1969 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

No one could ever imagine that during a time when the North American automobile industry was busy competing in building large, prestigious automobiles there would be a market for a small imported car. By 1950, however, importing vehicles from countries like Britain and Germany started to grow in popularity. Not surprisingly, the trend caught the eye of American automakers, eventually leading them to build their own breed of compact car. One of the most influential compact models to land on U.S. soil would be the now legendary Volkswagen Beetle, affectionately nicknamed the “Bug” by a smitten American public.

The Beetle grew out of a growing interest in motoring among postwar Europeans. Its popularity in the U.S. caught on quite quickly and the company added to its line of automobiles with creations such as the Volkswagen Thing, Microbus and most interesting of all, the Karmann Ghia. Introduced in 1955 and built until 1974 the beloved Karmann Ghia was an interesting German-Italian joint effort. Built on the ubiquitous Beetle floorpan and drivetrain, the new coupe was a stylish addition to the VW product line. The body was produced by Karmann under contract for Volkswagen, but was designed by the famous Italian design firm, Ghia. Although initially available only in coupe form, the convertible debuted two years later.

The Karmann Ghia far surpassed its creator’s expectations in both execution and commercial success. When production ceased at the Osnabruck plant in July 1974, 283,501 coupes and 80,897 convertibles had been produced.

This custom Karmann Ghia is 1 of 6,504 convertibles built in 1969. It shows 19,819 miles that are not actual. It has a custom Burgundy and Flame paint job. The body was stripped to bare metal and then repainted in 2000. The car comes with pictures of the restoration and all the receipts. The interior redone in 2004, is also custom and it has Black vinyl racing bucket seats, new carpet, Panasonic AM/FM CD Player with a removable face plate and a Grant GT wood steering wheel. The original 1,600cc engine has been upgraded with a K & N air filter and chrome pieces. The transmission is the auto stick which is a clutch-less manual. It had a brand new top, headliner and boot installed in 2010. The engine was overhauled in 2000. It comes with the original Volkswagen owners manual. This terrific convertible runs and drives excellent and needs nothing!

Branson Auto Museum was conceived in August of 2007 and opened on May 15, 2009. Partners in the Museum,knew that the Branson area was hungry for car and automotive related things to do. Branson Auto Museum was originally scheduled to go into a purpose built 20,000 sq. ft. building on the Strip. When the partners discovered that the former crafts mall the "Engler Block" was available, they knew it would be the perfect fit for what they were planning. The buiding is layed out in sections that wander through the building which is the ideal setting for a museum. The charm and character of the building also lends itself nicely to a museum.