FOR SALE: 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible (Type 14)

Still regarded by many as the most beautiful Volkswagen ever made, this particular example of the iconic Karmann Ghia Convertible (Type 14) is in excellent condition all-round.

FAST FACTS:

Year and make/Model: 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible (Type 14)

Engine: 1.5L petrol

Transmission: 4-speed Manual

Mileage: 75 615km

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 quality 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 matching numbers, red beauty shows an indicated 75 615km on the odo. Its red exterior has been professionally resprayed, while the interior is said to be in completely original condition.

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.  

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