DKP'S Orange County Run
Der Kleiner Panzers Volkswagen Club Hit the Streets of Orange County, Calif., with
a Bunch of their Friends to Celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of their Monthly Cruise Night
By Stephan Szantai
Photography: Ryan Lee Price, Stephan Szantai
Much has been written about Der Kleiner Panzers since its formation during the mid-'60s, and we started featuring their mighty Volkswagens in our first issue back in 1976. For close to 30 years, this team of gearheads has had a reputation for owning clean and fast street cars, with quarter-mile potentials that would put many V8-boys to shame. The widespread California Look can also be credited to the rides from DKP, the most famous being Greg Aronson's white '63 Sunroof Bug. The first generation of the club lasted until 1976, followed by a fairly short-lived second group--by 1979 it had disappeared completely.
This brings us to the current incarnation of Der Kleiner Panzers, which came to life a decade later thanks to the dedication of long-time enthusiasts Greg Brinton, Bill Schwimmer and Dave Mason. During the early '90s, the club consisted of a bunch of friends who met once a year at the VW Classic, and sometimes at local dragstrips or shows.
Motivation started to wane within the ranks during the second half of the '90s however, to the point where a few of these guys questioned the idea of keeping DKP alive. In the end, the troop decided to get it back in gear, with a Club Constitution (rules to abide in order to become a potential member), regular member meetings, in addition to a monthly Cruise Night. A suitable location was found in the heart of Orange County, DKP's stomping grounds since day one, namely a Dairy Queen restaurant situated in Fullerton (1712 W. Orangethorpe Ave.). The club promoted the event with a flyer, designed in part by excellent artist Pascal Meslet; and on the first Sunday of April 1998 Volkswagens packed the DQ's parking lot for the first DKP Cruise Night!
Fast forward to April 2003. The present generation of Der Kleiner Panzers continues playing a role in SoCal's aircooled scene, succeeding a series of drag days at Carlsbad and a couple of driving cruises. Once a month, Fullerton's Dairy Queen remains a hot bed of high-performance VWs as well. So to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the event, the club elected to put together a simple yet exciting happening. The idea was to hit the road with a bunch of Volkswagens, leaving from a restaurant in Orange County and finishing at the DQ, the same evening as the usual DKP Cruise Night. The caravan would start at Hamburger Express in Westminster (5062 Westminster Blvd), a restaurant that welcomes another Vee Dub cruise night organized by Uber Alles VW Club, every Tuesday night at 7:30. The main goal wasn't to attract a large number of participants, but a group of DKP friends and other hardcore hi-po VW devotees. The hosts distributed a few flyers, while the Internet and word of mouth quickly spread the news.
When the club members drove their beasts into Hamburger Express' parking lot around 4pm, they were quite surprised to find a bunch of cars already waiting patiently. A few other clubs made sure to attend the festivities, including Uber Alles and The German Folks. High-performance enthusiasts must have been in heaven, as we spotted a horde of 48IDA-equipped VWs, a couple of nitrous-fed Bugs, and half a dozen rides fitted with turbos, including VW Trends' Project '67. At 5pm, 60 aircooled Volkswagens started to line-up on Bolsa Chica Street, for the 12-mile cruise leading to the Dairy Queen. To avoid spreading the caravan into too many groups, the route was kept very simple with only a couple of right-hand turns. Pedestrians had their heads spinning when the colorful squad passed by. Ah, the sound of dual-throat carbs... Dairy Queen's parking lot quickly filled with ecstatic participants and the cruise night proved to be one of the busiest since last summer.
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After a barbecue party earlier in the afternoon, a few DKP-dudes strike a pose before joining the driving cruise. In the foreground is Jim Edmiston's '67--Jim was a founding club member back in the '60s.
Mike Cruz's Buggy--see it featured in our June 2002 issue--popped a nice wheelie on Orangethorpe Avenue!
By 4pm, Hamburger Express' parking lot was filled with Volkswagens. You may recognize VWT's Project '67. To its right, Steve Makepeace's beige 13-second '66 Sedan.
This good-looking Ragtop utilizes a nitrous oxide bottle. As if 48IDAs weren't enough...
A few turbocharged vehicles joined the fun as well. This Buggy ran low 11s a week later in Phoenix.
Anthony of ISP West recently completed this gorgeous Squareback, fitted with four-lug Flat 4-BRMs and powered by a 2.3-liter motor.
Sitting on a set of Empi Sprint Star rims, John Rayburn's '64 relies on a 2332cc engine that packs 175 horsepower at the rear wheels.
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