R.I.P. Joe Vittone

I just got word that EMPI founder, Joe Vittone, passed away February 23rd.
Any old-time BKC guys will remember that magical night at the host hotel for the FL Bug Jam, with Joe and Richard Guarino hangin' out, and Joe's wife going for a ride in a BKC car, as she had no idea what all the fuss was about with these tiny little airsucker cars.
All the wonderful memories I have of Joe, are now just that.. memories.
It's like losing my Father, all over again. It sucks.

At least we were all blessed enough to have those memories, and to have him make such an impact on the Air Cooled Hobby and Sport that we all enjoy so much. Rest In Peace Sir.

Thanks Dave for the sad news.


Yup that was a fun night @ the hotel.. I have a pic of Joe in my office with the original BK gang. Good times

Even though I wasn't back into VW's at the Jam for the gathering, it's always sad to hear when one of the pioneers has passed on.

sorry to here the bad news. thats was a great night hanging out with him at bug jam.

I say like some other guy said in a Swedish forum:
Now is he sittig down and having a conversation with Dean Lowry, Gene Berg, Mark Herbert och SOB.

R.I.P Joe

RIP Joe...
We are losing all the pioneers of VW speed.That's why it's important to encourage young folks that are interested in our hobby.When you drive by a High school,look at the parking lot...when I was in school in the 80's,it was full of muscle,customs and Hot Rods.Now,you might see a HonDuh with a coffee can hanging off the back end.
The local speed merchant's shop used to be full of teens spending their paychecks there,now it's mostly guys my age.

Good article in HVW, Dave.
I'm sure that he is proud.

Thanks, Tan.
It was more of a biography than anything else, but when I got the call from Hot VWs that they had all decided that I was the one that should write the story, having been closer to Joe in recent years than anyone else they could think of, I jumped at the chance, and considered it an honor to pay my respects to Joe. That photo of me and Joe, with the steering wheel, was taken at the host hotel for the FL Bug Jam, I think it was called the Sleep Inn? What a great night that was,Joe and Richard Guarino hanging out with the BKC guys and Gals, and Joe's wife going for a ride in a (then) BKC member's car... she had told me just prior to that that she didn't quite understand what all the fuss was about with these little "Economy Cars" so she got to get into a 2276 powered '62 Sedan... I heard them leave the parking lot, nice and mellow, and then I heard LD get on it, a little sideways in first, from what I could hear, a real healthy chirp in second, wound up to the limiter before 3rd, and then they were too far away for me to really discern anything... but when they came back to the parking lot, she was all smiles, and I heard her remark to Joe "NOW I know what all the fuss is about" and Joe just smiled...
Anyway, that's a night I'll never forget.
(That's back when even Poker had a car..)

OUCH

Dave wrote:
(That's back when even Poker had a car..)

wow that was a long time ago.

Major62 wrote:

Dave wrote:
(That's back when even Poker had a car..)

wow that was a long time ago.

Anybody have pics of this , maybe spark our memory of this historic time.

Nut, there were dozens of cameras flashing that night, I know folks got a photo of Joe signing Poker's GTV wheel, and Joe and Richard Guarino sporting BKC T-shirts. I have some somewhere in my archives, but it will take me months (or longer) to find them, and mine might all be 35mm slides...

Dave wrote:Nut, there were dozens of cameras flashing that night, I know folks got a photo of Joe signing Poker's GTV wheel, and Joe and Richard Guarino sporting BKC T-shirts. I have some somewhere in my archives, but it will take me months (or longer) to find them, and mine might all be 35mm slides...

That would be cool to see , but the historic time i was referring to was the time when Poker had a car.