Vehicle Description
What if we told you that you could have an Italian styled, German
built sports coupe for under 15 grand? It's not a joke or a stunt;
this handsome black 1972 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia is an awful lot of
car for Hyundai money! These cars aren't getting any cheaper, and
with a lot of potential this is a simple, good looking car that's
ready to enjoy or upgrade. Read on!
Volkswagen intended for the Karmann-Ghia to move them into a more
upscale market than the Beetle ever could, and they contracted
famed coachbuilder Karmann to build them a car based on a widened
Beetle floor pan. Karmann in turn contracted Italian design studio
Ghia to pen the design. Ghia is a full service design house that's
no stranger to cars; they designed everything from custom Alfas to
the Chrysler turbine cars. These cars are perhaps their most famous
work, and this car's a fitting example. The basic black exterior
was repainted perhaps 20 years ago, but it's led a pretty good life
since then. It's not perfect, of course, but it's presentable and
looks good rolling down the street. Karmann-Ghias got a slight
makeover for 1970, with new wraparound front and rear turn signal
lights, so it's a bit more modern looking than the early cars. Most
of the detail parts are in excellent shape, and while the
taillights larger than the previous year car's pieces, they did
eliminate the horrible round side marker lights that marred the
fenders and quarters. The simple bumpers accentuate the no-frills
design and tie in nicely with the side trim.
The car was restored in 1997, so the look inside was pretty popular
at the time. Those cloth seat covers, matching door panels, and
black carpets all have a more inviting look than the original vinyl
upholstery and the gray fabric keeps it bright inside. With the
extra width over a Beetle the Karmann-Ghia has a far more airy
feeling, and it's well-appointed for touring. The extra-large
steering wheel makes the car's relaxed purpose clear; the
Karmann-Ghia is a boulevard cruiser and not a hardcore sports car,
although it doesn't mind hustling now and then. Remarkably, the
original AM radio is still in the middle of the dash, and as a VW,
that's about the only concession to modernity that it has. There's
still plenty of space in the forward-mounted trunk, which is just a
mat away from looking right.
Under the engine lid is a familiar air-cooled 1600CC flat four that
was rebuilt when the rest of the car was restored in the late '90s.
If you wanted a great reason to want a later car over an earlier
one, it's in here. With less than 10,000 miles on the rebuilt, it
has a fresh tune-up and runs great, and even in stock spec, it's
lively and fun to drive. Now, some perspective has to be used here,
as the Karmann-Ghia only weighs 1800 pounds, which gives a '72
model about the same power-to-weight ratio as a new Jetta. You're
not going to win many stoplight grands prix but the car scoots
along at highway speeds just fine. Disc brakes are part of the
Karmann Ghia's many virtues, and it looks like the calipers are
recent. The floors are extremely tidy and there's a throaty exhaust
out back that adds to the fun factor. Custom 15-inch wheels are
blacked out to match the bodywork and wear fat Cooper radials that
are a couple steps wider than normal.
Karmann-Ghias are cool cars, and clean ones like this don't roll by
every day. Call today and take it home!