Most aircooled VW enthusiasts will have heard about the Der Kleiner Panzers VW club from Southern California USA. DKP is widely known as a pioneer of the ‘California Look’ and unbelievably the club marked its 50th anniversary in June this year.

What is really special about DKP is their pursuit of detail and performance, which is not just a trend but the Cal Look Volkswagen culture. Needless to say, the Cal Look VWs from DKP tend to influence the VW scene the world over.

Of course, if you happen to live in Southern California you’re at an advantage because you can take part in a variety of fun activities, including monthly cruise nights during the summer season as well as Pre-Bug-In and Classic event cruise nights. Another fun activity with DKP is the “Santa’s Li’l Helper” night time cruise held in the festive holiday season. This year the cruise celebrated its 11th anniversary and attracted roughly 150 VWs, all of which gathered at the Farmer Boy’s Restaurant parking lot in Fullerton, California.

All participants that came brought with them an unwrapped toy for donation, and  received in return a special DKP Santa’s Li’l Helper dash plaque. The donations of toys and games gathered will be going to predesignated families to brighten their holiday season. DKP also gave out a prize for ‘Best Decorated VW’ and raffled off a special VW edition Monopoly game to one lucky participant.

The real highlight of the Santa’s Li’l Helper Toy Drive cruise, though, was the sight of nearly 150 VWs driving around the beautiful Orange County neighborhood with all its sparkling Christmas illuminations. Many VWs were also decorated with a Christmas theme.

A great night was had by all, and the generosity and sheer number of toys that were donated made this event even more special…

Shin

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage