IronVan

1968 Karmann Ghia show car
Voted Volksworld category winner by Brian Burrows
Please see restoration photos at web.mac.com/jezthomas
£14000 or best offer
Car will be at VW Action
Any questions please call 07739 254911 or email

Thanks for looking,

Jez


Imported from California. Total bare-metal restoration with no expense spared and using the right people and the highest quality parts and materials.
Always kept in a hermetically-sealed Carcoon bubble, thus maintaining showroom condition. Approximately 3000 miles covered since restoration, used only for shows and sunny Sunday cruising.
Invoices for everything.
I am the only owner since import.

Bodywork:
Highest quality preparation and paintwork using metallic maple red carried out by VW hotrod specialists.
All chrome re-chromed by 8-stage process by Swinnards of Tunbridge Wells; bumpers, over-riders, reversing lights, pop-out hinges.
De-chromed above the door handles to give the car a modern look, including ‘no-chrome’ rubbers from Orange County USA. All other chrome above the door-handle level professionally powder-coated for finish and longevity.
The only bodywork requiring fixing was a 4-inch square hole in the floorpan, which a new half-pan resolved.
Under body cannoned with zinc anti-corrosion treatment, the same treatment and equipment used by BMW on new vehicles.

Engine:
A great deal of thought and time has gone into this engine; this is no ordinary 1776. It is fully lightened and balanced, very quick and smooth and revs close to 6000rpm, taking the car over 110mph without a hiccup. It is not an engine that relies on big capacity nor does it need continuous balancing and tuning; I have driven it to France, Holland, and Belgium at speed and reliably.
Parts and engineering - Stateside Tuning: Eurorace 69mm counterweight crank, lightened and refaced flywheel, 1500lb c/cover pre-70, Engle 120 cam, assembly balanced, 042 40x35.5 Mofoco heads bored 90.5, CB 26mm oil pump, FRAM HP1 oil filter, Gene Berg pressure valve cover.
Porsche 5-blade cooling fan from VW/Porsche Extreme, twin Dellorto 40’s, polished aluminium manifolds.

Interior:
Trimmed by P & G Trimmers, ex-Aston Martin trimmers, using 2 Rolls Royce leather hides and Jaguar pile carpet. Recaro racing seats installed. One-off Karmann Ghia motif leather driver’s foot well mat. Front speaker facias are new old stock from the Jaguar XJS catalogue.
Momo ‘Fighter’ italian leather race steering wheel.
Lockable polished aluminium Gene Berg 40% T1/3 quick-shifter.
German Car Company automatic seatbelts.
Aluminum billet dash knobs, rear view mirror, window winder handles, and door lock pulls.
Chrome leather-sheathed handbrake assembly.

Mechanicals:
Front shocks - lowered, rear shocks - adjustable, new nose grills and side trim, smoothed out dashboard.
Porsche 914 / Fuch 2-litre alloys
Yokohama speed-rated A520 185/50/14s
Mildly lowered front beam, lowered ball joints, bump steer kit.
Full new electrical harness / wiring loom.

Included in the Sale:
Carcoon Bubble
Goretex-style tailored Carcraft cover
Anti-stone chip front bra

Brand new MOT
No road tax necessary
Just serviced by classic car and exotica specialists Waymills of Whitchurch and tuned on their rolling road, and is running like a dream.

Improvements:
Speedo will need rebuilding.
Gene Berg shifter reverse gate has never worked and so it takes a little while to get used to shifting from 1st to 2nd with confidence, i.e. without accidentally slipping into reverse. I asked a mechanic to adjust it but they were only able to make a slight improvement.
Dash bulbs need replacing.
Autometer rev counter has stuck.
Oil temperature gauge is not wired up.
Boot lid release cable has come away from the lever.
Leather handbrake glove will need re-gluing.