Tangerine Convertible, Freshly Overhauled Engine, New Interior, Very Collectible on 2040-cars

Timeless, Legendary Design

It’s almost astonishing how many recipients of global, timeless design awards like the Karmann Ghia were originally penned by Italian designers.  In this case, Luigi Segre is given credit for the design concept that rocked the automotive industry in the 1953 Paris Auto Show.  Must be something in the coffee they drink – or maybe it’s the wine!

The "Type 14" Ghia was given special attention in the manufacturing process befitting its more sophisticated styling and resulting in a justifiably higher price tag.  Unlike the Beetle’s machine welded body and bolt on fenders, the Karmann Ghia body panels were butt welded, hand shaped and smoothed with English pewter -- a time consuming and expensive process, but one that assured faithfulness to design details and styling.

German Engineering

This is a stout little roadster.  Contemporary roadsters tend to be a bit more fragile feeling.  It’s not a drag car, but it pulls very willingly and offers a solid, secure driving feeling.  This seems to be where legendary German engineering comes into play.  The Ghia is chalk full of clever design and engineering feats.  Take a close look at the photos in the following link –

https://www.flickr.com/photos/105315473@N02/

You will find items like -- the rear hood latch cable pull (neatly tucked just behind driver’s seat on kick panel pillar), the front trunk release lever (cleverly concealed in the glove box), a glass rear window equipped with defrost lines or the legendary window washer pressure system in which the spare tire is used as an air source (see hose in photo).  The zipper in the passenger seat is a mystery – I’m open to suggestion – Colorado road trip courtesy pouch?

Fresh Overhaul

This vehicle is equipped with the 1600cc dual port engine of yore.  It is a very nice setup for the car and really does push it along nicely.  The previous owner had a brand new carburetor installed along with quite a few other things items all within the last year (and less than 500 miles).

My mechanic was quite impressed with the condition of the engine.   He pulled the motor and stripped it down to the “cans” less than 100 miles ago just to make sure.  All parts were checked on a micrometer and were well within spec.  While the engine was out, all new seals and gaskets were installed including the main rear seal.  You should be able to drive this to Alaska if you choose.  Certainly seems like it would be very much at home making a long coastal trip – top down, smelling the roses.

Interior Updates & Notes

You will notice in the photos that a brand new set of carpets and seat covers.  By 1974, they did not allow the Karmann Ghia into the U.S. with a rear seat.  In fact, this may be the very last year they had that funky little rear seat.  It actually makes for a pretty handy storage area when folded down.

The passenger seat was in very good overall condition so, it stayed intact.  The seat cover it wears was most likely updated in the 90’s and is holding up well (one with the zipper).  The matching seat cover comes with the car (see photos for details) should you like to make the set match more closely.  BTW, the seat belts are not yet installed.  There are options in this regard and I felt the new owner may prefer to weigh in on how those details are sorted.  Brand new front seat belts and the hardware to install them come with the car (see photo of parts). 

The convertible top is in very good overall condition.  The headliner is not perfect, but presentable.  The boot is also in good shape, but shows some signs of wear.  I tried to capture this in the photo of the button.  The vinyl separated at the button on a couple of places.  It secures just fine though and is nice to use, particularly if you plan to have the top down most of the time.

Exterior and Paint

The Tangerine orange color is bright and cheerful – a nice fit for the car.  It was repainted about 10 years ago.  It was not done to a show quality level, but the job was thorough and it present well today.  There are some signs of overspray on the metal badges, etc.  I’ve captured these in photos.  This is also a sign of a thorough job.  I see some signs of a slightly different shade of orange in the driver’s door jam.  The previous owner thought the car had always been orange, but was not sure.

There are some chips and minor cracks in places.  I took a photo of the front VW badge.  If you look closely, you’ll see a chip repair where the hood meets the body panel.  The trunk lever release in these cars was riveted to a cardboard glove box insert at the factory.  Over time, the cardboard would wear out and the lever would give way.  A frantic effort to open the “trunk” with a pry of some kind was the likely culprit of the chip.  The lever issue has been sorted out (see photo of glove box) with a brand new glove box liner.

An observant eye will notice the chrome trim piece is missing from the front windshield seal.  The old trim piece came loose because the old rubber seal had dried out.  I got a brand new seal and trim “lock” piece, but the chrome trim piece is not yet installed.  I’ve come to find out, that it is better to install the trim piece into the seal while the window is out of the vehicle.   You then, set the windshield back in place and use the old string method to stretch the inner seal over the lip of the window opening (on the inside of car).  Check locally, but re-installing the windshield shouldn’t be more than about $150-200.  The radio has not been wired up for quite some time.  My feeling is that the new owner will likely want to go through the wiring thoroughly.  Over time a few things have obviously been switched.  It may not cause any issues, but there are a few loose ends.  These items factor into the reserve price.

Bidding Q&A

Out of respect for the bidding process, I plan to keep the reserve price private.  It is set a very reasonable level.  It will likely be surpassed long before the end of the auction.  Simply bid what you are comfortable spending on this classic.  I hope the photos and descriptions do a good job of capturing the vehicle condition and details.  Please don’t hesitate to call or text me for questions and follow-up.  My cell phone number is (816) 786-7534. 

Drive and Enjoy

I certainly hope this car gets to see a few more scenic routes.  Classic European imports are doing very well in collector circles and German ones are at the front of the pack.  It is in very respectable driver condition and in my opinion is nearly begging to get out on the road.   Shipping is the responsibility of the buyer, but I will certainly help out any way I can.  It shouldn’t be hard to load!