Streetwalker: Immodest Karmann Ghia Shows Us its Crack
It’s time to revisit our favorite street-side car lot and check out the inventory. Today we have a 1971 Karmann Ghia that doesn’t look like all it’s cracked up to be.
This car is offered at the street price of $5,800, and with a claimed $17K invested. It’s too bad that investment didn’t include a better paint job as the car is crazy with the crazing. Aside from that, it has been auspiciously de-chromed and has had all the trim removed. This, along with the white over gray cracker barrel paint makes for a clean but boring appearance. There’s none of the small bits of flash to catch your eye, and the lack of side strakes denies the car the optical illusion of length they provide. This results in making the Ghia look stubby and without definition.
There’s no clue as to what’s going on under the hood and, as with any aircooled VW, it could be damn-near anything. The ’71 came with a 50-hp 1600-cc motor, and front disk brakes so at a minimum this will keep up with traffic, and stopping won’t as questionable as with the older drum brake cars.
If you’re interested in this Karmann Ghia, give Lou a call. Hopefully he shows less crack than his car does.
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- I would wear this badge as a mustache
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- A paint scheme designed not to elicit excitement among heart attack victims
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- Turn your garage into a crack house
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- $5,800? Gonna’ have to think about that, m’kay?
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- Back in the day, not all German interiors were mine-shaft dark
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- Skinny wheel, sparce instuments, spindly shifter, yup- it’s a VW
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- Like somebody with a bad cold, its nostrils have been plugged up
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- Good from far, but far from good
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- Dash-mounted mirrors- how come nobody does that any more?
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- Moonies and no trim rings make for a clean appearance
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- Chrome would be a better choice on the bumpers
Related posts:
"Dash-mounted mirrors- how come nobody does that any more?"
Because modern day cars have so much other crap in that area. Plus might not be that great from a safety perspective.
There is a ton of work done on that car. The rear quarter panels are missing the "bulges" over the rear wheels. And if it really is a '71, they've done a lot of work to make it look like an earlier model.
It looks like a battleship. Or at least a U-boat.
Despite the crazed paint, I kind of like it. I've always liked Karmann-Ghias, and I think this one in particular is neat. Not "I'd pay $5800" neat, but neat nonetheless. I don't like the clogged nostrils, but I don't like the ones on '71 Ghias, either– when I was six or so, my mom told me they reminded her of a mouse's whiskers, and since then every time I look at a late Ghia's nose I see it sniffing around, looking for cheese. It shouldn't be too hard to put the nostrils from a real early "low-light" Ghia in, and they'd make the car look even cooler.
Nice, but it needs a Dacon treatment to get me interested.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3375/3597517099_70…
Whoa.
What's that all about?
That's one badass Ghia. Like it a lot. What do you do with such a thing, other than make the likes of me drool? Drag race? Spin in circles while smoking? What is this beast for?
Nah, not for $5,800. For that price one could buy one that needs a few finishing touches, or for less you could buy one that needs the same amount of work. This dolphin paint job doesn't excite me at all.
http://cars-on-line.com/30273.html
Case in point, here is a '68 in red with chrome bumpers, complete with overriders. $6,500.
Hey, aren't Karmann-Ghias supposed to have quarter-windows? I just noticed that. Although the lack of them on this car does give a cool 3-window-Deuce vibe.
Duh! That didn't even occur to me, either. I guess somehow my brain just turned that factoid off. That makes it even funkier looking now that you point it out. I'd be curious to see what the eFMV™ is on that beast.
Looks like this car has been hacked and bondo to death. It looks weird with the front vents shaved off, like seeing someone without a nose.
You're saying it would have been perfect for Michael Jackson, eh?
Yes, or a mouth. Where in the heck is the grille?
<img src="http://blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/style/files/2008/11/hello-kitty-color.gif">
Mouth?
Some differences are subtle, but this little guy has been heavily hacked and not for the better. I'd like a Grosse Karmann, but not a gross Karmann.
Alf, are you the same person as 'alfisted' from some other [Redacted] website? If so, register yourself up so's you can be followed around these parts eh?
I do like the colour scheme better here than I do on Wikipedia's example of a Nissan Figaro, which I immediately thought of. As for the missing nostrils… well, I'm not sure.