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More>> Con Kennedy Neil Ogilvy Jean-Michel Schiettecatte |
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| Samantha has been a member of the SVF for a good few years now, and together with her sister Shirley, can often be seen at shows and club events. Her car is a US Spec 1303 Karmann Convertible which Samantha had Emilio’s Beetles restore in early 2003 to her specification. The results, as you can see from the photos, speak for themselves. Samantha chose the light blue body colour with contrasting dark blue hood. The car is powered by a fully rebuilt 1600 engine freshly fitted during the restoration. The interior is tan in colour with a CD stereo system providing entertainment for those balmy summer evening cruises with the top down! | ||||||
The US spec 1303 cabrios differed in a few details from their European counterparts, the main points being:
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| We interviewed Samantha about her car, so we’ll let her tell you the story. How did you get interested in VW's? "Well it all started about 9 or 10 years ago when a guy called Herbie (yes, that’s his real name!) restored and serviced beetles in the garage at our house in Prosperous. I used to be out in the garage until all hours at night looking at what he was doing, and sometimes would help with the sanding down and passing of tools. Then I met Cormac and Stephen from the club and started going to shows with them and for the weekends away with the convoy of beetles. I got into the whole VW scene from there. Shirley (Samantha’s sister - ed) got a beetle so then we went to all the shows in that." |
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| Is this your first VW then? "No, I’ve had a Polo in the past, and I currently have a Golf as a daily driver. It is my first Air-Cooled VW though." |
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| How often do you get to drive your Cabrio? "I drove it every day when I got it in March 2003 because of the fantastic weather we had and I wanted to show it off but now its in the garage out of the rain. I take it out for a spin at the weekends if the weather is good. If the weather is good on weekdays I’ll drive it in to college in Dublin. " |
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| How did you find this car? "Well, I went to the VolksWorld show in the UK a few years ago and really liked the idea of having a convertible beetle as there were loads at the show and I had never seen many convertibles in Ireland. I was talking to Emilio on the boat home and he said he had a Karmann Cabrio but that it involved a lot of work. So two days later my dad and I went to Emilio’s house and four days later I gave him a deposit! It was left sitting in the garage at home for nearly two years until I finally had the funds to restore it. Emilio started on it after Christmas 2002 and I had it back in march 2003." |
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| How old is the car, and do you know anything of its history? "It’s a 1978 model, just like me!! It was originally a Californian car. It was brought to Ireland in December 1992, and was owned by a lady in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary before Emilio got it. " |
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| You said Emilio told you it would involve a lot of work, how bad was it before he started? "Well I couldn’t drive it. The roof was in bits; the wheels and bumpers were all rusted and the floor panels and the wings needed to be replaced. Plus it was a horrible yellow colour!" |
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| Do you find it hard driving a Left Hand Drive car in Ireland? "I was terrified at the thought but I got in and had no problem driving. Overtaking can be a bit of a problem but if I can’t see then I don’t bother." |
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| Are there any differences between looking after a convertible as opposed to a regular, hardtop beetle? "Well my sister has a beetle so I knew all about polishing the bumpers and the other maintenance bits but the roof is different because its mohair. The dust tends to sit on it when it’s been in the garage so I have to get hot water and a brush and brush it off. Also when the roof is down the inside tends to get a bit dirty but it’s a small price to pay for the fun you have!" |
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| What’s your favourite thing about the car? "The looks from people when they see the car because of how perfect it is, especially the looks you get when overtaking cars on the motorway." |
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| Do you have any plans to own any more VW's? "I’d love a Karmann Ghia or a camper van." |
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| What’s your ideal VW? "A convertible Karmann Ghia…" |
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| Do you have any future plans for the car? "Well, it’s already got EMPI 8 spoke alloy wheels, and the interior is properly reupholstered with high-back seats, and I’ve got a CD stereo fitted, so I think the only thing left is to get the hood bag sorted out for when the roof is down." |
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