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Tag: Type 14

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1958 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

As much as all of us would love to be Jerry Seinfeld, causally trading the most historic air-cooled Porsches on a whim, the reality is that we’re not. But, as ever, I offer a potential solution. The Karmann Ghia gave you Porsche looks on a Beetle budget. Shortly after the Beetle’s arrival in America, VW’s new sport coupe arrived for the 1956 model year. Like the later Scirocco also built by Karmann in Osnabrück, Volkswagen based its model on the normal production line Beetle but the swoopy body came from the Italians – technically, borrowed from a Chrysler, actually. Those lines were notoriously complicated; outside of items that open, the body is one piece and constructed entirely by hand. The rear-engine, rear-drive 1.2 liter flat-4 air-cooled clatter wouldn’t get you anywhere as fast as the looks suggest, but then why are you in such a hurry?

About 400,000 were produced in total and they’re not impossible to find today. They’re also more affordable than really top-tier Beetles and early VW Vans, but more significantly you really do get exotic looks on a shoestring budget still. While getting into a fully sorted ’58 356A will set you back around $130,000 – $150,000, you can get into a beautiful early example of the Ghia fully restored for only a fraction of that price:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1958 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia on eBay

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1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

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Several Karmann Ghias are still kicking around my area in various states of care. One looks like it’s been daily driven since the early 70s, missing a few pieces of trim but still perfectly functional with no noticeable rust. One is almost entirely patina, like a rat rod but not trying so hard. The last is the rarest to see but still out there, perfectly clean, curvaceous, and complete.

Today’s beautiful Castilian Yellow example is on the latter end of the spectrum thanks to covering just under 50k miles in 47 years. The tan and chrome suit these cars well, and it’s hard to believe that the original paint can shine like this. The interior similarly looks perfectly vintage but hardly used. The wooden luggage rack is a cute look, but not for everyone. Ghias are beautiful and desirable cars, headturners for even the uninitiated and easy to maintain and modify thanks to their Beetle roots. If you’re collecting with an eye on resale value, a low-mileage original is the way to go.

Click for details: 1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia on Hemmings Classifieds

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1958 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible

The car enthusiast community is a pretty fickle bunch; take a fairly slow, swoopy 1958 convertible with classic lines, just the right amount of chrome and enough charisma to make you smile. Put a Mercedes-Benz star on it and call it a 190SL, and it’s a $150,000 – $200,000 car with a well-heeled following; put a Volkswagen badge on it and it’s a $20,000 – $40,000 car with a cult following. But appreciation for the Karmann Ghia is growing, and these early “low light” early models are the most desirable. With a clean restoration and the right classic color combination, I’m left wondering why anyone would choose a 190SL over this:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1958 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible on eBay

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1956 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

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:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1956 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia on eBay

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