SEPTEMBER 15 • 2022 | 13
For the Love of Cars
continued on page 14
Coupe. Their Jaguar is very rare,
one of only 19 1994 XJS Coupes
imported to North America with a
factory original five-speed manual
transmission. But their love story
centers on the Karmann Ghia.
“Dianne and I met in 1970 for the
Oak Park to Wayne State University
carpool. I had always wanted a
Convertible Jaguar XKE (‘E Type’),
which I thought was a beautiful car,
but in 1972, we could not afford a
Jaguar. However, Dianne bought a
used bright orange 1970 VW Karmann
Ghia Convertible. We drove it in
winter, and it began to rust, so it was
sold.
“In 1996, when we could have
purchased a beautiful Jaguar XKE,
we decided to get another 1970
Convertible Karmann Ghia instead,
because that was our car when we were
young,” Steve continued.
“We had both cars on display at
the Woodward Dream Cruise this
year; however, my absolute favorite
place to drive (cruise) with both cars,
surprisingly, is just everywhere people
routinely go on daily errands. People
who do not know us at all, and who
would normally not say anything to
us, come up to ask about the cars,
in parking lots, etc., and strike up
conversations about our classic car.
That is truly the fun of driving a
sporty classic car in the summer!”
Details
The North American International
Auto Show takes place Sept.
17-25. This will be the first-ever,
indoor/outdoor Detroit Auto Show.
Visit https://naias.com/ for details
and tickets. You can also enter a
Sweepstakes to win a Corvette,
Hellcat or Bronco.
A RAFFLE WIN
Donna and Sheldon Klein live
in Birmingham and have two
daughters. Donna doesn’t have a
photo of her “cool” car, but she does
have a “cool” story to tell. “I don’t
have my special car anymore, but it
changed my life,” she said.
“I was 17 in 1973, in the
Chicago suburbs, doing my college
planning. I was proud and delighted
to have been admitted to my dream
school, Kalamazoo College.
“My parents were thrilled for
me. However, they got serious and
did the math. They were shocked
to see how much more expensive
Kalamazoo College was versus a
public university. They sat me down
with their budget and told me they
couldn’t afford it,” she added.
“I thought my life was over …
until a phone call the next week. I
had won the grand prize from a
50-cent raffle ticket! A brand-new
car, one of those ancient, full-size
station wagons, a gas guzzler, to say
the least.
“My parents were now open to
negotiation,” she continued. “I
proposed that we sell it for the
approximate $4,600 market price,
which would cover a full year of
tuition and room and board. They
agreed. I started K College in Fall
1974, met my husband, Sheldon,
there. I graduated in 1978 and
ended up here in Detroit.”
It seems that Donna’s old-school,
basic, large station wagon was
indeed a special car.
Steve Chait with
his 1994 Jaguar
XJS coupe and his
1970 Volkswagen
Karmann Ghia