Adding “The Pickle” To The Garage
For those of you who have followed me and The KUIC Morning Show for the last quarter century, you know I have an affinity for air-cooled Volkswagens; my first car was a ‘69 VW Bug, and I’ve had multiple VW’s of various shapes and sizes since then. Many of those vehicles have been featured on the show, on our social media pages, in past Blog Posts, etc. The one VW that had eluded me, however, was (until last month) The Karman Ghia Sports Car. Introduced to the Volkswagen line in the early 1960s, this Italian-designed sports coupe has fascinated me since I rode around in my Aunt Susan’s Orange ‘72 Ghia back in the mid-1970’s. Essentially a VW Beetle in a sleek body, The Ghia is one of the Volkswagen models I’d been yearning to own. Then, fate stepped in when I met a fellow long-distance bike rider at a recent race, and he revealed he had his beloved late wife’s ‘73 Ghia for sale. Known in his family as “The Pickle,” this beautiful Kelley Green vehicle had a wonderful history and extreme sentimental value. In fact, my new friend refused to sell it to the “wrong” person. Thankfully I passed the character test, and he agreed to offer me the car if I promised to “do right by it.” Needless to say, that’s exactly what I intend to do as I prepare to restore this amazing car back to its early 70’s glory…I can’t wait to share more pics as the project unfolds 🙂