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It seems these days the blueprint to own a classic car in good condition is to go to a big-headline auction and pay ever-increasing amounts to get the best and most unique example of a particularly popular run of car possible. Look at the 911 and E30 M3, though they’re not alone; the frenzy over prices has created its own “Hemi” moment as prices double on a year over year basis. Where does that leave enthusiasts? With plenty of options, thank you very much. If you want a classic Porsche like the 356 or early 911s but just can’t stomach the incredible bills associated with those cars, why not consider the early Karmann Ghia? Seriously, to someone who was uninitiated, if you took the badges off of each and swapped them around, it would be easy to believe that the 356 was a Volkswagen product and the Karmann Ghia was the Porsche – its sleek lines look, if anything, more sporty than the 356. Classicly styled, long and low and with that trademark flat-four soundtrack that drove several generations, the Karmann Ghia is one of the few classic German cars that is still quite affordable but will make you feel like a million dollars wherever you pull up – especially when presented in the condition of today’s 1956 example:
After touring around Portugal for the past week and seeing a few of the newer Volkswagen Sciroccos on the street, it had me thinking a lot about the first and second generation of Sciroccos and what made them popular stateside. Introduced as a replacement for the Karmann Ghia in the early 1970s, this fastback wore smart, chiseled bodywork penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Based on the recently introduced Mk1 Golf architecture, this car adhered to the old formula of taking a rather ordinary car and making it look extraordinary. Early Mk1 Sciroccos are getting hard to come across in good nick, but this 1980 Scirocco S for sale in Florida is a good baseline for someone looking for a mild restoration project.
It is interesting how classic automotive values evolve and change; take, for example, today’s 1968 Karmann Ghia Type 34. Originally launched as a celebration of the new Type 3 and sporting arguably some of the best looking bodywork ever fit to a Volkswagen, the Type 34 was expensive even by Volkswagen standards in its day; for the asking price, for example, you could buy two Beetles. In some regards, that makes it the Phaeton of its day, and similar to the Phaeton, it has a small and devoted crowd that love these cars. Despite that, values on the Type 34 are below some of the top values for the “lesser” contemporary Volkswagens – notably the Sambas, though good examples do really shine through. Today’s is one of the best; finished in original Lotus White with black roof, this all-original Type 34 is simply stunning:
A few weeks back, I wrote up a restored Scirocco 16V. With a lot of work completed, I guessed that the reserve was set high at around $10,000 considering some of the better Sciroccos we had seen and what they brought. Well, I was wrong; that car is back up for sale with a “Buy It Now” set below the high bid when I wrote the article at $5,000. Does that mean the world isn’t ready for $10,000 Sciroccos? Well, this seller apparently thinks we’re very close:
The Volkswagen market is fairly fickle these days. Some low mile, original cars go for big bucks; other times, its unlikely modified cars that draw the money. But it seems in general that the 16V Scirocco and original GTi are the two shining stars right now for 1980s Volkswagens. What do you get when you put them together and chop the top off? A 16V Cabriolet, of course! Granted, this isn’t how this car was delivered from the factory, but if you’re looking for the best of three world, perhaps you can enjoy this Cabby modified in the style of OEM:
