1973 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

James Davis September 3, 2022

The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a sports car marketed in 2+2 coupe (1955–1974) and 2+2 convertible (1957–1974) body styles by Volkswagen. Internally designated the Type 14, the Karmann Ghia combined the chassis and mechanicals of the Type 1 (Beetle) with styling by Italy’s Carrozzeria Ghia and hand-built bodywork by German coachbuilding house Karmann.

With an increase in post-war standards of living, executives at Volkswagen proposed adding a halo car to its model range, contracting with German coachbuilder Karmann for its manufacture, Karmann in turn contracted the Italian firm Ghia, who adapted styling themes to the Beetle floor plan. In contrast to the Beetle’s machine welded-body with bolt-on fenders, the Karmann Ghia’s body panels were butt-welded, hand-shaped and smoothed with English pewter in a time-consuming process commensurate with higher-end manufactures – and resulting in the Karmann Ghia’s higher price.

More than 445,000 Karmann Ghias were produced in Germany over the car’s production life, not including the Type 34 variant. Karmann Ghia Brazil produced 41,600 Type 34’s for South America between 1962 and 1975.

This 1973 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia coupe is finished in blue over a black cloth and vinyl interior and is powered by a replacement flat-four that is said to have been rebuilt to displace 1,776cc. Additional equipment includes a four-speed manual transaxle, twin Dellorto carburetors, 15″ ventilated steel wheels, Honda-sourced bucket seats, a VDO tachometer, and a Sony cassette player.

A four-spoke steering wheel frames a green-letter VDO tachometer and an analog clock with an inset fuel gauge. It looks, runs and drives absolutley amazing. The paint is outstanding and the interior is pristine.