Welcome to Found Around Town, where we feature cars we find in a city largely devoid of interesting ones because everyone drives Priuses or rides bicycles: Austin, Texas.
While "Keep Austin Weird" t-shirts are always in demand for tourists, this city isn't nearly as strange as it used to be. It's still a haven for the unusual in its own way, but the hippie population has been gradually replaced with Dell millionaires, condo dwellers, marathon runners and garden-variety skinny jeans enthusiasts.
Every now and then, I find automotive reminders of Austin's groovy past. Take this 1965 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia I found on South Congress Avenue the other day. The first thing that caught my eye was that great teal paint - how many cars are that color today? It's a little faded and chipped in some places, but it still looks sharp. Love the chrome bumpers and hubcaps too.
Essentially a Beetle with a bespoke body, VW made the rear-engine Karmann Ghia from 1955 to 1974. It probably looked dated when it was phased out in the 70s, but it has aged rather well. Hopefully this model is someone's upcoming restoration project. Thanks to its Beetle insides, that thing could probably run forever with he right amount of care.