1973 VW Karmann Guia – Fully Restored

The story of Volkswagen’s Karmann Ghia is a fascinating chapter of automotive history. Built for nearly 20 years in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, it was quite the successful little car, with some 445,000 produced in that period. At the same time, it sported a strikingly slinky design that helped it stand out from the crowd as much then as it does today.
That design, with incredible touches like those headlight arches and sweeping rear fender character line, was brought to life through welded, sanded, and hand-shaped assembly work that effectively created a single-piece body. It’s not the kind of thing you normally see in automotive production and is a big reason the Karmann Ghia is so distinctive.
Today’s ride has been restored to its former glory and a whole lot more. Soup-to-nuts, comprehensive, all-encompassing, and intensive are some descriptors that come to mind when taking in this 1973 Karmann Ghia. Outside, inside, and mechanically, the two-year restoration performed on this car is just awesome.

Porsche GT Silver Metallic
There’s a reason this 1973 Karmann Ghia looks brand new – it practically is. As part of the two-year restoration project, the car was stripped to bare metal, and the body was restored by a master craftsman with little to no body filler.

The finish, which has not been color-sanded or buffed, consists of a primer, Porsche GT Silver Metallic paint, and a clear coat, all from Glasurit. To say the result is gorgeous would be an understatement.

Brightwork on the bumpers and headlight surrounds shows a deep shine, the headlight lenses are clear, and the satin-finished side mirrors are a nice touch.

New VW seals have been fitted all around, including on the hood, door pillars and doors, all windows, and front turn signals. Additionally, new outside scrapers and VW red-and-white taillight lenses have been installed, the latter with new seals.

The car rides on a new set of 15” EMPI GT-8 VW wheels with a 4 x 130 bolt pattern. Finished in silver with polished lips, they are mounted in Kumho Ecsta rubber sized 205/50 all around. As part of the restoration, four-corner disc brakes were fitted with red-finished calipers up front.

Other exterior highlights include a passenger-side Karman Ghia fender badge in mint condition and a very clean undercarriage that highlights the new Fatboy exhaust and muffler installed during the restoration. Per the owner, there is no rust present.

1835 cc of Air-Cooled Glory
Out back, a non-original 1835 cc air-cooled flat-four is installed that mates to a four-speed manual to spin the rear wheels. Built, in 2021, it features an extensive list of components as follows:
• 40 x 35.5 performance dual-port heads
• EMPI 44HPMX dual VW carburetors
• 110 high-performance camshaft
• New main rod and cam bearings
• New lifters
• Solid shaft rockers
• New 40 mm intake and 35.5 mm swirl-polished exhaust high-performance valves
• Seats and guides on VW castings re-machined
• Fully rebuilt case for larger pistons
• New AA Performance piston and liner kit
• Rebuilt rods
• New heavy-duty gland nut
• Reground German 69 mm 8-dowel crankshaft
• New aluminum crank pulley to add a serpentine belt
• New 8-dowel flywheel
• New high-performance clutch plate
• New EMPI alternator conversion kit with zinc pulley and belt
• New Bosch 009 distributor with new points and condenser
• New Bosch red wires
• New fuel pump
• New oil pump
• VW 2642 mm accelerator cable
• VW complete wiring kit
• New Fatboy exhaust and muffler
• New chrome dual-port cylinder tins
• New chrome doghouse shroud
Reading through this list and looking over the gallery, you can’t help but grin as you imagine how amazing this beauty must sound!

Additional mechanical work completed during the restoration includes all-new suspension components and a new four-corner disc braking system. All invoices for these parts will accompany the sale.

Also available Auction style at Shiftgate Auctions: https://shiftgate.com/auction/1973-volkswagen-karmann-ghia-2/