Wanted   Do you have a passion for antiques and collectibles - and writing?   The Wayback Times invites you to submit freelance articles for use in print and on our new web site.   E-mail your text submissions to The Wayback Times.   Articles published in The Wayback Times since 1995 have covered a wide range of interests, from Golliwoggs to toy VW collecting, and from collecting insulators to hunting old books.   Most authors of our online selection of articles have included their e-mail addresses and they are always delighted to hear from other collectors.

Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Wayback Wheels - Vintage Car Talk   The Jay/Aaron VW rivalry ends, but not the hunt   By Aaron Neilly Obsessions: Everybody has one, but few take theirs as far as I have. In fact, I've only met one man who had a passion for the VW Beetle that could rival mine, and that man was Jay Telfer.   When I first met him, I was 13 years old, had a toy VW collection of about 1,200 pieces, and learned he had about the same amount in his collection - or maybe just a few less.   This started a friendly rivalry, which 13 years later was still going on. Before selling off his collection recently, Jay had well over 1,500 VW Beetle items in all shapes and forms. I'll miss the rivalry, but will keep on collecting, and I'll think of Jay with each new acquisition.   Although I have written about the Volkswagen Beetle previously, as a tribute to Jay I'd like to write about a few other models of air-cooled Volkswagens that were available at the same time as, and based on, the legendary Bug.   Beetlemania was spreading like wildfire in the 1950s, and although they offered a very practical van in their model range, Volkswagen needed something a bit more, well, sporty.   Dr. Wilhelm Karmann Jr., president of Karmann Karosserie, creator of the Beetle Cabriolet, had been in negotiations with Volkswagen to build a sports car based on the Beetle platform. After three years of rejected designs from VW, Karmann contacted Italy's Carrozzeria Ghia company for some styling help. Ghia secretly obtained a Beetle floor pan - something which they were refused by VW, and by late 1953, had a prototype of the new car.   Karmann adjusted the designs slightly, widening the chassis by a few inches amongst other things, and contacted Volkswagen one last time. VW’s president travelled to the Karmann plant and immediately gave the stylish car the go-ahead.   Within 18 months, the Karmann Ghia was in full production. The Ghia was almost entirely hand built. The Karmann factory had no large pressing equipment, so small stampings were seam welded together (while constantly being cooled by water to prevent warpage of the thin metal), with small gaps and hard to get to places being filled in with lead, even having the final coat of paint sprayed on by hand.   A convertible was introduced in August of 1957, which put sales through the roof. Within 14 months of its introduction, over 10,000 Karmann Ghias had been sold, an impressive number, especially when you consider these car were hand assembled.   Ghias were powered by the same faithful air cooled flat four as the Beetle, and although dubbed "The World's slowest sports cars,” they are also one of the world's sexiest sports cars; and one of the more reliable because of their proven mechanical components.   The Karmann Ghia stayed in production until 1974, selling over 364,000 units. Volkswagen has quietly mentioned a rebirth of the Karmann Ghia a few times, similar to what the Beetle experienced in 1998 with the front engined "New Beetle,” but they have yet to confirm any rumours.   Ghias, like many of the classic cars we love, were prone to rusting out at an alarming rate, making solid ones a bit of a rarity. While the Ghia was a beautifully designed, coachbuilt work of art, Volkswagen also had a purely utilitarian vehicle.   In 1968, VW introduced the "Type 181”. It closely resembled the "Kubelwagen" of World War 2, but was designed entirely as a fun vehicle. The 181 was released in North America under the model name "Thing.”   The Thing was a boxy, four-door, almost "Jeep-like" vehicle, with ribbed steel bodywork, a flat windshield that could fold down flat, a very basic canvas roof and a gear reduction transaxle, with internals borrowed from the VW Microbus.   The 181/Thing would pretty much go anywhere, and again, featured totally standardized Volkswagen running gear and very basic body panels to keep production costs down.   Production of the Thing ended in 1974 and not many were sold during its six-year run. Although not for everyone because of its quirky styling, Things are quite sought after these days due to their rarity and unconventional styling.   Will we ever see brochures for Volkswagen's "New Thing?” Highly doubtful, but in this world of mass-produced, cookie cutter SUVs with more creature comforts than a cruise ship, I think it would be a welcome change - for short trips.   Aaron Neilly is a licensed mechanic with a soft spot for unique automobiles. He can usually be found tinkering on a classic Volkswagen in his spare time. You can e-mail him at: bandicoot.rally@gmail.com       Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2009 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster