“For what it’s worth, and to add to the Beetle conversation, Dad (RADM Mac Showers) owned two of them. The first was a black 1961 model affectionately known as “The Raisin.”

It had a cool accordion-style cloth sun-roof which nearly took up the entire roof of the car. Was much like an old camera bellows. It had no gas gauge so Dad kept a small notebook in the glove box and at each fill-up recorded the amount of gas, current mileage, and distance traveled since the last fill-up. This was the only way to estimate available fuel or lack thereof. And if you miscalculated, there was a reserve tank that could be accessed by flipping a small lever on the floor to the right of the gas pedal.

Donna eventually named it The Raisin because each of us 3 kids learned to drive in it and were eventually responsible for enough dents in its complexion to earn the nickname. Later, Dad replaced it with a green 1972 “Super Beetle”. It came with a gas gauge but no sun-roof and was a reliable yet unremarkable car that never took on any special identity. It was no Raisin.”

-David

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“That reminds me of Frank Hagy & the time he drove his Karmann Ghia across Pine Lake. Giant ice flows cracking apart on his heels, if the exit hadn’t been level ground the car would have sunk. We were all drunk & screaming with fear & laughter. He put his accelerator foot through the floorboard.

I haven’t seen Frank since, but his face might still be red. He drove the car across the lake with his door open & put out his left foot after getting to top speed. He said he really expected to have to bale out & was completely panicked. But there was NO TURNING BACK! It is still a significant rush for me to think about 47 years later.”

– R

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Vic,

I had a Karmann Ghia convertible in 1970 when I was stationed at Travis AFB in CA. Loved that car – so fun to drive – not a sports car but still fun………..until the night I wrecked it…………that’s a story that needs to be told over a beer some night!!!!

– Patrick

I loved the Karmann Ghia too. In my youth it was considered “the poor man’s Porsche”

Boats

Copyright 2014 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com
Twitter: @jayare303