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Here's a few old pictures of a '58 Sunroof coupe that made a huge impression on me when I was just 17 years old and in the middle of my first attempt at restoring my coupe. These shots were taken at the pomona Swapmeet way back in 1988. It had a stance and attitude that just blew me away! The owner was just a bit older than I was; probably in his mid twenties. He was a VW guy who got his hands this S/R coupe and treated it to all the typical "CAL BUG" Styling. This car stole the show! It had groups of 10 to 15 people constantly around it for quite some time after it arrived. It took me several attempts "between waves" to get these clear shots of it.
While stock 356's can sometimes appear stuby and bulbous; The rake and extremely low stance made this car seem to be just a bit longer and sleeker.It also really drew attention to the raised center of the hood area and how its spills over beautifully into the fenders. A detail I normally did not consciously make note of on stock 356's. It was always there of course just not as pronounced to me like on this car.
All the typical "CAL BUG" mod's of the day. Polished 5.5 Fuchs on the rear and 4.5's on the front with a low profile tire to get the front down just a little more. Front torsion bars were disengaged and was riding on the bump-stops. I'm sure it did not ride or handle very well but it sure looked sweet sitting parked!
"CAL BUG" mods did not end with the wheels. He was also running a really nice fully chromed out type 1 motor with dual carbs. I'm sure it performed much stronger than the old original Porsche unit. Note the custom aftermarket VW style exhaust system. You can just make out the licnese plate in this photo: "cool A". It certainly was! looked good then; still looks good now!
You can see this was not a full on show car but a work in progress. Fully dressed USA front bumper with a missing rubber insert.
Bare rear bumper with only a deco strip. Note the emblems switched and in the wrong positions.
Not a perfect car but it more than made up for it in Curb appeal! Like I said earlier it got tons of attention! I remember the owner of that T-6 coupe in the background being very annoyed and dumbfounded as to why all the the crowds where around it with their backs turned toward his car. Its all in the stance!
While stock 356's can sometimes appear stuby and bulbous; The rake and extremely low stance made this car seem to be just a bit longer and sleeker.It also really drew attention to the raised center of the hood area and how its spills over beautifully into the fenders. A detail I normally did not consciously make note of on stock 356's. It was always there of course just not as pronounced to me like on this car.
All the typical "CAL BUG" mod's of the day. Polished 5.5 Fuchs on the rear and 4.5's on the front with a low profile tire to get the front down just a little more. Front torsion bars were disengaged and was riding on the bump-stops. I'm sure it did not ride or handle very well but it sure looked sweet sitting parked!
"CAL BUG" mods did not end with the wheels. He was also running a really nice fully chromed out type 1 motor with dual carbs. I'm sure it performed much stronger than the old original Porsche unit. Note the custom aftermarket VW style exhaust system. You can just make out the licnese plate in this photo: "cool A". It certainly was! looked good then; still looks good now!
You can see this was not a full on show car but a work in progress. Fully dressed USA front bumper with a missing rubber insert.
Bare rear bumper with only a deco strip. Note the emblems switched and in the wrong positions.
Not a perfect car but it more than made up for it in Curb appeal! Like I said earlier it got tons of attention! I remember the owner of that T-6 coupe in the background being very annoyed and dumbfounded as to why all the the crowds where around it with their backs turned toward his car. Its all in the stance!
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