Carmen Miranda’s Karmann Ghia for $9,300!

Okay, it's not really Carmen's, but Nice Price or Crack Pipe is still trying to figure out what a Flamenco dancer has to do with this drop top Vee-dub. More »

DOTS Karmann Ghia Type 34: 6000 Bucks?

Remember the über-rare Type 34 we saw down on the Alameda street about a year ago? It's for sale! More »

Coachbuilder Karmann Closes Doors After 108 Years

The Carpocalypse takes another as coachbuilder and contract car manufacturer Karmann has closed its doors after 108 years of existence, a Mercedes-Benz CLK the final vehicle to roll off the bankrupt companies assembly lines. [StraitsTimes]

1965 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupe

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. We're returning to a block that's given us three vehicles already.
More »

PCH, German Ass-Bondo Edition: 1956 190SL or 4x4 Karmann Ghia?

We had a few complaints that yesterday's Choose Your Eternity challenge wasn't quite hellish enough (although we're pretty sure the buyers of those two Japanese AWD turbomobiles are going to be shaking their fists at cruel Fate pretty soon). But we aim to please, so now we're coming back with a pair of positively punitive projects for your perusal. Thanks (and a Project Car Hell Tipster T-shirt) to Mink66 for the tip! More »

Karmann Ghia: Now Evelyn Will Get Some Action!

Is that damn back seat in your car preventing you from getting alone with that special someone? Apparently, VW considered the two-seatness of the Karmann Ghia a big selling point- no room for Mom! But why not just get a Nova and replace the back seat with a 55-gallon reserve fuel tank?

1970 Puma GT

Our commenter friend WhatWouldJesseDo lives just a few blocks from me, so I see his stable of Jalopnik-approved machinery on a regular basis. First we saw his '66 Datsun 411, followed by the '61 Mini, and now he's got the 1970 Puma GT you see here. More »

Truth In Advertising: Karmann Ghia

You know those ads that show cars blasting through walls, windows, etc? Volkswagen went for a new approach to that concept with this ad. Sure, the Karmann Ghia isn't fast! We ain't gonna lie to you, buddy... but it'll last forever and gets great mileage! – Murilee Martin More »

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

Today's Down On The Alameda Street car is a clean VW Karmann Ghia convertible. I'm not enough of a KG expert to nail down the exact year on this one, but the taillight size seems to indicate early 1970s. More »

Karmann Ghia Engine Mystery Solved, Kinda

Yesterday we told that the engine from the Karmann Ghia Type III we're sorta helping to rebuild had to be yanked out because of a bad noise. Well, we just got the word from nous bon ami Scott and here is the why. If you remember way back to the beginning of this set of posts, you will recall that one of the pistons was bad. So, Scott replaced it. Turns out that the new-old stock part is – wait for it – 1/6000th of an inch taller than it should be. So, it was whacking against the head, forcing the exhaust valve to open. Which is why the noise sounded like an exhaust leak. Bad news: Scott needs four new pistons. Good news: pistons are cheap. Better news: new engines are pretty cheap, too, and lots of much more powerful mills will bolt right in. And yes, we are going to suggest an engine from a STI. – Jonny Lieberman More »

NOOOOOO!!! Karmann Ghia 1500 Back In Pieces

Dang nab it. Last week we reported on our preliminary road test of crony Scott's Type III. In that report we, uh – reported – that the engine was making some funny noises. Scott figured these stemmed from an exhaust leak. Well guess what? Bad motivator on exhaust valve number two. And with only 15 miles between teardowns, too. Sigh... Scott, however, is claiming that she'll be ship shape and back on the road within a week or two. We'll let you know. And it looks like that motorcycle jack really is useful if you want to haul a long block around. – Jonny Lieberman More »

It Lives! Preliminary Road Test Of The Rebuilt Karmann Ghia Type III

Oh happy day! Nearly 11 months since we first became involved in the rebuild, our pal Scott's 1962 Volkswagen 1500 left the garage. Actually, it was motoring about the day before we showed up to snap picks and drive it. Only we were out of town. Still, and you will agree if have rebuilt a car, that first drive is wedding night bliss after a long, difficult and oftentimes sweaty courtship. And I only did about 0.02% of the work. Still, I knew going in that even if the brakes failed on the way down the hill and we T-boned a Volvo, it would be awesome. And we didn't hit any Volvos. More »

Engine On: Karmann Ghia 1500 Rebuild Update

For those of you following our pal Scott's Type III rebuild odyssey, you will be stoked to hear that the engine is running. I was over at his place drinking some really fine beers (Duvel and Allagash Victoria) on Saturday and listening to a weird mechanical hum. Turns out it the noise is from the generator, and Scott has a new one on order. We didn't take it for a spin because A) we were drinking and B) after more than five years of just sitting there, Scott wants to bleed the brakes. And seeing as how he lives at the top of a hill, is a good idea. But don't despair, as a full test drive will be taking place in the upcoming weeks. Anyhow, the engine sounds loud and air cooled and is running strong. All 50 some odd horses of it. Want to hear for yourself? Then jump. – Jonny Lieberman More »

