What is your definition of the Germanlook style?

[evilC]

The one overriding element that defines Germanlook for me (oh how I hate that description - GermanLOOK) is excellence in engineering both in the thought and the execution not in creating a style - the look/style comes from the engineering. Remember "God is in the details".
You could still throw all the usual components at a bug shell and not acheive the result. Alternatively, you could put it all together with the standard basics but with improvements along the way all to improve performance and that to me would be 'Germanlook'. If you sit there with the catalogue open selecting your list of parts for the 'look' then you are not a true afficionado.

[Steve C]

Hi

I hope our part of the VW scene never gets as regimented as the Cal Look scene, you have to do such & such (Fuchs & IDAs etc) to be a Cal Looker etc, I like the individual flair that many cars display on this site.

Steve

[vwdreaming]

its a little boring when the round peg has to go in the round hole every time

[72marinablue]

Originally Posted by vwdreaming

its a little boring when the round peg has to go in the round hole every time

A round peg could fit in a triangle, a square, or a slightly oblong circle. It just depends on what day of the week it is.

[Steve C]

Hi

To me the German Look has three main aims, to make a rear engined VW, stop better, go better & handle better, to do this you are able to use components from other car makers, if your doing that your doing the GL thang.

Steve

[chug_A_bug]

Originally Posted by Steve C

Hi

To me the German Look has three main aims, to make a rear engined VW, stop better, go better & handle better, to do this you are able to use components from other car makers, if your doing that your doing the GL thang.

Steve

[Wally]

Originally Posted by Steve C

Hi

To me the German Look has three main aims, to make a rear engined VW, stop better, go better & handle better, to do this you are able to use components from other car makers, if your doing that your doing the GL thang.

Steve

+1

In Germany I have seen really nice bugs that had a tuned 1600 type 1 with just wider but stock looking wheels which definately had the german-style all over them.

[TSAF]

Sorry I did not write my opinion in order to create enemies. We are talking about the identity of a car. The identity of a car is the powerplant and in our case is air cooled. I do not care if the car runs on fuchs, bbs, cup's, standard iron wheels, etc. The powerplant though must be air cooled. I understand that a high performance subaru motor is extremely cheap in comparison to a high performance type I or type IV but when somebody fits a subaru and starts cutting metal from the car then the identity changes. It becomes a customized car.

[Steve C]

Hi

You wont make enemies here, we all can value each others opinion with getting our kickers in a twist.

Steve

[Bogara_ZO]

What do you think, where is the gap between germanlook and racelook? Just because actually all the "ethalon germanlookers" are for track use only..for me it means they are true race cars. What about the daily drivers? I think "the classic" germanlook means a street legal car inspired by the kafer-cup's cars and not a car that is as fast (or even faster) on track as a real race car. It has to be a powerful engine (aircooled or not is a big question), better brakes, suspensions and bigger wheels like the standard ones. As we are talking about a style, they don't have to be real time attack machines, enough if they have the modern/race feeling in my opinion. (I'm not talking about the 20" chrome rims and stuff like this) To own a GL means that you have a bug that is at least as fast and reliable as the nowdays cars on the road but much more impressive and unique.

[JIMP]

To own a GL means that you have a bug that is at least as fast and reliable as the nowdays cars on the road but much more impressive and unique.

As bogara said, maybe one of the most acurate definitions for germanlook, or a modern driving car under a bugs shell..

Friendly

Dimitrios

[TSAF]

I agree with Bogara as far as the bug has an air cooled powerplant

[evilC]

So, If it has to be aircooled then I suppose that a Porsche 911 would apply? (ignore how difficult it is to fit - that is part of the engineering exercise and I have seen Porsche engined cars in the magazinesthat are definitely Germanlook) Then if that applied what about the watercooled heads that are available on Porsches and then reaching a logical conclusion the current water cooled Porsche boxers could be fitted and they would apply (or not?).
Does it have to be rear engined? or will mid engine do? if that will front engine still apply?
For me as I said, it is little about look or style as those are too superficial, it is about engineering excellence. You only have to look at the main purveyors of German aircooled parts and systems to understand the philosophy. There are few others world wide that are in the same mould.

Clive

[Axl]

Originally Posted by TSAF

I agree with Bogara as far as the bug has an air cooled powerplant

It seems to me that this point is debatable , and is a matter of opinion . In my opinion , the GL is about taking a car that is 30+ years old , and bringing it up to more modern standards . Like said before , making the car stop , go , and handle better .

[TSAF]

I agree with the engineering excellence. It sounds nice to my ears. On the other hand I would never cut any metal from my car in order to fit a 911 engine in order to create "an engineering excellence". 911 engines fit really nice to bays and type 3/25 vans and chias because they have lots of space and you can avoid cutting metal from the structure, but beetles have to stick to the smaller 4 cylinder units. As I stated before my only concern is the powerplant, not the brakes, alloys, interior. The heart of our car is the 4 cylinder air cooled unit.