There are several YouTube videos online with a similar theme: the Karmann Ghia was the biggest automotive lie for nearly 20 years. I take some offense to that because Volkswagen never positioned it as a sports car. In fact, VW was very upfront with the public that you were getting a great-looking body – but underneath it was the same engine, chassis, transmission, and suspension as a Volkswagen Beetle. So, you could forget about performance, but be assured that you were getting reliability and economy. Being an old advertising guy, I’m a fan of VW’s groundbreaking “Think Small” ad campaign. I found a Karmann Ghia print ad from 1965 showing a three-quarters front glamour shot of a Karmann Ghia Coupe with a headline that read, “It almost seems a shame to put a Volkswagen engine in it.” This was typical of VW’s long running, self-deprecating – and brutally honest – ad campaign. The last year the Karmann Ghia was offered here in the States was the 1974 model year. And, here’s one of the 7,705 sold in the U.S. (before the plug was pulled on July 21, 1974) that looks very good. Located in Niles, Michigan, this “racing red” ’74 Karmann Ghia is listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $16,500. JDC is AOK in our books for sending this great tip our way!
The seller, Dave, doesn’t share a lot of details or history of the car, but encourages those interested to give him a call for more details. First impressions are a good one. This Karmann Ghia has always been garage kept and had one repaint at some point (I believe it is Bahia Red) that looks very presentable. I’m not spotting rust or body damage and the glass, chrome, trim, and lenses look good. By 1974, the Karmann Ghia had lost some of its original Italian elegance due to the Safety Patrol. It now had those big honkin’ front and rear bumpers and larger wraparound front turn signals and rear taillights. But, it still looked like a Karmann Ghia, with its sleek, flowing lines, and styling that is heralded as one of the most beautiful car designs of its era.
There’s only one photo of the car’s original black with some red accents interior and it looks to be in very good condition. I don’t see any rips on the bucket seats and the dash appears to be crack-free. The seller claims that the radio and clock do not work, but everything else does. The four-spoke collapsable steering wheel has a cover on it and there are aftermarket cupholders on the dash.
In the clean rear engine bay is the familiar-looking 1585 cc air cooled, horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine. It has 57,000 documented original miles and is paired with VW’s 4-speed manual transmission. At 46 horsepower, performance wasn’t part of the Karmann Ghia driving experience. Being a lifelong car styling enthusiast, I have always loved the timeless lines of the Karmann Ghia. I hope the next caretaker finds a nice garage for this one and pampers it.
I like it.
0-60 in 28 seconds ? Is that a typo ? We had a Beetle when I was in my early teens, and while it wasn’t quick, I would have thought maybe 10 – 12 seconds to 60. 28 seconds is “got run over by a Tahoe trying to merge on the interstate” slow.
If 28 seconds is true, I would not drive one. Way too dangerous especially in today’s crazy traffic… and that’s in town! I would have to put a Porsche or Subaru engine in it just to feel halfway safe!
Not sure where Ron got his numbers, but the 0 t0 60 for the Ghia was approx. 20 sec… and that’s if one was unfortunate enough to choose the automatic… the 4 speed manual did it in a blistering 18.5 seconds. Although slow… especially by today’s standard… they were fun. In my youth I knew a girl that had one.. always had a blast bombing around in it… at its leisurely pace…
Thanks, DGMinGA, for questioning the 0-60 in roughly 28 seconds. I did some more online research and found answers ranging from 15 to 28 seconds. Given such a wide range of time, I decided to delete that from the article. Thanks again.
my first car was a 1960 convertible. paid $100. then I got a 71 in 80 for $100. also a convertible. sold it to a friend and she drove it for years while the floor pan rusted out. I have a soft spot for these lovely little cars. this one is nice, and documented miles? a winner.
…”she drove it for years while the floor pan rusted out”…
How they all died unfortunately…
The Karmann Ghia really is a gorgeous looking car, and some of the shortcomings inherent with the VW engine are fixable. More power isn’t that hard to come by, though perhaps keeping everything all original might be a smart move.
A soft spot for the Karmann Ghia, pretty sure you could “update” it enough to be a proper fair weather or even daily driver in the right part of the country.
Great looking car. I have always liked these. I have heard them called “The poor man’s Porsche”. However I have never heard the Porsche called a rich man’s Karmann Gia. Kind of like when you drive into Yakima WA there is a sign proclaiming it as “The Palm Springs of Washington” I’ve been to Palm Springs, I didn’t see a sign bragging that it was the “Yakima of California”
Go figure.
The rich man’s Volkswagen was the Porsche 914. ;-)
I had a rusted out 71 Karmann Ghia. Water and debris locked up the breaks on the pedal assembly. I also had an incident where I drove it a short distance up a dirt road and when I turned around to return home I saw something dead center of the road. As I got closer I realized it was the battery
The owner couldn’t live without cupholders? Really? Stop eating/drinking and just drive the car.
No aftermarket cupholders in my 66′ Mustang
Could be worse… could be a phone holder….
Beautiful Ghia!!
I had a few 69’s, 2 coupes and a convert. They were the last year of the small front and rear lights and the old style bumpers. I always wanted to stuff one of my spare Corvair engines in one…
I’d want to daily drive it here in the northeast. At least spring through fall. Heaters in these don’t have a good rep for a reason.
Nice!
If I had the extra and the Mustang wasn’t needy right now, I’d land this Beautiful Ghia!
When my wife was alive, we had all together, 9 KGs, and 11 Bugs. We loved the Bug Outs in Manassas, Va.
Best looking KG I’ve seen in a while and someone will probably grab this one pretty quickly at this price.
GLWTS!