This Volkswagen Karmann Ghia got away, but there are more like it here.

Modified 1963 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible

Sold for $60,000 on 8/10/23

Modified 1963 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible

This 1963 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible was refurbished and modified under prior ownership in Canada, including the installation of an air-cooled 1,914cc flat-four equipped with Clyde Berg cylinder heads, an Engle camshaft, and an A-1 sidewinder exhaust system. The car is finished in black with a black soft top over red vinyl upholstery and equipped with a four-speed manual transaxle, 15″ Fuchs-style wheels, four-wheel disc brakes, a two-inch narrowed axle beam, a banjo-style steering wheel, a Gene Berg shifter, a 12-volt electrical system, dual EMPI carburetors, and heated seats. This Karmann Ghia convertible was acquired by the seller in 2018 and is now offered with a handful of refurbishment photos, a July 2013 issue of Ultra VW magazine in which the car was featured, and a clean Nevada title in the seller’s name.

The car is finished in black and was repainted following the completion of rust repairs under prior ownership. A black StayFast soft top was installed at that time, and additional details include chrome-finished bumpers with overriders, a left side mirror, a vented rear decklid, and a Karmann body tag affixed to the right fender.

The 15″ Fuchs-style wheels feature black recessed areas with red pinstripes and are mounted with Firestone Firehawk GT-H tires measuring 185/55 up front and 206/60 out back. The tires show 2010 and 2011 production date codes, and a matching spare wheel is housed in the front trunk. The car rides on a lowered suspension featuring a two-inch narrowed front beam and sway bar, and stopping power is provided by four-wheel disc brakes with cross-drilled rotors.

The cabin houses front bucket seats and a rear bench that are upholstered in red vinyl with black piping along with tan square-weave carpets. Black rubber floor mats line the footwells, and additional appointments include heated seat elements, a billet aluminum speaker grill, a Gene Berg shifter with a line lock switch, and a faux Blaupunkt faceplate. No radio is currently installed.

The banjo-style steering wheel wears a Wolfsburg horn button and fronts a body-color metal dashboard housing re-faced instrumentation, including a 90-mph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer, and a fuel level gauge. The five-digit odometer shows 7k miles, approximately 2k of which have been added under current ownership. True mileage is unknown.

The air-cooled flat-four engine is said to have been modified to 1,914cc of displacement with a magnesium case, 8.5:1 compression, a 69mm crankshaft, 94mm pistons and cylinders, 40mm x 35.5mm cylinder heads, an Engle FK-8 camshaft, and Scat 1.4:1 rockers as well as a 12-volt electrical system, a Bosch 009 distributor, dual EMPI carburetors, a full-flow oiling system, an A-1 Sidewinder stainless steel exhaust system, an extended capacity oil sump, and a Porsche 356-style oil breather. The seller states that work under current ownership consisted of an oil change, carburetor adjustment, and replacement of the spark plug wires.

Power is delivered to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transaxle that is said to have been modified with 4.12:1 ring-and-pinion gears, heavy-duty side covers, and a Super Diff as well as welded third and fourth gears. A handful of photos taken during the refurbishment are provided in the gallery along with an article from the July 2013 issue of Ultra VW magazine that highlights the work.

Filed under: vw

Photo Gallery

Auction Result

Winning Bid	USD $60,000 by southwind
Auction Ended	August 10, 2023 at 1:02PM PT
Bids	43

16,629 views

1,002 watchers

You are not connected to real-time updates. Attempting to connect.

Your real-time updates could not be connected. Missed updates will be sent once your connection has been reestablished.

Reconnected! Checking for missed updates…