Ron Fleming and the California Look Hot VWs Magazine
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Volkswagen Classic produced this interview
Volkswagen Classic produced this interview footage in 2019.
The California Looker
In the 60s, Ron Fleming was one of the pioneers of the “California Look”, still the most popular style within the Volkswagen tuning scene to this day. An interview about the initial explosion of the international Beetle cult.
“I often had the funniest moments at traffic lights,” says Ron Fleming. “I was in my Beetle next to a genuine US thoroughbred beast, twice as big and three times as heavy. And then this bewildered look in my rear-view mirror as the traffic lights turned to green, and within seconds, my lawnmower car achieved a few Beetle lengths between itself and the so-called muscle car.”
It’s 1965, the so-called lawnmower car is a rebuilt VW Beetle called Ovali and Ron Fleming has just founded “Der Kleiner Panzers” (that’s how they actually spelled it), the first and to this day most glorious club of the so-called “California Look” scene. The tuning style, often called “Cal Look” or “Cal Style,” began an explosion of the international Beetle cult. It was initiated in the early 60s by a small group of Beetle aficionados from Orange County near Los Angeles, who, on their own, converted their Beetles into true racing machines. The names of these tuning pioneers have long enjoyed hero status in the Cal-Scene with their tens of thousands of fans worldwide. Joe Vittone and his coral red “Inch Pincher”. Greg Aronson and his “Tar Babe”. The Schley Brothers with their “Lightning Bug”. Dean Lowry in the “Deano Dyno-Soar”. And of course, Ron Fleming with his “Underdog”.
34-years later, Fleming became – for the first time – a guest in Wolfsburg, the birthplace and home of his cult object. The Californian gladly accepts the invitation to a cruise and chat in the cult Beetle “Herbie”, through the Wolfsburg countryside. There is much to talk about regarding the legendary creation of the “Cal Look”. And you don’t sit behind the wheel of a cinema hero like “Herbie” every day. “The first Herbie film, ‘The Love Bug’, was a milestone in 1968. In the USA it triggered a true Beetlemania, which was also noticeable in the tuning scene,” says Ron. “Even though we were already in Beetle fever for many years, Herbie itself had nothing to do with the Cal Look.”
Cheap and robust, compact and cool
Several books have been published on the history and birth of the “Cal Look”, and recently there has been a flood of blogs and fansites. Ron Fleming describes the pioneers’ attitude to life: “We were a colorful troupe who wanted speed, but also understatement. Unlike Hot Rods, popular with racing fans in the 50s, the Beetle hit the zeitgeist of the 60s. “The Beetle was cheap and robust, but also compact and cool at the same time,” says Fleming. “Not a show-off car, but one for individualists.” And as mentioned in the introduction: “You provided some amusing surprises at traffic lights.”
And last but not least: on the dragstrips. The short race tracks, mostly around 400 meters long, on which the fastest accelerators of the tuning scene were chosen, enjoyed steadily growing popularity in the USA from the 1950s onwards. Beetles were initially exotic there, but due to their low weight, they soon began to show their advantages. With more and more powerful engines, the “Cal Look” Beetles on the drag strip became more and more popular.
Less is more – a graphic from the 70s describes distinguishing features of the “Cal Look”.
What distinguishes the typical “California Look” exactly? “Quite simple: leave out everything that is not absolutely necessary. Out with bumpers, rear seats, spare wheels, trim strips, steel rims.” A certain purism combined with clever performance tuning. In order to make the most of the horsepower from the rear-engine of the Beetle as efficient as possible, the Cal-Look-pioneers chose large tires on the rear axle and small tires on the lowered front axle. The “nose-down” appearance of the first “Cal Look” generation was finished.“Our motto was: Minimum weight with maximum performance. And with as much style as possible,” summarizes Fleming. The design of the early California-Lookers was also characterized by painted headlight rings and original monochrome paintwork, sports steering wheels, and an exclusive focus on Type 1 engines.
Stylized design for the entire car
The birth of the collective Beetle fan cult generally dates back to October 20, 1968. On the grounds of the Orange Country International Raceway (OCIR) and the first BUG IN – the first major Volkswagen fan event – was held at which tuners and mechanics of all the relevant models – Beetles and Buggies, Bullis and Karmann Ghias – gathered for a joint meeting. The size of which had never been witnessed before. Until 1983, the BUG-IN was held twice a year and also attracted international attention.
