Tom's 1965 Type 3 Karmann Ghia
The VW that was never sold in the USA.
What is a Type 3 Karmann Ghia?
In VW's attempt to attract a larger market share, they attempted to offer more upscale cars to their current line. Their sporty Karmann Ghia coupe, built on the proven mechanicals of the Beetle, was a success, offering attractive styling with a reasonable price. The Type 3 series was an upmarket attempt, and the Type 3 Karmann Ghia was the stylish coupe built on the more sophisticated Type 3 mechanicals.
The Type 3 Karmann Ghia suffered from a high price in comparision to it's performance. VW of America (VWoA) felt the car wasn't what the American public would buy, so it never sold here in the USA. These cars, like mine, were brought over individually by private owners. People would take delivery of the car in Germany and have it shipped here. Others would bring it in through Canada. So officially, VWoA doesn't recognize that the Type 3 Karmann Ghia (sometimes referred to as the T3KG or the Type 34) as being here in America.
My '65 Type 3 Karmann Ghia
As for my T34, I was actually given it. A great lady I work with actually owned two of these beauties. Linda has a '64 that she's owned for decades now, and acquired this parts car about ten years ago. Her '64 hadn't run in eight or so years, so after learning I was into VWs, she enlisted my help in getting her '64 running again. I was happy to help, as I'd like to see another VW on the road, especially one as rare as the T34.
The first time I went over to her house, I looked over her '64 in amazement. It was in excellent condition. She was so tickled to have someone so into her T34 that she told me I could have the '65. She wants to see it go to a good home and be back on the road one day.
It's in a pretty sad shape. I'm working on it when I can, as time and money is available. These cars are really rare, so finding parts for them can be difficult at times. It's going to be one of those long term projects, and that's fine with me. I've got my own T34!
The Plan
Right now I'm just assessing what I'm going to need and gathering the parts as I can. The car was originally painted red with a black roof, so since that's a pretty nice looking combo, I'm going to have it repainted in that scheme. But, before that can be done, the body damage has be fixed. That's going to be the worst, as it's been hit hard and a lot of stuff is missing.
I'm going to customize it with my usual style. It'll be lowered in the front end, custom wheels (I'm thinking 16" Porsche Alloys this time), and a really nice 2.2-2.4L Type 4 engine. That should make the car a really nice driver, something to take wherever I want. Nothing is set in stone at this moment, so my plan may change down the road.
UPDATE: At this moment, this project is on the backburner. I'm working on some other projects at this moment, but I hope to someday get a garage large enough so that I can give this car the restoration it deserves.
Photos
Here are some photos I've taken of the car:
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