Hello Everyone,
Since getting 'Tango' my one previous elderly lady owner '73 AS Karmann Ghia Coupe from Connecticut over the pond to Blighty I have come to truly appreciate what a fine thing of mechanical beauty owning a AS Classic VW is :).
Yes air-cooled VW snobs belittle them as does both past and present motoring press >:(.
If, like me, you don't swallow hype such as when a certain monosyllabic English footballer endorsed Gillette razor blades and now endorsing Haig's whisky ::).
Such efforts put me right off spending my hard earned money on them :P.
However when folk made derogatory comments against AS VW's by word of mouth or reading up about them then I decided I wanted one even more :D.
And I'm so glad that I did as driving an AS is a real tonic for one's wellbeing 8).
Let the 'Go faster crowds' and VW snobs look down upon our AS VW's ???.
We at vwar.org are truly a special crowd who can, if anything, look down upon the uneducated masses who just don't get what an AS VW is all about ;).
Wishing you all the brightest and Best (along with a trouble free AS VW) for 2019
Rick
Yes, the most common remark is how slow they are... but I believe the times shown in books are if You use either D1 & D2 or even just D2..... but I use LOW gear to take off from traffic lights and I can beat most cars... unless they are really trying to beat me....
You only have to drive one in good condition even with a standard engine, and they go quite well.... I love them...
Only problem here in Australia is the summer has finally arrived and it is around 36-39C degrees at the moment... still hot at night
and just too hot to drive any car without air conditioning.... and probably have about 1 1/2 to 2 months of this hot weather to go..
Lee in Australia
Karmann Ghias are NOT regarded as Volkswagens in Australia... they are thought of as hand made cars using VW running gear...
All the best Rick, nice motor!
Very nice looking Karmann Ghia Rick... These are very rare in Australia... only a few were sold in 1959-1960... and naturally they were manuals... I have seen some Karmann ghias which have been imported from the USA and they have the Austostick gear lever boot.... so they have been changed to manual at some time.
They are regarded as hand built cars by Karmann using Volkswagen running gear etc... they were very expensive in Australia...
Dank U Dave & 68Autobug,
Such pleasant comments are appreciated. Currently 'Tango', as I have named her, is having her wheels shot-blasted then repainted in the correct L91 colour for a set a Michelin 'X' 155/15 Whitewalls being fitted.
Her original unused spare Continental 6:00 x 15 Whitewall cross-ply remains in the front.
Well at 25,568 miles form new I simply cannot 'molest' her by fitting 8 spoke Empi's and a quiet pack exhaust.
She is indeed a true survivor 8)