In August of 2001 the city of Osnabrück threw a 100th birthday party for Karmann. It took over the center of the city and was a huge success attended by many thousands of people. Among the attendees were a handful of Americans passionate about all things Karmann. On Sunday evening after the event ended we gathered to toast the success of the event. After the toast Richard Troy, who was instrumental in getting the city to believe in the vision of this celebration, flamed our passion by stating that "We need to do this all over again in 2005.....for the 50th Birthday of the Karmann Ghia." Spurred by the excitement in the room I looked around the table and asked, "Who is going to bring their car to this once in a life time event?" Richard had been the hit of the party with his '58 Aero Silver KG Coupe that he had shipped over to Europe before the 100th. So it wasn't hard for the rest of us to imagine the thrill of arriving at the KG's 50th in our own car.
In 2004 we started to dream in earnest about what kinds of celebrations we would like to see for the 50th. Another dreamer, Scott Dempster, jumped into the picture and was instrumental in getting the American activities off the ground. Scott, the owner of Karmann Ghia Parts & Restoration (KGPR) suggested a trip across America with Karmann Ghias joining along the way. The logistics of such a trip would be huge and the expense of such an undertaking could scuttle the plan. But Scott's enthusiasm was infectious and he got sizable support from Volkswagen of America, Disney (who were happy to promote their new Herbie movie), and Nextel. As 2005 began I started to get serious about developing the route we would take and taking care of motel reservations along the way. The middle of May finally came and we were off.
Highlights
a. San Francisco
b. The Start
c. Across the Divide
d. Small Town Museum
e. Michigan Show
f. Civil War History
g. The Cars Ship
h. Europe Arrival
i. Separated
j. Normandy
k. The Mediterranean
l. Stiftung Museum
m. Jubiläumstreffen
n. The Parade
