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Rare 1972 VW Karmann Ghia Convertible With a Trashed Interior Gets Rescued After 32 Years

Alexander Graham Bell once said, “when one door closes, another opens.” For classic Volkswagen enthusiast and collector Jason of 5150mxVW YouTube Channel, this wise saying couldn’t have been further from the truth. After getting outbid by a high roller on a classic VW, he stumbled on a rare 1958 Beetle Ragtop and later struck more luck with a 1972 VW Karmann Ghia convertible.
1972 VW Karmann Ghia 8 photos
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/5150mxVW
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Jason of 5150mxVW has an undeniable love for Volkswagens. He finds them and gives them a second chance at life. Last week, he rescued a rare 1958 VW Beetle that had been sitting for 35 years in a New Hampshire barn.

After successfully pulling that off, he helped his friend take up another rare classic VW from the same barn. A 1972 VW Karmann Ghia convertible that had been sitting for 32 years.

Even though the second world war caused unprecedented hardship, it accelerated change. The affected parties in the war immediately went into a ‘refix mode, ‘and as a result, the western hemisphere began thriving.

The Beetle and Bus might have taken the world by storm, but by the mid-50s, the design was getting old. To win the global market’s heart, offer a competitive edge, and appeal to a new economically thriving world, Volkswagen needed an ‘image car’ – enter the Karmann Ghia Type 14.

The VW Karmann Ghia, a 2+2 coupe and convertible, was produced between 1955 and 1974 based on the Beetle. The automaker approached Karmann (coachbuilder) and Ghia for a timeless design. About 80,000 convertibles and 360,000 coupes were produced.

It ran a rear-mounted air-cooled flat-four 1,584cc powerplant with a single carburetor that was good for 49 hp (50 ps). It was later replaced with the Scirocco in 1974.

Jason’s 1972 VW Karmann Ghia convertible find wasn’t in the best of conditions. While the blood orange exterior and chrome stainless steel panels looked intact but with a little rust, the interior was severely trashed.

Like Jason, his friend plans on getting this old girl up and running and possibly flipping it for a dime. We hope the new owner restores it to its former glory. On several occasions, this classic VW has been described as the most beautiful car.

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About the author: Humphrey Bwayo
Humphrey Bwayo profile photo

Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life.
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