The California Looker
In the 60s, Ron Fleming was one of the pioneers of the “California Look”, still the most popular style within the Volkswagen tuning scene to this day. An interview about the initial explosion of the international Beetle cult.
“I often had the funniest moments at traffic lights,” says Ron Fleming. “I was in my Beetle next to a genuine US thoroughbred beast, twice as big and three times as heavy. And then this bewildered look in my rear-view mirror as the traffic lights turned to green, and within seconds, my lawnmower car achieved a few Beetle lengths between itself and the so-called muscle car.”
It’s 1965, the so-called lawnmower car is a rebuilt VW Beetle called Ovali and Ron Fleming has just founded “Der Kleiner Panzers” (that’s how they actually spelled it), the first and to this day most glorious club of the so-called “California Look” scene. The tuning style, often called “Cal Look” or “Cal Style,” began an explosion of the international Beetle cult. It was initiated in the early 60s by a small group of Beetle aficionados from Orange County near Los Angeles, who, on their own, converted their Beetles into true racing machines. The names of these tuning pioneers have long enjoyed hero status in the Cal-Scene with their tens of thousands of fans worldwide. Joe Vittone and his coral red “Inch Pincher”. Greg Aronson and his “Tar Babe”. The Schley Brothers with their “Lightning Bug”. Dean Lowry in the “Deano Dyno-Soar”. And of course, Ron Fleming with his “Underdog”.
34-years later, Fleming became – for the first time – a guest in Wolfsburg, the birthplace and home of his cult object. The Californian gladly accepts the invitation to a cruise and chat in the cult Beetle “Herbie”, through the Wolfsburg countryside. There is much to talk about regarding the legendary creation of the “Cal Look”. And you don’t sit behind the wheel of a cinema hero like “Herbie” every day. “The first Herbie film, ‘The Love Bug’, was a milestone in 1968. In the USA it triggered a true Beetlemania, which was also noticeable in the tuning scene,” says Ron. “Even though we were already in Beetle fever for many years, Herbie itself had nothing to do with the Cal Look.”
Cheap and robust, compact and cool
Several books have been published on the history and birth of the “Cal Look”, and recently there has been a flood of blogs and fansites. Ron Fleming describes the pioneers’ attitude to life: “We were a colorful troupe who wanted speed, but also understatement. Unlike Hot Rods, popular with racing fans in the 50s, the Beetle hit the zeitgeist of the 60s. “The Beetle was cheap and robust, but also compact and cool at the same time,” says Fleming. “Not a show-off car, but one for individualists.” And as mentioned in the introduction: “You provided some amusing surprises at traffic lights.”
And last but not least: on the dragstrips. The short race tracks, mostly around 400 meters long, on which the fastest accelerators of the tuning scene were chosen, enjoyed steadily growing popularity in the USA from the 1950s onwards. Beetles were initially exotic there, but due to their low weight, they soon began to show their advantages. With more and more powerful engines, the “Cal Look” Beetles on the drag strip became more and more popular.
Less is more – a graphic from the 70s describes distinguishing features of the “Cal Look”.
What distinguishes the typical “California Look” exactly? “Quite simple: leave out everything that is not absolutely necessary. Out with bumpers, rear seats, spare wheels, trim strips, steel rims.” A certain purism combined with clever performance tuning. In order to make the most of the horsepower from the rear-engine of the Beetle as efficient as possible, the Cal-Look-pioneers chose large tires on the rear axle and small tires on the lowered front axle. The “nose-down” appearance of the first “Cal Look” generation was finished.“Our motto was: Minimum weight with maximum performance. And with as much style as possible,” summarizes Fleming. The design of the early California-Lookers was also characterized by painted headlight rings and original monochrome paintwork, sports steering wheels, and an exclusive focus on Type 1 engines.
Stylized design for the entire car
The birth of the collective Beetle fan cult generally dates back to October 20, 1968. On the grounds of the Orange Country International Raceway (OCIR) and the first BUG IN – the first major Volkswagen fan event – was held at which tuners and mechanics of all the relevant models – Beetles and Buggies, Bullis and Karmann Ghias – gathered for a joint meeting. The size of which had never been witnessed before. Until 1983, the BUG-IN was held twice a year and also attracted international attention.
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