run but I'm happy with it and it is a no compromise street car. I sometimes wonder what it'd be like with the volume up and maybe one day I'll get it set to kill but for the time being I'm happy to loose the odd grudge match.

[alfie the monster]

Tim C cruising to DDD3 last year. After the show he drove home to Surrey, and then back to Spa the next weekend 



So yes, true lookers are built to drive 

[GreenTom]

maybe I don't have big engine at the moment... but I use my bug as daylie drive. When I was studying I was makeing over 700 km(437miles)  per week sometimes eaven over 1000km (about 625miles).
My longest yourney is 780km per one day . normally I drive over 450km per day when Im going for example to my family...
on my 1600ccm with twin dellortos I'm going to go to uk on november... only 1850km (about 1156 miles)  ... not big deal...

A lot of us know many examples of cool rides which are daylie drives, the best I know is Paul's panelvan... almost 500 BHP, (best time 12.5sec) and he always drive it from Manchester to drgad strip.. (York or Santa Pod...) so it's not dificoult I think.

I think that cal-look as a style is so good cuz it conects race car and daylie drive... first cal-lookers were used as a daylie drives and race cars... (maybe not typical race cars but something like weekend wariors ... ) If I'm wrong correct me

[Martin Greaves]

For me going to a show starts when i leave my house then meeting up with my friends on the way in one big convoy. But for some of us to drive our cars to the track is just not possible. When i and some of my friend have to take a 10ft by 20ft tent, tools, chairs and a table, bbq, pair of wheels with slicks on, race gas, spare parts and lots more. But believe if i could drive one of my cars to the shows and then race it i would that is true Cal Look. To drive there take out all the weight you can out of your car put your slicks on and get down that 1/4 as fast as you can. All this work just for a weekend of fun we must all be mad but what fun it is. Roll on next year i am looking forward to Bug-In and Das Drag Day i need to try and make more European shows.

[Tim C]

Tim C cruising to DDD3 last year. After the show he drove home to Surrey, and then back to Spa the next weekend 



So yes, true lookers are built to drive 

Yes, a mental week - Surrey to Bitburg was 680 miles (there and back) and then Spa was 520 miles (there and back) - therefore 1200 miles over 7 days... car didn't miss a beat. 

[Jon]

1200 miles over 7 days... car didn't miss a beat. 

Since that is just over half the distance Pre-cal will be driving the Bug-In weekend, I guess we can wish him Bon Voyage!   

[Tim C]

and good luck 

[Diederick/DVK]

i drove my bug a lot this summer, even 800km in one week... now that was a great feeling!

[Dokke/DFL]

The last 2 years I drove my '67 bug with IDA to every meetings, I always drives it.
And YES, I'm totally agree that cal-lookers are built to drive.
About the noise ... it's really hard but I love it !!!