1966 VW Karmann Ghia coupe

1966 Karmann Ghia coupe

This car is being offered as is. It is a beautiful car that starts easy, drives well, and attracts attention every where I go with it. It is, however, over fifty years old and there are a number of things you need to know about it.

It was built at the end of the 1966 model year. 1966 was the last year that VW built the car with a six-volt electrical system. This car has a six volt battery. lights, starter and so on. We encountered an electrical problem with the car a number of years ago and went to the wiring diagram for aid in figuring it out. This car does NOT have the six volt wiring harness shown in the Chilton's and other manuals for the 1966 model year. It has the twelve volt wiring harness from the 1967 model year, despite running on six volts.

Four-way flashers were a safety requirement starting in 1966. This car has a four way flasher and it works fine. But VW used a single solenoid to power both the safety flashers and the turn signals. 1966 was the ONLY year they used that solenoid. It makes a ticking noise when driving and the left turn signal is not fully working. (It will normally blink the lights but without blinking the dashboard indicator light nor making a clicking sound you expect to hear) Someone with a good understanding of automotive wiring and solenoids should be able to sort it out. The solenoid was replaced by De Pere Auto about four years ago, but it was not cheap. It had to be ordered out of Germany and the solenoids are few and hard to find.

If you key the car out with an identification key from VW, you will learn that the dashboard trim does not match the 1966 description. It matches the 1967 model. Like I said, it was built at the end of the model year and apparently VW had run out of some 1966 parts...

The engine does leak oil slowly. and you must either repair it or park the car on an absorbent pad.

The suspension has been lowered and a non-stock muffler installed. I had the single master brake cylinder replaced with a dual master cylinder for safety reasons. The interior is original and untouched. Chrome beauty rings have been added to the four wheels. The car's horns did not work and they have been replaced with six volt horns from an internet supply house. They are powered by a solenoid inside the front "trunk" of the car. The horns sound weakly, and an upgrade to twelve volts would be the most sure fix. The steering wheel ring to sound the horns only works in the "six o'clock" position, but removing the horn ring and cleaning/polishing the contacts may improve the performance. I have also modified the starter circuit with a solenoid I mounted on the starter. It is now very, very reliable and always starts. The factory wiring was too light duty a gauge of wire and didn't always support enough voltage to engage the starter. Now the OEM wiring just fires the solenoid and it works much better.

The car was in an accident three years ago. The roof was creased and had to be replaced along with the windshield. I drove the car home from the scene as there was no image to anything except the roof and front windshield. We took advantage of the opportunity to repair rust on the body and have the entire car painted. It was painted with a modern acrylic paint so future repairs should be easier to do (and less expensive). Much attention was paid fo straightening the body as perfectly as technology would allow and the doors, hoods, and glove box all work perfectly now (which was not the case before the accident!). The body shop had never seen an old VW whose underbody was so clean of rust and corrosion.

I am selling the car because I no longer drive it. I really enjoyed the car for ten years, but since the accident, I have not been driving it and thus it is time to let someone else take care of it. I hope you will love the little thing as I have. I am including a die-cast 1/12 scale model of a blue, 1966 Karmann Ghia in a plastic display case. Just in case you want to place a reminder where you can always see it. I am also including some miscellaneous spare 6 volt parts, repair manuals, etc.

dhv/2019