These Are the Cars That Made You Do a Double Take at the Used Car Lot

There was a small dealer in Cumberland County South Jersey that specialized in air cooled VWs, and on occasion the odd rear engined Renault or Fiat.

One day (shortly before Christmas IIRC) I spotted something odd among the usual assortment of Beetles, Busses, and Type-3s.

Much to the annoyance of my then-girlfriend in the passenger seat, I turned the car around to get a better look.

What I saw was a Type-34 Karmann Ghia, something I had never encountered before.

I knocked on the door of the office, but no one was in.

When i went back a few weeks later, the Type 34 was gone. The dealer told me he sold it for less than he bought it for because the car was missing some parts unique to the car that were difficult to find.

Maybe a year later, I drove past the same dealer and again saw something odd. At first I thought it was a Corvair and dismissed it. A week later, I drove past again and noticed it was NOT a Corvair. It turned out to be a Hino Contessa:

I talked to the dealer (who remembered me asking about the Type 34) and offered to sell the Hino to me for $650.00. After noticing the rusty rocker panels, I passed on the car, because rust is the tool of the devil.

The place was gone by 1990. I think they built a Lowes or Home Depot where the lot used to be.

If only you’d come back the next day instead of waiting a couple of weeks, you could have been the owner of a gorgeous Type 34 that was missing some unique parts that are hard to find.