Cal Look

Cal Look

A Cal looker is any aircooled Volkswagen that has been modified in a style that originated in California in the late 1960s.

VW Beetle modified in 70's California Look style

Contents

Common modifications

The Beetle is popular with customizers throughout the world not only because it's cheap and easy to work on, but because its iconic looks can be personalised and the flat four motor is so tunable. Its very ubiquity makes even subtle changes noticeable;

Exterior

There are many popular Beetle styles, from a "Cal Looker" to a Volksrods. They vary between themselves but are very similar in many ways. Also the California Look has changed during the 30+ years of its lifespan. The most typical (and traditional) way to customise the exterior is to change the wheels and lower the suspension of the car. The favorite wheels are period-style EMPI 5- or 8-spokes, Speedwell BRMs, or Porsche factory rims like Fuchs from a classic 911. One of the original California Look modifications is to replace or remove the bumpers and trim, either to give a cleaner look or to reduce the curb weight; if bumpers are removed, pushbars are common. The stock bumpers are usually chromed or polished, sometimes painted or powdercoated. There are many clubs dedicated to 'Cal Look' including the DKP in the USA which was one of the first clubs dedicated to true 'Cal Look' cars. Today, the DKP still exists and the club is on their 3rd generation. There are also currently many big 'Cal Look' VW clubs based in Europe including the DAS (Das Autobahn Scrapers) in Belgium, the DFL (Der Fieser Luftkühlers) in Germany and the JG54 Grünherz (Greenhearts) in the UK.

Also, body kits are available, which are often derived from the styling of the Porsche 911. This is the only car designed before World War II to have a bodykit commercially available, though Beetles with them shouldn't be considered Cal lookers.

Resto Cal

Resto Cal look Volkswagens are air-cooled vehicles that, aside from a lowered stance, appear as restored stockers.

For 'Resto Cal' look, a roof rack, decklid rack and similar accessories can be added. There are many other aftermarket parts that can be added to the Beetle, including wing mirrors, chrome wipers, stone guards, fender skirts, mud flaps and badges. Rear light and front indicator lenses can also be changed. This is as far as a Cal Look or 'Resto Cal' car will go. Some resto cal look cars often veer towards lowriders, because of the stance and the number of period accessories on the vehicle. There is a large tendency toward the Resto Cal look, as these cars can be fairly easily returned to a 'stock' unmodified status. Resto Cal cars also have the nickname 'Buckaroo Cars', a light hearted dig about the amount of items loaded on to car and the child's game from the 80's. Enthusiast sites such as www.bugme.co.uk show what sort of modifications are often done to create or restore a Resto Cal Beetle.

Other Volkswagens

The Cal look aesthetic has been imported onto other Volkswagens, such as the Type 3 and Karmann Ghia to name but two. Contrary to some beliefs, Cal Look is not, and never has been associated with VW camper vans and buses. The same modifications are used, with the same end result. Some argue that this shows the versatility of the style, though some say it shows how formulaic cal look has become. In a scene that's based on creating a unique car, it would be ironic that the end result is the same. Hence some Volkswagen enthusiasts are branching out into turning Beetles (and other Volkswagens) into leadsleds, lowriders and Volksrods. Others are turning to later water-cooled vehicles and the import scene, with the Volkswagen Caddy having a cult following. Others have exported cal look onto non-Volkswagens.

Non Volkswagens

Cal Look has also been exported to non Volkswagen vehicles, such as the Hillman Imp, Fiat 500, Porsche 356, early Porsche 911, its VW based sisters and even the BMW 2002 and Lada VAZ-2101. These cars have the same modifications as their Volkswagen counterparts and are seen as alternatives to the Beetle, either due to cost or the desire to be different.

Footnotes

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cal Look — VW Beetle в стиле Cal Look Cal Look  направление в автомобильном тюнинге, зародившееся в Калифорнии …   Википедия

  • Cal-look — A style modification of small vehicles which first started in California. Most of the chrome is removed and the vehicle is painted a bright color like yellow, light blue, and red …   Dictionary of automotive terms

  • Cal — may refer to: * Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, ie, CAL = Chronic Airway Limitation * cal (Unix), a standard program on Unix that prints an ASCII calendar of the given month or year * Cal (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty, about… …   Wikipedia

  • Cal Tjader And Don Elliott — Vib rations Album par Cal Tjader Sortie 1956 Enregistrement le 21 octobre 1953 à New York City. le 2 mars 1954 à San Francisco Durée 00:00 Genre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cal Tjader — au Black Hawk à San Francisco Nom Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr Naissance 16 juillet 1925 Saint Louis (Missouri) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cal Perry — is an award winning journalist, who serves as CNN s an International Correspondent for CNN, based in Beirut. He previously held the Baghdad Bureau Chief position from 2006 and has been with the network for five years. He also reports for the… …   Wikipedia

  • Cal Poly Pomona College of Business Administration — College of Business Administration People Dean Rich Lapidus[1] Students 4,885[2] (percent of total university enrollment: 23%)   •  Undergrads 4,250 …   Wikipedia

  • Resto cal — Volkswagen Type 1 в стиле Resto cal Resto cal  направление в автомобильном тюнин …   Википедия

  • California Look — Fahrzeugtuning am Beispiel des Audi TT: Serienmäßiges Modell TT 8N Modifiziertes Fahrzeug gleichen Typs Mit Fahrzeugtuning bezeichnet …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Occupy Cal — Occupy Cal, November 15, 2011 Occupy Cal is an ongoing series of demonstrations that began on November 9, 2011, on the University of California, Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California. It is allied with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”