Vehicle Description
1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
The Karmann-Ghia started off as a show car Virgil Exner designed
for Chrysler, called the D'Elegance. Chrysler and the Italian coach
builder and design house Ghia had a partnership in the 1950s, the
result of which was a number of collaborative show and concept
cars. One of these, designed in 1952 by Exner and built by Ghia,
was known as the D'Elegance. Then came Volkswagen. VW had been
mildly interested in a sportier version, of the Beetle, but hadn't
been impressed with the ideas their longtime convertible-building
partner, Karmann, had come up with. So, Karmann reached out to Ghia
to see if they had any great ideas, and Ghia looked over to the
corner of their workshop and saw the forlorn D'Elegance and said
"Well, now that you mention it..."And the rest" as they say is
history!
For consignment the beneficiary of a total body restoration in the
early 1990's, and still retaining its Italian design spit shine, a
1971 Karmann Ghia. This sports car version from Volkswagen comes to
our halls all buttoned up and running like a new car. It looks the
part as well bathed in Lemon Yellow, and a very nice interior. VW
at its best with the sports car genre ready for the taking, just
fall in love, pay the price and turn the key...auf wiederschen!
Exterior
The closest thing you can get to a Porsche 356, and actually
handmade due to the body being made of entirely one piece. Yes,
save for the doors, all panels were shaped then welded together
then hand sanded down to the shape you see. This one is painted in
Lemon Yellow, and the door gaps are straight, however the remainder
of the car is just smooth curves. Nice chromed accenting with the
bumpers, badging, small grille openings, and a dual lower trim
strip, are all mirror like finished. Black surrounds for the
windows and glass is excellent and all clear. Steel drilled wheels
are all around and are topped with VW badged moon caps. Schnell!
Schnell!
Interior
The interior is just beautiful with a touch of customization to add
to the mystique. This in the form of a gray carpet matching covered
custom fabricated shift cover, storage, and cupholder box that fits
nicely over the hump, and meanders under the curved wood veneered
walnut dash above. Speaking of the dash, the walnut dash front is
just perfect, as are all the inserts gauges, knobs and lights. A
small black padded dash top is seen above, and is also very nice,
no cracks or fading. Fronting this beautiful dash is a wood rimmed
steering wheel with the Wolfsberg castle emblem in the center.
Black vinyl seats are in buckets upfront, and a bench in the rear.
These float in pristine gray carpet, and are framed by nice black
vinyl covered simplistic door panels and rear side panels. A tight
perforated vinyl headliner is seen above and is near
perfection.
Drivetrain
As with any VW you need to pop the boot to see the power plant, so
we did! Here we were met with a very well-done restoration on the
4-cylinder air cooled engine. No corrosion or rust, not even much
dust back here just clean all working with each other parts. A
1-barrel Solex carburetor is feeding the 4 cylinders, and power
goes to a 3-speed AutoStick transmission (this is a vacuum operated
automatic clutch). A 3.76 rear axle ratio is noted for this
drivetrain.
Undercarriage
Still well intact with no rust is the unibody frame which uses the
floorpans and central panel along with some steel tubing as the
structure, and it is all solid. No rust just nicely painted black
steel. Some of the underbody is seen and is painted yellow like the
top side. Various under the engine parts are polished and oil free,
looking much like new. Independent coil springs for the front, and
independent rear suspension provides the ride and handling. Disc
brakes are upfront, and drums are installed on the rear. Exhaust
system is short but sweet in condition.
Drive-Ability
TV ads of the day shows a Ghia speeding down beach stating the VW
Karmann "This is the most economical sports car you can buy", then
in the end it tries to break through a paper barrier and fails,
with the announcer saying "it's just not the most powerful" After a
quick start, this proved to be true, although it has snappy
acceleration for its size, shifts beautifully, and cruises fairly
quietly. A low to the ground sports car feel is exhilarating and
provides a positive experience overall. All is working for the
controls.
A great example with a fine earlier restoration still holding up
just beautifully. Shiny yellow paint, clean and well-functioning
mechanicals, and a slightly customized, clean interior, a great
example from 1971. Just ge�m�t�lich�keit as they used to say!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.