Cal-Look.no - The Lounge Nostalgia Corner by El Dub

Please note that above awesome banner picture comes from the personal archive of Keith SEUME.

INCH PINCHER 1 DESTINY...

Is there a more legendary VW than the EMPI Inch Pincher? Every seventies racer remember this car, from Dean LOWRY to Darrel VITTONE, and forever associated with the Empi brand, the Inch Pincher is the number one gasser. We lived in a time when many gassers resurfaced after falling into oblivion, and naturally, hunters all dream of finding the original Inch Pincher.

My teammate, the one and only BenJ may have found the serious track, all while scrolling the screen of his Iphone on his couch (How we love Internet...).

This is how the original Inch Pincher body was left at Roberta Street after its pan was united with Inch Pincher too top chopped body. Seems on this picture that the doors were removed also...

When Darrel VITTONE and the Empi team created Inch Pincher Too, they stripped down Inch Pincher, set aside the old shell, and installed the brand-new top chop on the original chassis (see banner title picture above). The Inch Pincher body remained at Empi's premises for a while, then a certain Pencho MENDOZA acquired it. Better known for creating Pink Panther (a Mexican gasser we write about some years ago and see picture in right column), the legendary body left California for Mexico... And the rest is history...

Inch Pincher Micro Motors de Mexico...

For some reason that BenJ don't already know, Pencho MENDOZA sold the gasser unfinished, maybe to finance the Pink Panther project...

Rodolfo VALENCIA MORALES then became the new owner.

EMPI Globe logo was still in use on the doors... And the ESSO sponsorship is an unusual sight on VW gassers...

The car was reviewed from A to Z by Rodolfo as we can see above. A beautiful purple enhanced by yellow writing is applied to what has now become, inch pincher mexico. In the few photos we can admire a brand new revamped Inch Pincher Mexico on its trailer and what seems to be its first official outing.

Gold Anodized 4 lugs rims replaced the original BRM, and we can wonder where they ended... Maybe still in Mexico countryside...

Rodolfo made several passes on different mexcian tracks. Average times were in the 13s. Rodolfo then gives the car to his wife Maggi. The last version here in black and white is found with painted in large on the front hood, Maggi.

Maggi also scoured the tracks of Mexico, having long-time rivals like Marisela Monroy and her hot rod v8. In 1979, a run between Maggi and Marisela was featured in the specialized newspapers. At the end of this run, a part of Marisela's engine broke and the hot rod ended its race in the wall at full speed.

One day, Rodolfo let his friend Gallardo take Inch Pincher on his flatbed to an exhibition. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. They had an accident in which Inch Pincher Mexico was damaged, so much so that it ended up in pieces... A sad end for a car as iconic as Inch Pincher.

BenJ insist : 'You may not believe me, but I'm convinced of it and I'm going to try to find the trace of Inch Pincher Too, Mother version!'

We can trust he will succeed and another thing's for sure : you will read the full story on the Nostalgia corner and nowhere else ;-)

Pictures below are quite probably the most interesting pictures because the proof of the direct descent between the two gassers is evident... Only clearly difference is the top chopped roof...

We can see the original Inch Pincher body metalflake paint is still on the body... Note that rear fenders and original BRM were still in use, as well as the front EMPI fiberglass hood... Seems front fenders were original Inch Pincher also... The side scoops are also present, but they have certainly been modified to follow the new roofline.

Racing against a motorbike really?

Pencho MENDOZA was also responsible of the Pink Panther gasser, and this is an early version with the same 33 numbers on the doors and was later painted metallic orange... Not a coincidence for sure...

Well, back to our quest, then, in a second step, the metallic orange was covered with a mat black. The numbers 33 went to 99.

Another B&W picture of the black gasser. Last detail, the door pillars are not finished but just cut!

Yes, this is a lady racing the revamped Inch Pincher body : Maggi VALENCIA, Rodolfo's wife.

She even got the privilege to see her first name evident on the front hood...

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E-mail : eldub@cal-look.com