What is your definition of the Germanlook style?

[brent]

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.

[speedy]

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

[Axl]

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 .

[PJL54Oval]

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!

[Axl]

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!!!

[Wally]

Originally Posted by brent

Well I think the German look is now totaly de-chromed. Colour is also important, leading towards more modern european colours.

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...

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

[ricola]

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

Form follows function...

Rich

[Axl]

Originally Posted by ricola

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 .

[Supa Ninja]

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.

[blitzvw]

i worked in germany for a while and asked some of the lads there what they thought german look was and they said in as many words that what they were after was as much power and handling as they could get past the inspectors in something that didn't look like their dad's bug. They used porshe and other german marques because they represented the pinnacle of engineering at the time and because german parts are naturaly very available in germany. It's interesting that many younger germans don't mind using parts from other marques if the kit is better engineered (or perceived as).

[Wally]

Originally Posted by v-dubliner

i worked in germany for a while and asked some of the lads there what they thought german look was and they said in as many words that what they were after was as much power and handling as they could get past the inspectors in something that didn't look like their dad's bug. They used porshe and other german marques because they represented the pinnacle of engineering at the time and because german parts are naturaly very available in germany. It's interesting that many younger germans don't mind using parts from other marques if the kit is better engineered (or perceived as).

Good story and thats mostly how I see it as well.

I've said it before and will do so again because of your story proves it again: Its NOT about looks!! The german treatment will just render a certain subtle 'look', but thats purely secondary. Heck, most germans try to avoid too conspicious looks just to be able to pass inspection/Tüv more easily! Sleeper is more true of the early pure 'german' cars therefore. The 'understatement idea' also fits the 'style' better.

The site should have been called GermanStyle.com or s/th like that

[TSAF]

For me German Look cars must have a lot of high tech goodies, big brakes, amazing suspension set up, and the most important of all AIR COOLED ENGINES Type I or type IV. I do not care if their interior is luxurious or with a plain bucket seat. I only care about their powerplants. For me Subaru engines have nothing to do with the scene. I understand that such an engine provides good value, money towards hp but the car is not GERMAN any more. Hard core German Look enthusiasts in Germany do not like this kind of applications on their cars. When you start cutting metal in order to fit an engine or something else then the car becomes a custom project or a hot rod. German Look scene came to surface because of the Kafer Cup cars, France, Austria and in Germany. None of the cup cars had Subaru or other type of water cooled engines. Once I saw a stunning 1303 convertible in England and it was powered by a 16 valve golf engine. I will say it once more: GERMAN LOOK CARS MUST HAVE ONLY AIR COOLED TYPE I OR TYPE IV POWERPLANTS WITH A PORSCHE FAN SITTING ON TOP. END OF STORY.

[volkdent]

I guess mine is Fun Cup Look then! Time to start a new website...

Jason

[Axl]

Originally Posted by TSAF

For me German Look cars must have a lot of high tech goodies, big brakes, amazing suspension set up, and the most important of all AIR COOLED ENGINES Type I or type IV. I do not care if their interior is luxurious or with a plain bucket seat. I only care about their powerplants. For me Subaru engines have nothing to do with the scene. I understand that such an engine provides good value, money towards hp but the car is not GERMAN any more. Hard core German Look enthusiasts in Germany do not like this kind of applications on their cars. When you start cutting metal in order to fit an engine or something else then the car becomes a custom project or a hot rod. German Look scene came to surface because of the Kafer Cup cars, France, Austria and in Germany. None of the cup cars had Subaru or other type of water cooled engines. Once I saw a stunning 1303 convertible in England and it was powered by a 16 valve golf engine. I will say it once more: GERMAN LOOK CARS MUST HAVE ONLY AIR COOLED TYPE I OR TYPE IV POWERPLANTS WITH A PORSCHE FAN SITTING ON TOP. END OF STORY.

A lot of people are talking in this forum about how german look is not regimented , and has the freedom to do a lot of different things . I like the ability to try different things . Saying it has to be aircooled with a Porsche fan shroud or its not german look is very much a big contrast to that way of thinking . I want to put a scooby engine in a bug , so that means its no longer german? I think its time to pull your head from the sand and realize that not everything has to be just one way . This hobby is as diverse and diffeent as everyone who is in it . If we all had the same style with the same engine and the same shroud with the same whatever else , then this hobby would get real boring real fast!

[Jim]

Originally Posted by Axl

A lot of people are talking in this forum about how german look is not regimented , and has the freedom to do a lot of different things . I like the ability to try different things . Saying it has to be aircooled with a Porsche fan shroud or its not german look is very much a big contrast to that way of thinking . I want to put a scooby engine in a bug , so that means its no longer german? I think its time to pull your head from the sand and realize that not everything has to be just one way . This hobby is as diverse and diffeent as everyone who is in it . If we all had the same style with the same engine and the same shroud with the same whatever else , then this hobby would get real boring real fast!