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At 06:32 PM 2/11/97 +0930, Aaron Britcher wrote: >I dont want to piss off anyone but I have an original 1961 VW parts >manual which is in mint condition and has the listings and pictures of >the Type 3 Karmann Ghia convertible roof in it as well as the first >model year of the Notch. If anyone ever needs any information out of it >like I have already done for Big Al, please give me a holler. Aaron, Dig out that parts manual and take a better look. Last night I got a closer look at the French version of this manual that is on loan to Richard Troy. The first page of the T34 section has some very interesting items. The front of that page shows 3 Ghias - a 341, a 343, and a 345. The date on the page is March '62. On the back side of that page is listed the expected dates (and what looks like body numbers) that production will start for the cabriolet and the sunroof versions. The sunroof version is listed for July which matches with the earliest known 345. The cabriolet is scheduled to start production in 1963. Does your copy show this? Since I only took half a semester of French I am only guessing at some of the wording. The add-in pages of this copy stop in '63. I would guess that is when the book was redivided with the T34 parts, except the drive train, going to the Type 1 Ghia book. If I am reading this right, it means that Karmann had intentions at least going into early '62 of eventually bringing the cabriolet to market. VW may have killed the Notch version before the first of these manuals were ever produced. My understanding is that when Karmann started doing Beetle cabriolets they converted fully built Beetles which they obtained from VW rather than building them from scratch as they did with the Karmann Ghia. Since VW was producing the Notchbacks, I would think that the arrangement to produce a cabriolet version would be similar to the Beetle model. But since Karmann had more control of the Karmann Ghia production they had more say in what they actually produced (even though VW had the last word) so they continued plans for the cabriolet model even after VW had scuttled plans for the Notch cabriolet. If this is true, there may have been a small parts stash at one time for the 341. Wouldn't that be something to come across!! Larry Larry Edson sonofed@ix.netcom.com '66 Type 34 Karmann Ghia '65 Type 345 w/ electric sunroof