Lot details Registration No: FRB 87L Chassis No: 1432721236 Mot Expiry: Sept 2007
Arguably one of the last century's best-looking cars, the Volkswagen (type 143) Karmann Ghia suffered an awkward gestation. Keen to strengthen ties with VW (for whom he already built cabriolet bodies) Dr Wilhelm Karmann hit upon the idea in the early 1950s of producing an image-boosting coupe based on standard Beetle running gear. Turning to Ghia for assistance he fell in love with a design proposal by one of their stylists, Mario Boano. Unfortunately, it happened to bear a strong resemblance to Virgil Exner's Coupe d'Elegance (the Chrysler 'dream car' creator had collaborated with the Italian carozzeria some time earlier). Whatever its intellectual parentage the Karmann-Ghia prototype wowed all who saw it including VW chief Heinz Nordhoff. In production for nineteen years from 1955 to 1974, the super-svelte coupe (and its subsequent cabriolet sibling) proved to be unexpectedly labour intensive. Although, based on a widened Beetle platform chassis complete with all-round independent torsion-bar suspension and hydraulic drum brakes (later disc / drum), the myriad number of small panels necessary to create so fabulous a shape meant that the Type 143 was essentially hand-built. Continually updated, the introduction of a 1600cc engine in 1971 brought a welcome increase in power and performance.
Finished in Saturn Yellow with black leatherette / PVC upholstery, this particular left-hand drive example is variously described by the vendor as being in "good" (1600cc engine, four-speed manual gearbox, electrical equipment, chassis), "good / very good" (paintwork), or "very good" (bodywork, wheels / tyres) condition. While, he rates the interior trim as "fair / original". Apparently supplied new to California, 'FRB 87L' is said to have remained with its first keeper until 1998 when it entered the current ownership via the Mansfield-based Karmann Ghia Motorworks. The recipient of "regular / annual servicing and maintenance by a specialist in Oxford", the coupe is stated to retain its "original bodywork and engine". Though, cosmetically it has been enhanced with refaced seats / door cards (1998) and a bare metal respray (2000). Believed but not warranted to have covered 108,095 miles from new, it is offered for sale with MOT certificate valid until September 2006 and road tax until December 2006.
PLEASE NOTE: This vehicle has an MOT until September 2007.
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