It was the 1980s and Charlene Johnson had just got a job as a teacher in The Netherlands.
To celebrate she bought her first new car, a brand spanking new Golf Cabriolet through Volkswagen’s Tourist Automobile Shipping Program (TASP).
It was an option at the time that allowed customers to purchase select Volkswagen vehicles in Europe, but have them delivered to the US.— typically after touring Germany and neighboring countries.
“It was the coolest car and I loved driving it around with the top down,” Johnson said.
“We went to our wedding in the Cabriolet. I taught my kids how to drive in it. We traveled all over Europe, and it’s become a part of the family.
“I never imagined keeping the car for 37 years, but I just fell in love with it.”
The job in The Netherlands turned into a career from which she recently retired.
As she began planning her return to the States, the thought of parting with her beloved Cabrio was not a pleasant one.
“The TASP program is long gone, but I always kept the paperwork,” she said.
With the documentation in hand, she contacted Volkswagen of America, hoping they might help help her get the 37-year-old car back to her family home in Montana.
Her request caught the attention of a number of staff, in particular Director of Public Relations and Reputation, Mark Gillies.
“It threw us for a loop,” Gillies said.
“The program has been expired a long time, but when we read Ms Johnson’s story and felt her love of our product, we decided to honor the program.”
Earlier this year, the 1978 Golf Cabriolet arrived in Houston, Texas on a cargo vessel and was shipped to a Volkswagen dealership in Montana.
Overjoyed that it had finally arrived, Johnson and her daughter went to collect the car.
There was just one hitch — the car wouldn’t start.
“Come to find out, there was no gas. Put the gas in and it fired right up,” she said.
“It’s been super reliable. And I think that’s just part of the Volkswagen brand.
“For me, the memories about the car, they’re really about the people and it was always part of those memories.”
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