1958 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

1958 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Description

This is an original Ghia that I purchased in 1991 with the intention of restoring. It is a low light ghia which is a bit rarer than the later models. The car is all original with almost all of the original parts. The air cleaner is missing. The engine is not the original but it was reported to be correct for the car.
The car has been stored outside for all these years and although I have periodically put a new tarp over the car, it needs a lot of work. The car sank into the dirt and as a result the floor pans rusted out. There is a lot of rust over the car but most of it seems to be surface rust. There is a section around the bottom of the hood that has rusted through. The body is a pretty heavy gauge metal and seems to be ok. I ran a small sander over a section of rust and it cleared to shiny metal pretty quick. Some of the paint came off when I power washed it and thus the metal in the pictures.
The right front fender was damaged when I got it and the nose needs some work. I bent the transom when I pulled it out but could probably be fixed by a competent body guy or gal. I couldn't get the hood opened but I didn't try very hard. Back seat was a wooden frame but I put what was left in there. Front seat frames seem ok.
The car needs a great deal of work but these are getting very rare so it might be worth restoring to the right person. Restored these cars have gone for close to 100k at their high point.
I have the pink slip dated 1966 when the last owner bought it. Has both black and yellow California plates. I bought the car because the seller told me it was owned by the author Steinbeck. Turns out it was owned by someone with a different spelling. On Nov-12-19 at 17:33:06 PST, seller added the following information:

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia