David was recently interviewed by the Karmann Ghia owners club, for their club magazine Karmann Komment. The answers tell a great story of how VW Heritage came about, and the role Karmann Ghias played in the creation of the company as it is today. Read on to find out more!
1. So when was VW Heritage established, and what made you decide to set it up?
VW Heritage, as a big parts supplier, was never a masterplan I was working towards. It all started very small, under the name “Union Air Cool”, which evolved from me buying Type 2s in Holland, converting them to campers and selling them to Australian tourists who wanted to tour Europe. My first Type 2 was bought for £400 in 1981; I paid for it with money made by selling Christmas trees!
2. I believe it all started with Karmann Ghia spares – is that true?
After working predominately with Type 2s, I bought my first Ghia in 1984. I had always wanted one, and the opportunity presented itself in the guise of a low mileage one owner 1968. Karmann Ghias then dominated my time for the next 10 years. Cars were hard to find though, and to keep the business working I moved into selling spares. I was travelling weekly to Germany, filling my trusty work wagon, a Bay window of course, with genuine parts and bringing them home to sell. With the demand for parts rising, I closed my workshop and moved into an ex-fruit and veg shop in Brighton, opening up a mail order company specialising in genuine parts.
Even back in the late 80’s it was difficult to get bits for Razor edges so we concentrated on Type 1s. By this time I had recruited a helper, and we changed the name to Karmann Classics. We gained a reputation for discount genuine parts, and started getting asked for parts for other models too; not so much Beetle or Bus as they were both mainstream models at that time but the outsiders and the rare; Trekkers, Beetle Cabrios etc. We were happy to help if we could.
3. How many times have you moved premises?
So far we have moved 7 times if I include my Mum & Dads driveway in Crawley. Move 2 was a tractor shed in Steyning, West Sussex. That was the last time we had a workshop, until now. We are now in the process of building a workshop at our new home in Shoreham. We’ll use this mainly for test fitting parts we have manufactured, and hopefully completing a few projects of our own too.
4. How many people do VW Heritage now employ?
We have a great team of about 50 people. We pride ourselves on being “run by enthusiasts for enthusiasts”, our core sales team have almost 200 years’ joint experience working with us, and probably double that if you count hobby time and work elsewhere.
5. You’re obviously a VW enthusiast. Which type(s) have you owned?
I’ve owned quite a few! Everything except an Iltis and an SP2 is probably not far off the truth. (David has driven an SP2 from VW’s museum around the Nurburgring though -Andy)
6. Do you / did you have a favourite?
Tricky question! I think you need a different VW for different jobs, so my “garage of favourites” would have room for two. The first would be a late bay Westfalia Berlin as it offers the opportunity to take holidays! I’ve had some great trips in Type 2’s. The second would be a ‘68 Ghia Coupe, just like my first one in light blue (Bermuda blue maybe, but can’t be sure).
7. Was there one you regret having parted with?
We all have days where we long for a time machine (it would be really handy in this industry) but there’s no point crying over spilt milk!
8. What do you drive now?
I’ve got a low mileage Mk1 Golf with 28,000 miles on it, which gets used in the summer; and the ‘56 Pick up too. I spend a lot of time in the office, so driving a VW to a show doesn’t happen that frequently these days.. Except Brighton Breeze, that’s on the doorstep!
9. What about for everyday use?
An X plate Audi S6, it’s a good car, if a little juicy on fuel
10. You must have seen some radical changes in the VW scene over that time. Some good some bad? Comments?
There will always be fashions, whatever your hobby. The cars of the late 80’s with their bright colour schemes and customization might not be de rigour these days, but I can still appreciate the efforts that went in to them, and the love that the owners have or had for them. These days Volkswagens are much more of a precious vehicle, and many owners are making extra efforts to preserve them.
11. How do you feel about the internet age and globalisation of the economy has affected quality and availability of car spares?
Overall the internet has been great for what we and other companies do. It’s made selling VW parts a far easier thing. No longer must you try and find me at a show, or call me up. You can look VW Heritage up online 24 hours a day, and in every corner of the world.
As for quality and availability. It has put manufacturing companies from all over the world in touch with businesses who need things manufacturing. This is great. We use suppliers from all over, and where the parts come from isn’t necessarily an issue. It comes down to the quality you will accept, and the price you are prepared to pay.
‘Cheap parts from China’ is a stereotype, but they only exist as someone commissioned them, or accepted them as a suitable quality once upon a time.
12. Now that VW Mexico no longer make the Beetle and Brazil has announced the end of their production of the T2 – what effect do you think that will have on spares availability in coming years? 
This will make things harder without a doubt, and it is why we are investing in manufacturing a number of parts ourselves. A typical example is our SSP engines. We used to sell Genuine Mexican engines, but as these are long obsolete we have set up our production in the UK offering remanufactured and 100% new aircooled engines.
13. Where do you see the VW scene going in years to come?
The UK continues to absorb Volkswagens from drier climates to feed our desire for them.This will have to come to an end at some point, and there are only so many cars and buses that can be restored, ever. In the meantime the scene will remain as long as VWs are on the road.
The Volkswagen has always been the people’s car but the way prices are going they are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market. A Beetle is no longer a cheap first car, in fact the Mk1 and Mk2 Golf have now taken that mantle, in VW circles at least, and even then their value is ever increasing.
From a business point of view we are already well established in the Mk1 and Mk2 Golf scene, and have a large range of parts for T25 and T4 vans too. It is likely in the next few years we will extend this range further, to encompass more modern models, and offer our service to as many VW enthusiasts as possible; in keeping with our motto “Whatever your Volkswagen project, we can help”.
Thanks to Karmann Ghia Owners Club for letting us publish their interview with David. To find our more about their club, take a look here.
Andy
The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage