Vehicle Description
1969 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupe 2+2Silver exterior with brown
vinyl interior1.5L air-cooled flat four-cylinder engineFour-speed
manual transmissionFront disc and rear drum brakesFull independent
suspension Looking for a classic VW that is not a Beetle?
MotoeXotica Classic Cars may have the answer with this 1969 Karmann
Ghia 2+2, (Model 143) a stylish alternative to the more pedestrian
Type 1. Finished in silver and made in Osnabr?ck, West Germany,
this Lowlight?s paint and trim are in very good order. The 2+2
exhibits straight and nice body, the engine bay is very tidy and
the chrome bumpers are in good, original order. This Vee-Dub rolls
on Kumho radials, size 165/80R15 at all four corners. Each one is
mounted on steel wheels topped by factory vented alloy wheel
covers. The wheels and tires are in overall very good order.In back
is a 1.5L air-cooled, flat four-cylinder engine buttoned to a
four-speed manual transmission. Driver convenience features include
front disc brakes and fully independent suspension.Inside, the
car?s seats are in very good order while the neutral carpet is in
great condition. The contrasting white headliner offers some air to
the cabin and is in overall excellent condition. The original,
two-spoke steering wheel is in place and looks great. The
instrument panel, with its woodgrain appliqu? for added warmth and
matching wood shift knob, and inner door panels are all in very
good condition, too. The horn is inoperable and part of the antenna
is missing. Completing the interior is a Pioneer AM/FM stereo with
a CD player. The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a sports car marketed
in 2+2 coupe (1955?1974) and 2+2 convertible (1957?1974) body
styles by Volkswagen. Internally designated the Type 14, the
Karmann Ghia combined the chassis and mechanicals of the Type 1
(Beetle) with styling by Italy's Carrozzeria Ghia and hand-built
bodywork by German coachbuilding house, Karmann. More than 445,000
Karmann Ghias were produced in Germany over the car's production
life, not including the Type 34 variant. Long noted for its
exterior styling, the Karmann Ghia was designed with input from
numerous individuals at Carrozzeria Ghia and was strongly
influenced by Virgil Exner's work, though all of its designers
passed without a definitive individual styling attribution.American
industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague included the Karmann Ghia
in his list of the world's most beautifully designed products.Three
companies and numerous individuals came together in the history of
the Karmann Ghia. In the early 1950s, Volkswagen was producing its
Volkswagen Beetle, and as postwar standards of living increased,
executives at Volkswagen were at least receptive adding a halo
model to its range, if not proactive. Luigi Segre was committed to
expanding the international reputation of Carrozzeria Ghia. And
Wilhelm Karmann had taken over his family coachbuilding firm
Karmann and was eager to augment his contracts building
Volkswagen's convertible models.Wilhelm Karmann and Luigi Segre
often encountered each other at international automobile shows, and
after an initial discussion prompted by Wilhelm Karmann, Segre
secretly obtained a Volkswagen Beetle to use as a basis for a
prototype ? the Type I?s were difficult to come by and Gian Paolo,
Maoro Boano?s son, purchased one in Paris and drove it back to
Turin. Ghia customized its platform, designed the initial prototype
and in five months constructed the model. Segre secretly presented
the model to Wilhelm Karmann one year after the initial discussion
? late in 1953, in Paris, at the Soci?t? France Motors factories
(Volkswagen's dealership for France and the exclusive European
dealer of Ghia-bult Chrysler models). When Wilhelm Karmann saw the
coupe, Karmann he said, ?I?d like to build that!? As the head of
Ghia, Segre singularly directed the project through conception and
prototyping, delivering a feasible project that Willhelm Karmann
both wanted to and could practically build ? the project Willhelm
Karmann would in turn present to Volkswagen.The styling of the
vehicle, however, integrated work by Segre as well as Mario Boano,
Sergio Coggiola and Giovanni Savonuzzi ? and at various times they
each took credit for the design. Furthermore, the design bore
striking styling similarities to Virgil Exner's Chrysler d?Elegance
and K-310 concepts, which Ghia had been tasked with prototyping ?
and which in turn reflected numerous cues and themes developed
previously by Mario Boano. According to Virgil Exner's son, Virgil
M. Exner Jr., Giovanni Savonuzzi was tasked with scaling down the
full-sized d?Elegance, replacing ?the Chrysler?s egg-crate grille
with a gentle, boat-like prow.? Exner Jr. is further quoted as
saying that the Karmann Ghia ?was a direct, intentional swipe off
the Chrysler d?Elegance. Givanni Savonuzzi was the engineer and
designer who downsized the d?Elegance and made the Karmann Ghia out
of it. Nobody minded it. It was wonderful.?The precise styling
responsibilities were not well-documented at the time, before the
passing of the various designers, further complicated by the
overlapping work of the key players. A definitive individual
attribution on Karmann Ghia's styling was never made.Segre and
Virgil Exner became close professionally and personally, eventually
traveling Europe together. Peter Grist wrote in his 2007 Exner
biography that when Exner in 1955 eventually saw the Karmann Ghia,
which cribbed heavily from his Chrysler d?Elegance, ?he was pleased
with the outcome and glad that one of his designs had made it into
large-scale production.? Chris Voss, a stylist in Exner's office,
reported in 1993, that Exner considered the Karmann Ghia the
ultimate form of flattery. Segre in turn sent Exner the first
production Karmann Ghia imported into the state of Michigan, in
gratitude.After Volkswagen approved the design in November 1953,
the Karmann Ghia debuted (at the 1955 Paris and Frankfurt auto
shows and at the Kasino Hotel in Westfalia, Germany, on July 14,
1955) and went into production, first at Ghia and then in Osnabr?ck
? ultimately to reach a production over 445,000, running 19 years
virtually unchanged.Competition to this Lowlight in 1969 included
Chevrolet?s Corvair, and new-for?70 Vega, Ford?s Maverick, Nissan?s
new-for-1970 240Z and Opel?s GT. Tipping the scale at just over
1,850 pounds, this wee German gem is primed to fling around corners
while putting a smile on your face as you snick through the gears,
so come by MotoeXotica Classic Cars today to check it out for
yourself.VIN: 149575989This car is currently located at our
facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer
shows 27,827 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and
clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!Note: Please see
full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to the purchase
of any said vehicle, thank you.
