The Volkswagen Beetle is one in all my favourite vehicles. It presents superb construct high quality, an fascinating and enjoyable historical past, and are straightforward for a DIY proprietor to service. As well as, they’re one of many few classics that can be utilized as day by day drivers. Keep in mind that the automobile is a late-Nineteen Thirties design with the earliest vehicles produced within the early-Nineteen Forties after which constructed till to 2003. The truth that the mannequin lasted this lengthy is a testomony to only how nice a design the Beetle was.

Sadly, the Beetle isn’t lovely. Throughout its heyday, an advert for the Beetle confirmed an image of the Beetle with the headline “Ugly is simply pores and skin deep.”

Volkswagen did create a putting automobile primarily based on the Beetle however outsourced the aesthetics to Ghia. The automotive world benefited from the collaboration and the Karmann Ghia was born.

The Karmann Ghia will not be a sports activities automobile however extra of a touring automobile. It has sports activities automobile appears to be like however the energy is fundamental Beetle, however this shortcoming may be remedied by putting in a better output engine and some different upgrades. The Karmann Ghia responds properly to efficiency upgrades and with some work it may possibly maintain its personal in opposition to the Porsche 356s and MGs from the identical period.

The Choose of the Day is one in all these fantastic vehicles; a 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia painted in my most popular shade of Saturn Yellow over a brown and gray inside. Extra about that inside later. (Click on the hyperlink to view the itemizing)

The most important enemy of the Karmann Ghia is rust and this automobile appears to be like to be in wonderful form with no critical points with the tin worm. The Denver, Colorado supplier providing this automobile on ClassicCars.com describes it as having just a few chips within the paint however in any other case cosmetically wonderful. The itemizing features a pre-purchase inspection of the automobile documented within the picture gallery and the Ghia appears to be like stable. The pictures present a automobile that seems to me to be a robust #3 situation driver-level Ghia.

The vendor advises that this Ghia has a numbers-matching 1600cc engine and was owned for 40 years by its final proprietor. It additional states that the Karmann Ghia had a latest paintjob and retains the unique trim and glass. New tires and shocks have been put in, the shift linkage was rebuilt, and a latest tune up was performed.

Total, this appears to be like like a pleasant instance of a enjoyable Volkswagen. The one factor I hate is the two-tone inside. These vehicles weren’t constructed this manner and I’d have the seats recovered within the right brown to match the door playing cards and after that minor change I’d gladly drive this automobile in every single place.

The asking worth for this Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a market right $22,900 and I’ll fortunately welcome it below my very own Christmas tree if anybody feels so inclined. I promise I’ve been good this yr.

To view this itemizing on ClassicCars.com, see Choose of the Day.