Engine In: Karmann Ghia 1500 Rebuild Update

It has only taken a smidge over eight months since we dropped it, but this past Sunday I helped buddy Scott nearly-literally shoehorn the beautifully rebuilt 1500cc wind-chilled motivator back into his project Type III. Scott has a much more knowledgeable write up of the day's proceedings over on his impressively researched VW 1500 restoration blog. But I will say this: I hate the clutch return spring on all Type III Karmann Ghias. I thought the Germans were supposed to be such great design wunderkinds? Turns out they're French. Anyhow, now that the engine is back home, Scott is just waiting on a six-volt battery, some last minute futzing (oil leaks) and my sister to get married before Jalopnik gets a test drive. The plan is to point the car up hill, in case the brakes don't work. Make the jump to see a photo of the idiotic part that took longer to install than the actual engine. More »

VW < VW 1500

While close acquaintance Scott contemplates seppuku, we watch with joy as the headless Type III dusts a hopped up Bug in the quarter-mile. Or the 4/10ths of a kilometer as it were. Make the jump for even more pics of the orange-striped hotness! [All our tips are belong to Vega] – Jonny Lieberman More »

Forget Schadenfriday: Modded VW 1500 Rules the Divine!!

First of all, YES!!!! Second, just yesterday we were listening to comrade Scott kvetch about not wanting to paint his Type III black. How about black with a white roof we said. Yes, that's a factory option Scott replied, but he'd look like the fuzz. After we ran through all the OEM colors and Scott explained how red is the ultimate midlife crisis color for a Type III (which we still don't get), we suggested that since the car has such a unique front end a two-tone paint scheme is the way to go. Scott glared as if we just denied Volkswagen helped out with the Holocaust. Well, eat this Scott! Orange skunk stripes on a pewter body. Though gray is probably a factory color. And the orange Le Mans-ish lines most likely came free with a Hazet or something. Either way, we're sure Scott is thumbing his eyes out. Go ahead and jump for a few more pics. [Vega is the tipmeister] More »

A Little More Jalopnik Late-Nite: Vintage Veith-Pirelli Ad

After doing the post about the greatest motorcycle movie ever made and screaming mea culpa about following Davey over to Coop's place for some seriously sloppy seconds, we actually went ahead and peaked at Buddy Scott's VW+VW1500 restoration blog where we discovered this gem. Forerunner to the Pirelli Calendar? Absolutely. 1965 1500S Karmann-Ghia? Oh my, yes. – Jonny Lieberman More »

Magnesium und Shteel und Sans-Serif: 1961 Volkswagen 1500 Ad Campaign

Buddy Scott has been blogging up a storm over on what was supposed to be a restoration chronicle of his Type III but instead has turned into (probably) the most complete site on teh interwebs for all things VW 1500. So be it. We find this particular entry fascinating cause we dig old car ads so much. Essentially, and paraphrasing Scott, VeeDub needed to emphasize that unlike how the BMW 700 completely replaced the bubbly 600/Isetta, the new 1500 was in fact a sibling to the Bug. To hit people over the head with this duality, the car of the people came up with the Swiss Modern style "Volkswagen + VW 1500" advertisements. Which, as happenstance would have it, is where Scott got the name for his blog. Click the link for some interesting reading and really cool old-timey photos. – Jonny Lieberman More »

What in the Gasgacinch? 1962 VW 1500 Karmann-Ghia Restoration Blog in Full Effect

Buddy Scott is making slow but steady progress on the rebuild of his totally rare Type III. So much progress in fact he had to start a blog. And while the vehicle in question may be lacking the ALUMINUM UND SHTEEL! found in modern Deutsche-coupes, Scott's blog is indeed highly precise. How highly precise? More »

Hazet Going? Super-Rare VW Toolkit

Due to a fourth-quarter cracked piston discovered by the machinist who was repairing the engine, this is not the second installment of our buddy Scott's Karmann Ghia rebuild. However, for petrolheads in general and Porsche/VW fetishists in particular, this may very well be more interesting. Starting in about 1950, German toolmaker Hazet, who for decades has built custom tools for the likes of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, began producing little round, plastic toolkits for Porsche 356s and VWs. Why round? Easy storage in the center of the car's spare tire. We love that. More »

Porsche-Powered Karmann Ghia: Yes, You Can Have One

Jochen Bader is a total Bad-ass. Long a proponent of juicing up classic cars with modern powerplants and seeing what'll happen, he (and his team at Bader Racing) took a GT3-spec Porsche 3.6-liter mill from a 993-era 911 and slipped it into a Karmann Ghia. By "slipped" we of course mean "engineered to within an inch of its life." The result is a 186mph screamer that still pretty much looks like it has something like 60 horses under the hood. The ultimate sleeper can be yours for around $260,000, if you've got 18 months to wait. [Thanks to Zachary for the tip.] More »