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Old August 15th 2002, 23:10
bugsoup bugsoup is offline
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a change of plans

I think it's very interesting to hear how someone comes to make the decisions for the direction of a project. Through most forums, it is possible to catch a glimpse of changing ideas and plans. Part of this seems to be the need to always work on something. "The bug" has given me different ideas and changed my goal from building a '65 Cal look (inspiration from typical American magazines) to building a '56 oval GL with lots of Porsche components (inspiration from online forums). Although I haven't really started the '65, I now plan to restore that one after my GL is "complete".

Would anyone care to share how they were inspired to build their GermanLook VW?
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Old August 15th 2002, 23:59
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vujade vujade is offline
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Well actually I bought my current VW (about 1.5 years ago) with the idea of doing a modern day cal look car... I had always wanted to do a cal look beetle and never have. I didnt want to use any of the old cal look wheels out there, so my idea was to do a cal look with modern rims. Then I seen the car that really inspired me in VW Trends about 6 months ago. It was 4 speeds car before he owned it.
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Old August 16th 2002, 21:58
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I wanted something a little more functional than Cal-look. I was always about getting the most out of your car. I can't just go in a straight line. BORING! Then I saw Jak Rizzo's car. That was it. I was hooked. So now I'll be 30K in debt instead of 20K. But I know I'll be happier. Thanks for putting me in debt Jak!
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Old August 16th 2002, 22:44
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Well I started my aircooled career in 89 when I got my first bug.
I then entered the Neusser Käfer Klub at my home town.
I was the slowest with my 34hp engine and I told myself not for long. I got a 1776 with about 100hp which was a lot of fun.

After that I had a 1303...the GermanLook stuff just started with Porsche 944 brakes and Porsche Fuchs a couple of years before that. 944 Turbo brakes were only seen on the high end vert shockers. BTW...you can see pics of my 1303 Super in the General gallery. It is the blue one with the 6 spoke Carrera rims. This car was build in 91 and sold the same year because my enigne builder took of with the money and he was supposed to build me a 2.4 T4. When I came to Canada in 97 I got myself a New Beelte in 98. I modded it (suspension, rims, some Cf stuff etc) .....(I mod everything).....but when I went to VW shows they told me to drive to the watercooled section. At that point I knew something was wrong. I sold all the parts of the New Beetle and I got the 52. I actually wanted to get an Oval and was looking at one but was sold while I looked at it by someone else.
Well the shop had the 52 there.....I looked at it and said what the heck a couple of week later and bought it for my 30th birthday.

Porsche C2 rims were planned which I got and Kerscher brakes. Some might know I changed my brake setup 3 times to finally get 993 Twin Turbo ones at the front and 968 in the rear. The rims were changed to dynos which I could not find at that time. I am happy with that. I found more and more parts that were available in Germany that were neat and had superior technology and quality behind them. So I was selling my old parts to a friend of mine that is building a 57 Oval.....(57mutant) I got all the goodies. That is when I started to notice that most of the AC VW world here in teh US did not know about most of the parts.

You see....seeing stuff that is cool though better quality and neater stuff does not help the budget at all. At the moment I think that the most important thing to me is to get that darn car finsihed. It has been 2.5 years already and if I am very lucky I might finish it late next year.
We see,

Alex
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Old August 17th 2002, 00:19
Superman
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My first actual inspiration was in the late 80's with the AMG Mercedes 300E "Hammer". This was called the 'Eurolook' to take big motor, wheels, & brakes wrapped in a aero kit body with monochromatic paint scheme.

By all means at that time my car was a Cal-look because it did have Empi wheels on it but I was researching aquiring a set of ATS wheels from Europe to, what was available at that time, complete my Eurolook.

Then in 1995 I was introduced to the Germanlook when I seen a pic of the MBT 1303 mit 951 brakes and 965 wheels and it all changed!

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Old August 22nd 2002, 00:13
Jeannot Jeannot is offline
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Brand New Guy

One of my daily drivers is a ‘67 Beetle. In addition to this I have ‘72 SB, which I have owned since 1988. In July I decided to do a body off “restoration” of the SB.

I had recently came across a couple of Keith Seume’s books. His “VW Beetle: The New Custom Handbook” has a section on the German Look. I have long been a Porsche and VW enthusiast and was naturally drawn to this “look” as portrayed by Seume. In addition to aesthetic considerations, the power and handling of a GL Beetle very much appeals to me. It seems to me that a full blown GL has all the high performance handling and motivation that I’d like to have. (I often drive the local “Sea-to-Sky Highway”. This is a trip that the local chapter of the Porsche Club of America indicates as being one of the “Top Ten” drives in North America.)

The August 2002 issue of “VW Trends” featured Sascha Martini’s ‘68. Beautiful — carbon fibre, T4 2886cc, etc. As well, in their “12 Most Popular VW Styles” article there is a brief reference to the German Look and the Euro Look. This confirmed the direction that I wished to go.

For me the GL is both function and form. I want high performance handling —not just a lowered front with a nice rake that handles less than the original factory set-up.

It was only just last week that I discovered the German Look website. It looks like it shall prove to be a terrific resource. seeing the pics here and reading some of the posts also served to confirm my initial inspiration. Already I have received some “super” advice from people who subscribe to this forum. (Thanks, Superman.) I am always pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic, if not helpful advice/encouragement that seems to me to be a hallmark of the aircooled VW community. I look forward to being an active participant in the forum.

Cheers,

Jeannot
‘67 and ‘72SB

P.S. If anyone would like to offer comments, suggestions or advice on my plans I’d be happy to send you an outline of my intentions. (I’m at the point of having the chassis sandblasted this week or early next. From there I shall rebuild the front and rear suspension add the brakes and, if the budget permits, install a Porsche gearbox.) Any advice is most welcomed!
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Old August 22nd 2002, 00:43
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Alex Alex is offline
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Jeannot,

welcome to the site. If you have a digi cam take lots of pics of your project. As a member of this forum you can create a profile of your ride on the main site and upload 4 pics. A thread will be automatically created in the member's ride forum where others can ask questions and leave comments about your ride.

Alex
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Old August 24th 2002, 12:06
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vujade vujade is offline
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another change of directions.... I just bought a 71 1302!
I will turn this into my dream GL/Euro Looker.
The 67 Beetle will either be sold or kept & restored possibly (not sure if it doesnt sell)

You never know what direction life will take you it you let it.
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  #9  
Old August 29th 2002, 04:29
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MattKab MattKab is offline
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I was tuned into the Germanlook when it first started happening, possibly '93. My Bug at the time had the same Recaro seats I have now, Compomotive Lattice 6*15 alloys (similar to BBS) with 195/50|15 up front and 205/55|15 at the rear. Lowered front and rear and had exactly the stance my 'Chromanloook' Kaab has now. The car was only ever in grey primer, as was all the chrome, bumpers, etc.

My inspiration came from a car that bore no resemblance what so ever. It was a red rag-top oval with mostly 356 running gear. It had the graphics " FORM + FUNCTION " down the bottom of the sides. I can't find a picture, but was awesome at Bug Jam 5 back in '91. It might of been an early VWDRC car.

This car stood out from all the callook cars and the crazy customs. That car was my main influence, and then came the MBT Bug and the monster '03 Karmanns. I can remember an issue of Volksworld that had 2 Kabs on the cover, one was creamy and the other was grey-blue met. photo'd in a field of flowers with the headline 'Twins' -I can't find a back copy of this issue.

Does anyone have these pictures, and the facility to share them?
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  #10  
Old June 18th 2005, 01:21
vwluver74 vwluver74 is offline
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well, i was 14 when i got my first bug, a 74 standard, it had sat in my driveway for 12 years
and i decided to start tinkering with it to see if i could get it running, well i did and i still have it.

i originaly wanted to go baja, then cal-look, then stock, then i switched between baja and cal-look like, 50,000 times. then one day i walked into my local news shop and started reading a volksworld, and there it was on the cover, a 74 super GL . white with porsche brakes wheels and gearbox. from then on i was hooked. i have been broke ever since (thanks to the Europeans and my complete lack of self restraint ) j/k
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Old June 18th 2005, 14:30
libila libila is offline
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My story began when I was 16 (2000) and my mom totaled my "hand-me-down" first car which was a 93 Chevy Cavalier by hitting a deer at 80 mph. My parents and I were stumped as to what car I would drive to school and work, then my step dad said, "Maybe I can get Shellie’s (his daughter) old bug running and you can drive that around until we find a better solution. That old bug was a 71 Standard, and I fell in love with it on the first drive.

I started drag racing shortly after. I didn't get the same thrill out of it as my friends (import owners) did. Then I turned to magazines such as Sport Compact Car and the internet for more information on other types of racing as well as modifications to add performance. My love for air-cooled VWs was at an all time high when I read the G-Force Challenge article in Sport Compact Car (Dec. 01) which featured Eric Roberts (aka Plumbugracer) Super Beetle representing VW Trends. Then and there I decided that is what I wanted to do with my "racing career".

I lost my mind and sold my bug for DSMs, raced them, broke them, wised up, and now I'm back to VWs. This time around I'm building a 71 Super for Solo I & II as well as track days.

Quick funny story: When I got my 71 Super I started searching the web for a Super Beetle forum where I could find specific information on suspension work for Supers and I came across none other than superbeetlesonly.com. I started posting and I got help from Plumbug (my inspiration) on how to go about setting the car up for racing. So the very same person that inspired me to race VWs in now my mentor in a way.
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Old June 19th 2005, 00:55
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Thumbs up Story time.

Here's my story, I didn't grow up with vws, but when I finaly started to notice them I realized how differant they were and I just Had to have one. I wanted one for about 5 years. Then in Feb. of 2003, my parents bought me a 1972 standard for my graduation present. I was in love right away. That same month, I started hanging out at a buddy's vw shop. Doing anything; sandblasting, cleaning parts in a parts washer, carrying things, holding things, I didn't know enough to really help with the building.

But I started to look for ideas for my bug, once I realized that you can do just about ANYTHING with a vw. I felt like all the cars I saw were just too plain. I was at a loss for ideas. Then I went to a show in TN, that's when I saw my first GermanLook, Dave's (NO_H2O) Smack Black. It just blew my mind away, I couldn't stop staring at it. It jump started my imagination to what could be possible. Then I started going for a GermanLook for my standard. When I started seeing more and more bugs, supers and standards being GLed. I wanted to be differant from the GL crowd. That's when I chose a GL Ghia project, it took me a while to find a car worth fixing up, but I finaly found one and that's where the project really started.

I think I'm about 40% finished, my only major speed bumps are $$$ and time, I need more money than I do time. If I had enough money, I wouldn't have to work so I'd have time. Ironicly, I did find Germanlook.com before I saw Dave's car, but I thought, "Germanlook, that means all the cars and parts are in Germany" what can I say, I didn't know what I was thinking.

That's my story. Sorry I typed so much.
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