Old Shots From Porvoo Swap Meet And Alastaro

Some older shots I got from Jarkko who is the first Volkswagen guy I ever got to know. We served in same garrison of Finnish Army in 1989 and were borrowing each other's magazines, my Popular Hot Roddings or Super Chevys to his Hot VWs or VW Trends. I bought my first Bug years later but I guess that was when I got infected to this disease.. I never participated these events ranging from late 80's to early 90's but can see some very familiar faces in photos.

Porvoo Swap Meet

















West Coast Aircoolers event in Alastaro

Flashback: Another Cal Look Oval

Cool Oval photographed in location that looks like Kuplapaja's premises in Vantaa around the turn of the decade. The car has some "Berglar" look and feel, maybe due to the combination of metallic paint, full US spec towel rail bumbers and dechroming?

Cannot remember why Jussi had it at that time and never seen the car since, wonder what happened to it..



For some reason I couldn't motivate myself to dechrome any of my cars but I really would like to get my hands on car like this. Too high mounted tail-lights hurt my eyes a little bit :)

Flashback: Kai's Custom

Kai Aulankoski's '57 Oval featured in November 1993 issue of Volksworld Magazine. Kai's Oval was one of the very first (if not first) hot rodded Volkswagen I've ever seen and is one of the cars that got me interested in Volkswagens. This issue was already sold out when I got to know Kaitsu at WCA meetings and learned about the feature, but luckily found the issue from ebay.co.uk finally last week :)

Flashback: West Coast Aircoolers in American Car Show 1997

West Coast Aircooler's department in 1997 American Car Show. Cars on display were Jussi Jyr�nk�'s Type IV powered 1950 Split and Hannu Hellman's turbocharged Oval.

Flashback: 1995 VW Expo

Two drag race participants from 1995 VW Expo.

Flashback: Cal Look Survivor

80's Looker photographed in 1995 VW Expo. It appears to be very stylish representative of it's era.



Same car 12 years later in 2007 VW Open. Lot of work and dedication both from the current owner and the original builder.

Very cool that the car survived and got rebuilt instead of being abandoned after it wasn't so fashionable any more. Have met some people (this reminds me of especially couple ex-colleaques at work) who have got hooked on Volkswagens and Cal Look after the Tekniikan Maailma article and started projects that were never finished or if finished have gotten scrapped after the couple of summers of (ab)use.

Finding 80's Looker like in the picture above would be pretty cool, for guy like me who would never de-trim/de-chrome a ride it would give an option to built that Cal Looker in spirit of Feb 1975 issue of Hot VWs that I would no way in hell do otherwise :-) Different stance, T-bars and Fuchs would have worked nicely too on that ride, with or without colour change..

Flashback: Ari's Variant

Ari Laakso built this Cal Lookish Custom Variant in mid 90's, photographed here in 1996 American Car Show.

Flashback: Oskari's Looker

Oskari Vuojolahti built this '58 Sunroof in mid 90's. Photographed here in 1998 Bug Run.

Flashback: West Coast Aircoolers

The rise and fall of WCA :-) West Coast Aircoolers was among the most innovative and energetic car clubs in Finland early 90's. Due to various reasons the activity from big-time event organizator scaled down to bunch of friends meeting every Monday at the Mc Donalds' parking lot, 5-10 cars attending each time. Lot of fun but that shrinked too when most of us got closer to middle age.

Hopefully we get our asses out of sofas even couple of Mondays during this summer, even if we have to fix a certain day for it :-)

Flashback: �ht�ri Look

Cannot remember how town of �ht�ri became the nick name of misunderstood California Look. No idea who invented the term, I first heard the term in one of West Coast Aircoolers meeting in McDonalds of Niittykumpu, Espoo from my friend Jyrki. I guess California Look needed Finnish translation and someone picked name of the town from countryside.

I found the above pennant from my missus' sister's room back in their childhood home, apparently either of them had visited �ht�ri Zoo on a school trip.

Flashback: Alhoracing's Old School Cal Look Sedan

The first Finnish Old School Cal Look car built by Kari "Alhoracing" Alhonen in early to mid 90's. Kari visited VW Jamboree in California 1993 and that changed his Volkswagen orientation, off went his Sonderbus (Samba) project and 1302 Cabriolet. He acquired this newly painted '61 from Make Railo. The '61 became '62 look-a-like with red brick coloured interior, it is pretty obvious which DKP car had made the impression.

The first iteration round had Sprint Stars and lasted for few seasons, until in 1997 Kari bought set of MWS fake Berms from Kuplapaja (I got mine from same batch back then) and in 2001 car was updated with Gas Burners.

The '61 served all year daily driver.
1995, and times were changing, 12-second stroker engined Old School Cal Look car is challenging the 80's Looker.

Flashback: Jani's Resto Custom

West Coast Aircoolers member Jani built this '66 Beetle in early 90's as one of the very first Resto Cal / Resto Custom rides built along the trends represented in Hot VWs or VW Trends magazines. The '66 is pictured here in American Car Show while it was in Jussi Jyr�nk�'s ownership in Kuplapaja and sold forward.

Flashback: Sebastian's 'Vert

Sebastian Vuorisalo built this '68 Cabriolet in mid 90's. The '68 was imported from Germany and started it's life as a Police car. Apart from couple of strange accessories (not hand cuffs..) that came with the car one of the interesting details from the Police-era was the blackened window frames that had never been chromed.

Although haven't seen it during the past couple of summers, car is still around in Helsinki. The '68 would make really nice Resto Cal even in today's standards, perhaps except for the stance and original width front beam. Best part of the car is the fact that it was left to be the post '67 Fat Chick and not faked into earlier look which was very fashionable thing to do back then.

Flashback: action-cars-Takis' 80's Custom

action-cars-Takis' ride from 80's.

Flashback: Kirkkis' Standard

West Coast Aircoolers was the most innovative Finnish Volkswagen club in it's heyday in early 90's. Kirkkis, one of the main men behind the club, built this very stylish '63 Standard during early 90's. After Kirkkis moved into Porsches he quickly sold the Standard Beetle, it changed hands couple of times among WCA members. Vesku owned it at least two different times and Jaska built a 13-second Old School Cal Looker out of it. Kirkkis' Looker is photographed here in 1996 VW Open at it's best (IMHO).

Flashback: Finnish Looker

This scalloped Looker from Helsinki built by dude called Jukka was photographed in 1993 American Car Show. It was featured also in Street&Race Magazine at that time along another scalloped Looker that the same guy built.


He built also this '64 Beetle, photographed here next my '63 Beetle in 1998 VW Open.

Flashback: Make's Looker

Long-time West Coast Aircoolers president Make Railo built this late model Cal Looker during his last years in automotive painter/bodyshop school in late 80's. For a late 80's Finnish Looker Make's car is extra stylish and did not follow those Tekniikan Maailma project's ideas which became popular.

Probably due to young guy's enthusiasm it is well built since it shows still no wear and it is still in Make's ownership. In photo above Make's Looker is photographed in 1995 VW Expo in Turku. Next to it is action-cars-Pete's '74 in two-tone purple and silver it wore at that time.



Make's car in 1999 VW Open.

Recent photo from WCA reunion in 2005.

Flashback: action-cars Takis' Ride

action-cars-Takis built this '70 Resto Cal in early 90's. It was among the first "proper cars" in the country. Photographed above in 1996 VW Open and below in 1999 Bug Run along with the photo of man himself.