The last right-hand drive Karmann Ghia Cabriolet to leave the Osnabrück factory has come up for sale – and guess what, one of its former keepers was none other than VW Heritage Founder David Ward. Here’s the full story…

German coachbuilders Karmann started producing the Beetle Cabriolet in 1948 (the prototype still survives in the US) but it wasn’t until 1956 that VW sought to introduce a new variant on the Beetle theme. Using an Export Beetle chassis with an anti-roll bar at the front, the chassis platform was made slightly wider and given extra strengthening below the doors while Luigi Serge at Turin stylist Ghia worked on the design of a suitably svelte two-door coupé body. Like the open top Beetle, it would be built at Karmann’s factory in Osnabück. The Karmann Ghia concept was simple: to offer potential customers the looks of a sporting car, but without its associated running costs.

A convertible version was introduced in 1958 in left-hand drive guise (although we had to wait until 1960 to get one with the steering wheel on the right side) and after a decade and a bit of evolution, during which time it received bigger engines and bigger bumpers, production for the German market sadly came to a halt in 1973. The final chassis to be built for Europe was on December 21 that year, although output for the American market continued for a further six months until June 21, 1974. Total convertible production stood at 80,899 against 364,401 coupés.

The car for sale here is a bit of celebrity because it’s the very last right-hand drive Cabriolet to have left the Karmann factory. It was a ‘special order’ placed by a sergeant in the RAF on 1 March 1974 who was serving in Norway at the time. The car came with a host of optional extras including a passenger side mirror and a laminated windscreen, details of which are all listed on the original bill of sale. It was delivered to Baerum Auto in Norway and registered on 17 July 1974. The serviceman returned to the UK with the car in October 1975.

He kept it for 15 years after which, as we understand it, VW Heritage Founder, David Ward became its custodian. He then sold it to Luke at Terry’s Beetle Services who carried out a restoration, respraying in its original Amber orange paint and fitting a new black mohair hood. Following the work it appeared in VW Motoring magazine. It underwent a further tidy up in 2013/4, making its current condition virtually as new.

The current keeper, Lee Marshall, who’s selling it to make space for a 1966 Porsche 912, has owned it since 1995 and has all the original service records, a host of historic paperwork tracking its history and a certificate from VW confirming its authenticity. A particularly quirky feature, says Lee, is that despite being right-hand drive, the speedometer is in kilometres – the current odometer reading equating to somewhere in the region of 75,000 miles.

Said Lee: “It drives and looks like new but regrettably I need the garage space and have come to the decision that I need to pass the baton on and find it a new owner.”

It’s for sale at £30,000 – if you are interested you can see the original advert here.

Ian

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage