1974 volkswagen karmann ghia

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1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

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MushyHeirloom
11/18/08

In reply to 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
If I can figure out a Beetle to within two years using only front and rear shots of it (and assuming it isn't a junkyard build), I reckon one could figure out the exact year of this Ghia.

Who cares, though? It's a set of earlier bumpers away from being a perfectly-proportioned, if underpowered, little runabout. I like it.
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wkiernan
11/18/08

In reply to 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Both cars got the 46-horsepower 1600 engine. Yes, US emission-control regulations were tough on the air-cooled VW.

The pre-'66 VWs with the 1200 cc engine having zero emission controls only put out 40 HP, so 46 HP with emission controls isn't all that bad.
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HurtsSoGood
11/18/08

@wkiernan: THIS. People tend to forget that ALL air-cooled V-Dubs were like this. They got around the performance issues with those 17-inch skinny rims that made finding tires a pain in the butt. Also note that the old V-Dubs didn't have power steering or power brakes, either. A handful had little stickers in the window indicating that they had air conditioning, but I never actually sat in one, so I have no idea how well that worked.

The original VW was a 1930s-era car that was state-of-the-art for its time mainly because Hitler poured beaucoup reichmarks into its development, and had one of the world's greatest engineers working on it. If anyone could squeeze reasonable performance from a teeny tiny little engine, it was Ferdinand Porsche.
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Deartháir II
11/18/08

In reply to 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Murilee, if you stumble across a particularly cherry Ghia - preferably a convertible, but I'm not too picky - for sale in Alameda, could you let me know? I've wanted one since I was 16, with a '73 SuperBeetle. I'd probably make the trip to Cali to pick one up.
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layabout
11/18/08

@Deartháir: Fancy a trip to England... [www.onlyaircooled.com]
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Deartháir II
11/18/08

@layabout: I'd love to! Haven't quite figured out how to drive it home yet, however...

For the other suggestions... if they're near you, then fantastic. I haven't found a decent one for sale thus far in Canada -- I've found a couple of crap ones -- but I am looking for one that is near enough to someone I can trust that they can go and look at it for me before I shell out thousands of dollars to come buy it!
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layabout
11/18/08

@Deartháir: These guys may be of help & they're closer to home for you. I'd imagine they'd have a few contacts. [www.karmann-ghias.ca]
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voodoojoo
11/18/08

In reply to 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
As my family has grown acquainted to my life growing ever-more auto-centric, I've started to hear more from my folks about cars of their past. Dad had a Rabbit diesel and mom had a first-gen red Tercel. She said she could have either bought that car or a Karmann Ghia. i don't quite know what to think about this. What do you guys think? On the one hand, Karmann Ghias are cool. i remember a lime green one that parked across the Junior High bike racks that I spent many an afternoon staring at. On the other hand, perhaps this car would have rusted to a heap, broken down in minutes, required constant servicing, or something of the like. Mom would've been broke, would've been so busy she'd hardly have time for dad, and, well, the prospects aren't all that good for a couple of bouncing kids to fill up the house. bad news for me. That leaves her with the plain-jane front-driver Toyota bought only for its reliability. In a way it's kind of cool, but I'm not about to drool over it like the 70s three-door Corolla 10 minutes from my house. On the other hand, it was reliable and trundled along with three kids in the back. Was the lack of an air-cooled thrum a painful loss to my house, or a blessing in disguise?
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layabout
11/18/08

In reply to 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
The classic VW guys still like playing with Karmann Ghia's...

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layabout
11/18/08

@layabout: This one has a Cosworth engine!
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Dr. H. F. Danger
11/18/08

In reply to 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
I love these cars. There was a point in time where me and my step-dad went a little crazy with these. I was buying them, fixing them up, and selling them. It got to the point where I had around six spread out in various locations. I would usually get the 60's era ones though. I like the round chrome bumpers and VW dish hubcaps. I eventually sold a couple off and moved on.

My step-dad kept two that were stripped down and one that was working, also had a room full of parts. I don't know what he did with the running one and the parts, but I am pretty sure after they moved away, he left two in his shop he abandoned in Pine Lake, Ga.

So they might pop-up as a "barn find" on Bring A Trailer several years from now.
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pauljones
11/18/08

@Dr.Danger, Hasta la victoria siempre!: Where exactly was this shop?
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