THE 'OTHER' KARMANN GHIAS

CM: Perhaps you could start by telling us how you first become involved with Karmann Ghias?

Mark Poulton: I had grown up with VWs from my father's side, and so naturally enough I started out in 1976 driving a 6v Beetle. After nearly 10 years and a couple of Beetles, I thought it would be nice to have something a little bit different, and a Karmann Ghia seemed the logical progression. This would have been around 1985 and I actually looked at both types of Karmann Ghia, including two Type 14s that were close to me but both of which were horrendously rusty despite being only 13 years old at the time. The sellers wanted around £1000, and didn't agree with my assessment that the cars were probably only worth around £500.

Then a Type 34 came up for sale, also reasonably local. I wasn't particularly looking for one of these, but I did want something that was a little more modern than my Beetle and could be had with practical upgrades like disc brakes (from 1966) and 12-volt electrics (from 1967). It probably didn't hurt that at the time a Type 34 would have been cheaper than a later Type 14 too – a good Type 14 would have