[QUOTE=vujade]To me, the german look is what the Cal Look should have evolved into, instead it stayed the same as it was 30 years ago!
[QUOTE]

Couldn't agree more, to my mind it's the pure simple exterior style that suits the classic lines :cool: of the bug more than anything else, and the German look sees this evolve with a bit more oomph!!

ps sorry to reawaken this thread but I've only just joined... :)

My opinion:

http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL297/.../101768875.jpg

That is the EPITOME of GL IMO.

Looks mean, and handles great. And most of the time has the speed to back it up.

Handling and performance superceed everything else.

Simply put, large brakes, large german wheels, and great suspension.....

No reason to be sorry, thats what the forum is here for. Not just for people
that have already seen this thread, but also for newbies as well :)

I wish that were mine.....

Check out VWTrends June 2002 page 40. This car is the reason why i decided to do the GermanLook style and now i'm broke. Its a 98' mexi bug with 182 hp type 4 from france. Very Clean. Does anyone have more pics of this bug on any websites? The VWTrends article has 4 pics and 1 page of writing.

there are pics of that bug here on GL.com in the Gallery.

You may have seen my previous posts under the name of Axl R - I haven't been on for a while , and I forgot my login name - So I am now just plain , old AXL , at least until I forget this login and go for something else . I was going through the posts , and skimming over what some people think the GL look is . I have thought about this and came to this conclussion . This look is the marriage between the old california look and the new tuner cars . There is still a lot of touches that come from the cal look cars , but the idea of the rims/tires , bigger engine and brakes , and what not are very similar to what the kids are doing with their Hondas and Acuras and whatever else . I think this is the best of both worlds and I am excited to see what else is coming in the GL arena . Axl.

^^^Difference is...GL is about FUNCTION before form...Something the little ricers fail to realize. They use the "big rims" for the look...not because they need the "big rims" for thier brakes and contact patch.

Also, we're not really using cheapie parts....they on the otherhand, use some of the crappiest quality of parts on the market just to say they have another mod...lol

Been there, done that....saw a couple last night, laughed and they wondered why I was laughing in my "crappy bug"....

That may be correct , fot the most part , oicdn , but if you get down to it , the best cars (both GL's and ricer's ) are using the best parts available . Then you get the weekend warrior who is just going look , and quality be damned . I think no matter what type and style of vehicle that is being modified or restored , you will get the people who just hack the car together , and it shows . There are also the people with ricer's who are total opposite , and build the car for performance , and don't worry too much about the looks . I work with a guy who has a Honda Accord that has a spray bomb paint job , but has larger rims to handle the larger brakes , and a complete turbo system that has been proffesionally installed . I guess that what I am trying to say is that its hard to say that all people who drive this type of car are like this . We have to be careful about how we look at the other groups out there , because we don't want to be looked at in that way ourselves (I think). I hope you can understand my ramblings . If not , just ask! Axl .

^^^ I COMPLETLY understand your "ramblings", and they're not ramblings at all.

I used to own one of each "rice" car. Truth be told, even the people who "don't have rice" are rice. Look at it like this. An Accord is a family car(not picking on your friend, just using it as an axample). It in NO WAY has ANY PERFORMANCE. It's chassis is incredibly heavy for the motor powering it. it's not stiff, and even with a Turbo H22 (prelude motor) it STILL can't even hang with a simple B16 swapped Civic. WHY would you dump money into that kind of car?

I know...I'm definitly guilty of this(http://importfighter.iwarp.com) But the Cavalier was atleast VERY strong in the JGTC circuit in Japan. Not using that as an excuse to warrant my riceyness, but I loathe people who hook up those kind of cars. There's a difference between a Family car such as a 5 series, and an Accord...and Yes, Honda actually makes some performance minded Sedans like the Acura TL. But that's not a car you'll "readily see" riced out. And most of the people who do rice it out, are exactly what your friend did to his Accord, Turbo and big brakes...but it's not an Accord...

Maybe it's because I've "moved on", and it may sound arrogant, but unless you own an Integra or a Civic, "performance" upgrades on a Honda is just crap....

I , like you , were not always into VeeDubs . My passion used to (and to a point , still is ) American Muscle Cars , with the '66 Stang being my favourite . I didn't even look twice at VW'sw until I started working with a couple of VW fanatics about 15 years ago . They introduced me to cal look bugs , and I was hooked . I have had three lookers now , and a GTI . I currently do not own a VW at this time , but I am always on the look out for my next project , especially since an 18 wheeler took my last one from me . For a while now , I have been planningout how I am going to do my next VW , and since coming across GL bugs , I know I have found the style that I have wanted for a long time . Before I became a mechanic and was staring to learn about my first bug (1971 Super) , I was asking around to some shops about the possibility of putting the type 2 bus motor into a bug . I was always told it couldn't be done . Now I know better . I will keep you posted on how the hunt (and persuading my wife) is coming along . Axl .

Choose
 

Well I think the German look is now totaly de-chromed. Colour is also important, leading towards more modern european colours. Two tone is out! Chrome is nice but i think this was huge in the 70's. Big wheels is a must. Wheel choice is very important...no "bling" Big drilled dics all round with upgraded calipers. I think requires a very sporty look but not too over done, clean with out all the stripes and glitter. I definately look at the modern Porsche as a quide. One piece windows, slightly tinted glass maybe, upgrade interiour to more racey seats, better dash and instruments, get away from the vynal look think this was 70's ish. definately lower the ride height tastfully to make wheel fitting snug. Basicaly you should end up with a car which has an imediate "expensive" look about it. This would be hard to do on a cheap budget for sure.. I havent read all the threads but just my thoughts.
Brent.

just my thoughts , i think the german look has constantly been evolving over the last few years , and just looking through the galleries there is a huge spectrum of cars that fall under the gl look banner , i would say in general people that are drawn towards the gl look are more likley to have an interest in the technical side of things as if you want a gl car you have to build your own ain't many for sale out there , and of the ones forsale the chances of getting one to your spec is 0% , this is what drew me to the gl look as far as vw's go it is as of now the only true individual look ,we apreciate each others cars for the technical inovation that goes into the look, unlike cal which apart from the engine is a generally the sum of the component bolt on parts (i can't say to much on the subject as i am revamping my cal-looker to gl ) lol
well that is my two pence worth :laugh: :laugh:

Speedy , I like how you have put it . I have seen some Cal-lookers that have been modified , performance-wise , to be close to a GL , but again , the most important part seems to be "The Look" . I am a mechanic , and my first priority with any vehicle is the safety and mechanics , not if the vehicle is a looker . I think this is what drew me to the GL . I just keep dreaming and planning out my next Bug . Its going to be a hot GL Cabrio . The thing is that I am moving from Alberta , Canada to Indiana , in the US in a little over a year and a half , so I won't be getting a car until I move . I can hardly wait !
Axl .

I'll chime in on this. I agree with Speedy too. My car will have modern suspension, engine and trans. Good brakes and 18" wheels. The main focus being performance but heavey on looks too. My background was streetrods and hotrods. I got into VW's about 10 years ago because they seamed like a lot of fun but I quickly noticed that there were certain "Recipies" that way too many people were following, "cal-look, resto custom, DKP.... (but you get to choose between a few colors!)Kinda like the Early RED Camaro crowd. I decided I was going to build a VW the way I wanted and it just so happend that I seam to fit better with the GL group but I don't think my car necessarily fits GL. It does however fit the way "I" want to build my car. So it just may be a PJLOval-look VW. A little bit Streetrod, hotrod and Euro. Let's stay away from "recipies" and then we can keep our individuality!

Individuality is never a bad thing . The car I want to build is like what PJL54Oval said - a little bit of this , a little bit of that , and a whole lot of ME ! Way to express it PJL54Oval ! Rock on!!!

I hope that didn't sound like I was knocking the GL theme. I love it. Ever sine I saw the first Kafer Cup car I was sold. I would just hate to see ten years down the road a bunch of cookie cutter cars that all look the same. I don't think that is a problem based on what I see and read on this site. German influenced design is very tasteful and I think it will have a timless element as well if it is used correctly.

This is an old thread, but still fun!

However, I couldn't disagree more with the above...
Actually, I believe GL isn't a 'look' at all, but rather a 'style' and/or a way how to do things to a car. Therefore, color and chrome (trim) or not is totally not important... :rolleyes:

To emphasize the 'sleeper' part of a 'German-style' car, we usually keep the original paint color and most (side) trim in place.
Then again, that maybe just me ;)

Regards,
Walter

I don't think it is about look at all.

Form follows function...

Rich

Form may follow function , but I know that even though you may have a smoking performance car , you wouldn't want it to look like a piece of crap . I know I want a great looking car . I think I can assume that I am not alone in this . Axl .

I think what Ricola is trying to say is that when planning to build these great cars, we first concentrate on the fundamentals of what needs to be done to get most out of our cars then concentrate on what we want it to look like. As opposed to say the resto-custom crowd who are going for a certain look and could care less about handling and braking, or the vintage crowd. Another example is the Cal Look crowd with all the rules on how their cars have to look. We don't have specific rules on what our rides have to look like but they have to have certain mechanical traits, i.e. upgraded brakes, suspension, 5 speeds though not required are encouraged, power enough to use all of that, more modern gauges, sport seats....German Lookers are not rat rods so we want a tasteful paint job, modern performance cars usually don't have a lot of chrome so most GLers have shaved turn signals and painted bumpers. Form follows function.

That's what I was getting at ;)
Obviously we also want them to look good but anything we add is orientated around performance, not sticking things on to the car for the sake of it, and it is all done properly with a quality feel. Kind of like the Ruf of the Porsche world.

I'll buy that!

As many Porsche parts as possible. Brakes, wheels, motor, transmission, interior. This is the german look and of course the car should be 1302/03.

If the car is not a 1302/03 , does that not mean it is not a GL? What about the GL Ghias and Type 2's out there ? Do they not count ? I personally don't think there should be limits put on what can and cannot be used as far as the car goes . With different types of VeeDubs used , there is more variety and , I hope , a lot more fun . Of course , I could be wrong ....

I wanna GL up my 914. modern + performance = German Look

just a thought , the gl look probably came from the german cars a few years back that used predominantly porsche parts (stay with me )the reason so many porsche parts were used would be the fact that many parts were easily interchangable and the cars were in germany,so does this mean using porsche parts from a 1970 porsche would give me the porsche sorry german look , i think not ,some of the best cars i have seen have used merc parts or parts from various manufacturers not always german. I suspect the original guys in germany thought there cars had the performance look and german look was no doubt coined by people seeking to emulate them .
To me gl should mean cars that have had there performance enhanced to modern standards and in many cases way beyond ,being able to out accelerate , brake, corner and look good at the same time must be the ultimate goal, anyway thats my 2 cents
jon :) :)

it's a mindset

What a deep and profound statement! Almost Zen-like!

haha, that's what i was kind of aiming for. it does make total sense though

A german-style car has Kwalität (quality) and Grundlichkeit (uehh..doing it right, properly) written all over it.
Germans are car-people and spend more on their cars than most other country-man do.
Yes they go faster and handle better (Autobahn, no speed limits), but the make of parts used is not the key to what makes 'm a 'german' car (like Speedy said as well).

So yes, its sort of a mindset ;) but its definately not a 'Look' for the looks 'an sich'. The looks are just a result of another starting point. Therefore I usually object to the term 'german-look' and rather use german-style :rolleyes:

The best compliment I got was when I overheard one guy saying to the other guy when passing by the side of my car at a dutch meeting: "Hey, I thought this car would have german numberplates". :D

Walter

german
 

Hey Wally you just said what i was thinking!!!!!!!!!!!it is a way of live... :)

big arse wheels, right deck height,shaved body if early shape.similar to what some of the latest rods are coming around to. :rolleyes:

You know, I think the phrase " Germanlook " was coined to describe what some folks were seeing at that moment. Mainly V.W.s utilizing easy to find, and cheap to buy used porsche parts. They seem to be growing on trees in europe, but in the states, we had to take a different path. The German look, to me anyway, is about performance on the road, not the track ( ie: 1/4 mile ) like cal-look cars. Now take a look at the " RAT-ROD " cars. They put their money into the performance of the car rather than the looks. Then there's the " Hawian-look ". Big motors and show quility paint are the norm. Personally, I like the idea of a strong street presence with a stripped down look, just what's needed to do the job. No interior, basic gauges, monocrome paint, and anything else to step up the handling and performance. These days, you can buy the wheels of your choice, have the engine of your choice ( VW, Porsche, subaru, mazda rotory, mid-engine v-8, ect. ) the brakes of your choice, and so-on. So I don't think the German-look is about a style as much as it is a style about performance. What say you ?

You may be right on track with that . I agree that the performance on the roads , and not 1/4 mile . The German cars are made to perform on the Autobahn , and have to be able to perform at a certain level , or be eaten alive by Benzes and Bimmers . I also agree that while Porsche parts are a dime a dozen in Europe , here in the western countries (Canada and the U.S.) , we have to either pay through the nose or find other parts . Luckily for us there is many different aftermarket companies out there to help us .

Well my project's just starting, '63 Rag on a '72 b/j pan. The first " performance " mod will be a diet of fiberglass, I know, carbon fiber is the bomb, but S!!! is to spendy. Remmele will be hearing from me soonish. :D I was thinking about fiberglass doors with swing out windows to get around the " opening window " law. Maybe use a pop-out frame and hinge set up. Basically, what ever it takes to make it handle and go faster. Hell, I just hope I can still stand to drive the thing when I'm done! Sometimes you can take things to far, ya know what I mean?

Fiberglass doors may save you some weight , but unless you are racing , and /or have a full roll cage , you may want to re-think this and go with the metal doors . How safe are the fiberglass doors going to be compared to metal . Just think - the doors are the only thing between you and that car that just ran the red . What would you want for doors now!!!

I don't think the stock door will stop much more :(

Martin Botts 1303 from a few posts down is what I would describe as a typical 'German' car:

http://www.bugat5speed.de/cms/images...fer-fertig.jpg

If you look closely, you will see its almost stock on the outside, but the quality of the built oozes off from it...
Like I said before, german-style is what its about, not german-'Look' :rolleyes: