Here at VolksWorld, we’re all about the stories that bring your awesome VWs back to life, and Michèle Maraninchi’s 1961 Karmann Ghia is one of those that pulls at even the toughest of heart strings. At 58, this Toulon-born, La Seyne-sur-Mer-based commercial assistant has been around VWs her whole life, thanks to her husband, Gilles’, life-long love of air-cooled cars. Together, they’ve turned a Swiss-imported wreck into this Pampas Green and white stunner that’s won awards and turned heads all across Europe. Let’s take a wander through Michèle’s journey, her hands-on approach, and the hard graft that put her dream Karmann Ghia back on the road.
The couple have been married for 35 years and, rather touchingly, Michèle still describes her husband as “mon héros”, my hero. Clearly, he needs…