When asked what his favorite part of the collector vehicle hobby is, Ralph Connor simply replies: “Vintage Volkswagens.”

Ralph has been driving collector VWs since the mid-80’s, and his love and passion for the vehicles only grow each day.  His current pride and joy is his 1971 convertible that he fittingly named Mr. Wonderful.  And, when speaking of his vehicle, never once does he refer to it as “his car,” but, rather consistently refers to ‘him’ as Mr. Wonderful.

“I had four names in mind,” says Ralph.  “Punch Buggy, Mr. Wonderful, and a couple others. I chose Mr. Wonderful, because when you look at the car, you get the feeling of... ‘it’s wonderful!’  It’s a warm and fuzzy feeling… because it’s a classic.”

And while Ralph has owned collectible VWs for quite some time—owning 7 or 8 throughout the last twenty-some years— this vehicle, in particular, is his first convertible, which makes Mr. Wonderful even that more special to his owner.

 “There is a freedom of dropping that top,” says Ralph, who lives in Florida.  He says that owning a convertible allows him to enjoy “the best of both worlds”—he can put the top down or up, depending on the weather. 

And speaking of tops—this vehicle didn’t always look as beautiful as it does now.  In fact, Ralph explains that when he first found the car, he noticed that the owner kept the top pulled down.

“The top was totally destroyed,” says Ralph.  “And the rear glass was missing.”

He adds that the price that was tacked to the vehicle was far too high for a car that needed so many repairs.  He didn’t get the car then, but by August 2000, he found the car for sale, once again, by a new owner. He purchased it, because the price was right this time.

Two years of restoration went into the Volkswagen, and the end result was absolutely… wonderful.

“Mr. Wonderful will be showing off his stuff this weekend at ‘Volkstoberfest,’ in Melbourne, Florida,” says a chuckling Ralph. 

The show will be held September 30, 2007, at  BCC / Wickham Park Pavilion, 3865 North Wickham Road, Melbourne, Florida.

Be sure to keep an eye out for this vehicle at shows throughout the Southeast, as Ralph adds that he and “all his cronies will hit up all the VW shows in Florida and will probably start going to shows in the Carolinas and Tennessee soon.”

Story by: Becky McLaughlin