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For those of you that like the Type 34 Karmann Ghia (Type III Ghia, der Grosse KG, Razoredge Ghia, European Ghia, German Corvair, etc), this news should be a huge surprise. For those of you that don't know much about Type 34s, here's a short history lesson. The Type 34 KG was the sports model variation for the Type III line. It was first introduced at the Sep61 Frankfurt Auto Show and was produced through July 1969 with a total production of 42,500 cars. There are estimated to be about 2500 existing worldwide today, and the T34 Registry club has over 675 chassis-registered T34s. Both Coupe & Cabriolet (convertible) models for the Type 34 were shown at the Frankfurt Show, although the Cabrio was later dropped from mass production due to expensive modifications necessary to support the pan without the roof. Somewhere between 11-31 Type 34 Cabrio prototypes were built for testing and public introduction ceremonies in 1961-62, although none were officially sold to the public. There are currently three T34 Cabrios known to exist today: a Ruby Red one at the VW museum, a Pearl White one at the Karmann Museum, and one in a private German collection. Surprise of all surprises, a new original T34 Cabrio showed up last week at a bank auction in Germany! Apparently is was in the possession of the Karmann factory until 1976, then was sold to a VW dealer who stashed it away in their basement in Germany from 1969-97! It had been repainted a ghastly AquaGreen color but is still in fantastic original condition. Lars Neuffer, a German VW enthusiast & KG restoration business, heard about the auction the night before from a friend and made it down early the next morning and was fortunate enough to be the highest bidder!! No word yet on the final price, but it's safe to say none of us could afford it ... The T34 Cabrio is officially a model 341, and Lars' has VW chassis # 0 091 525 (with its original engine #0 089 213) which dates its production in late 1962 (an early 1963 model year). This is about 6-9 months later than it was believed Karmann officially discontinued development work on the T34 Cabrio project! It was originally painted Pacific Blue and still has its original Black top. Lars brought it home from the auction and photographed it on 13Dec97, making it every VW enthusiasts ultimate Christmas present! If you would like to see the first ever photograph of it, check out the Type 34 KG Registry web site at http://www.type34.org and then look in the Convertible section! See, there are original excellent condition PROTOTYPES still out there ... Have a Merry Christmas, and if you've been really REALLY good this year ... LEE THOMAS HEDGES VW T34 KG Registry http://www.type34.org Notchback Owners of North America http://www.ixpres.com/hedges/nona.html Vintage/Historical Editor, VW Trends magazine