FOR SALE: 1970 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible (Type 14)

Still regarded by many as the most beautiful Volkswagen ever made, this particular example is fully restored and arguably one of the best examples in the country.

FAST FACTS:

Year and make/Model: 1970 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible (Type 14)

Engine: 1.6L petrol

Transmission: Manual

Mileage: n/a (restored)

Colour: Red

Location: Johannesburg

PRICE: SOLD

Though based on the humble Volkswagen Type 1 (Beetle), the Karmann Ghia was for nearly two decades the German marque's flagship model. The curvaceous Karmann Ghia made its debut in coupe form in 1955, with the convertible variant following in 1957. Both the coupe and convertible remained in production (with some minor updates with time) until the mid '70s.

That is a staggeringly long production run, considering it all started with a one-off coupe prototype privately bodied by Italian coachbuilder Carozzeria Ghia of Turin and exhibited to the VW top brass at the Karmann works in Osnabrück in 1953. Following an undoubtedly rapturous response, VW boss Heinz Nordhoff approved the model for production and the rest is history. 

Karmann Ghia's were largely hand-built. Fitted with engines from the VW plant in Hannover, trans axles from the VW plant in Kassel, rear axles and frames from the VW plant in Wolfsburg and front axles from the VW plant in Brunswick, the Coupes and Convertibles were assembled by a team of 185 employees, with 240 Karmann inspectors and 16 inspectors from Volkswagen ensuring quality.

To preserve the metal and to ensure a quality3 finish, the bare Coupe and Convertible bodies were sprayed with zinc phosphate anti-corrosion paint before being completely dipped in paint to cover every surface, inside and out. Undercoat sealed the car's pan before a hand-sprayed third coat of paint was applied; finishing were a color-base primer coat and an enamel color topcoat. These layers were baked four times and hand-sanded three times. Tops for Convertibles were padded by hand (with 1.5 inches of rubber and horsehair), hand fitted and hand stitched, and it took two men four hours to make one!

This example

This red beauty has been subject of a complete restoration. The vehicle retains its original 1600cc motor which has been completely refurbished - excellent heater boxes and exhaust all-original and completely sorted. The interior, seats, side panels, carpets and dash liner have been redone in the original period styling. The body has been refurbished in the proper colour together with all new body seals. The under carriage has been cleaned and coated with bed liner to ensure protection for many years to come. The roof is brand new and comes with a full set of instructions and cover.  

 

Convertible Karmann Ghias are extremely rare in South Africa especially in the condition of this example. It is widely believed that there are no more than 20 examples floating around in collections in South Africa and that this example must be one of the five best of its type in SA.  

NOTE: The above information was supplied by the dealer currently advertising this vehicle and has not been verified by SentiMETAL/Cars.co.za.

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