A Cal-Style VW is a

lowrider A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body. These customized vehicles are generally individually painted with intricate, colorful designs, rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires. Lowrider rims are generally smalle ...

influenced vintage

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

, that for style and cruising was lowered to the extreme in the manner called "dumped" "slammed" or "laid out". The Cal-Style VW originated in the streets of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in the late 1970s, when the first generation of teens from Latino neighborhoods veered away from the Low Riders that at the time were associated with gangs and criminal activity, and instead customized their economical VWs into lowriders for the cruising and teen subculture.

History

Los Angeles VW Car Clubs like the "Bugs Buddies" and the "Vintage Volksters" were the pioneers of this style, building Cal-Style VWs to

cruise A cruise is any travel on a cruise ship. Cruise or Cruises may also refer to: Tourism * Booze cruise * Music cruise * River cruise Aeronautics and aircraft * Cruise (aeronautics), a distinct stage of an aircraft's flight * Aviasouz Cruise, a R ...

LA landmarks – like the original Tommy's Burgers, and the iconic

Whittier Boulevard Whittier Boulevard known as Stephenson Avenue (before 1920) is an arterial street that runs from the Los Angeles River (where it continues into Downtown Los Angeles as 6th Street) to Brea, California. The street is one of the main thoroughfares ...

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...

– and to impress the LA teen party crowd. The first documented true example of a "Cal-Style" VW was in 1980 when Rene Ruelas, of the well-known

lowrider club A Lowrider Club (C.C.) is an organized car club of lowriders who follow a series of traditional rules for participation, including a group of elected officers; a probationary period for new members and the wearing of a specific club patch or shirt ...

the "Dukes", combined style and performance with his red 1967

Karmann Ghia The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a sports car marketed in 2+2 coupe (1955–1974) and 2+2 convertible (1957–1974) body styles by Volkswagen. Internally designated the Type 14, the Karmann Ghia combined the chassis and mechanicals of the Type 1 ( ...

convertible."The Beginning of an Era"
. ''The Cal-Style Newsletter Archives''. ''VintageVolks.com''. The vehicle was later painted black and owned by another influential Cal-Style builder in the early 1980s, Robert Velis aka VW Kidd™. This Karmann Ghia was sold overseas to Japanese car enthusiasts in the mid 1980s, and by the late 1980s the Cal-Style VW influence was spreading throughout Southern California, and it later spread throughout the world. The Cal-Style was first called "

Chicano Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...

Style", and then "Vintage Cal-Style". Around 1983–84 the term Cal-Style was universally accepted in the streets of Los Angeles.Poster for 1984 L.A. Super Show
''The Cal-Style Newsletter''. August 8, 2013. Japan was the first foreign country to embrace the Cal-Style VW in the mid 1980s. Japan has always been drawn to California pop culture, especially lowrider car culture, and started exporting lowriders and Cal-Style VWs from Los Angeles during this time. Today the Los Angeles lowrider-influenced Cal-Style of vintage Volkswagens is very popular in Brazil, Belgium, Germany, England, Mexico, and Japan. Clubs today like The German Folks C.C., with chapters all over the world, and the Brazilian Folks, are dedicated to this style of building vintage Volkswagens.

Specifications

A Cal-Style VW was an all original VW, typically painted in factory colors; two tones were a no-no unless the vehicle left the factory that way. The vehicle was lowered all the way around, and it had all the chrome trim, bumpers, and subtle chrome lowrider-influenced accessories – these were not restorations because the VWs were only 15 years old and did not need restorations yet. In the pioneer years of 1978–1984 when this style originated the Cal-Style VWs were never called the media-dubbed " Resto Cal", a term used by media outsiders today and is frowned upon by Cal-Style purists and originators. The Cal-Styles'

details were highly influenced by the 1930s' and 1940s' lowrider "

bombas Bombas is an apparel brand. The company originally sold socks and began selling T-shirts in 2019. For every item purchased, a clothing item is donated to a homeless shelter or homelessness-related charity. History Bombas launched in 2013, after ...

" that the Cal-Stylers saw while growing up in their LA Latino neighborhoods. Wheels of choice for Cal-Style VWs were the rare 901

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company ...

Fuchs alloys,

Cookie Cutter Alloy and the 5-spoke EMPIs. Unlike the Orange County-originated de-chromed Cal-Look VW, the LA Cal-Style vintage VW was about style, and the wheels were fully polished or chromed for "bling". Chrome period-correct lowrider-influenced accessories like chrome vent wing shades, window rain guards, chrome knuckle guards, blue dot tail lenses, chrome headlight visors, chrome gravel guards and rear window venetian blinds were some of the Cal-Style cues that were adopted from the 1930s and 1940s Chevy “Bombs”.

References

External links

Cal-Style Newsletter Archives
at VintageVolks.com
The Cal-Style Newsletter1980s Cal-Style Volkswagen
at TheSamba.com {{Volkswagen (North America) timeline 1950-1979 Mexican-American culture Volkswagen Beetle modifications

History

Specifications

See also

References

External links