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deejayess
Samba Member
Joined: July 12, 2010
Posts: 11
Location: Australia
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 Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:39 pm Post subject: Re: Speedos... |
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| PFN wrote: |
I just had a though... Australian Type 1 Speedos are VDO, of course, and marked "Australia". The Speedo in my Ghia is also marked "Australia". How are the speedos of UK Ghias marked?  |
What is the date stamp on your speedo?
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1954 Oval RHD (German Built, Australian Delivered)
1964 Beetle Karmann Kabriolet RHD (Australian Delivered)
1964 Australian 1200 Deluxe RHD
1967 Australian 1300 Deluxe RHD
1969 Karmann Ghia Coupe Euro RHD (Australian Delivered)
1973 1303S "Superbug L" Australian CKD RHD |
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PFN
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2013
Posts: 159
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2013 4:42 am Post subject: Re: Speedos... |
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| deejayess wrote: |
| PFN wrote: |
| I just had a though... Australian Type 1 Speedos are VDO, of course, and marked "Australia". The Speedo in my Ghia is also marked "Australia". How are the speedos of UK Ghias marked? |
What is the date stamp on your speedo? |
Very hard to make out, but as far as I can see it's stamped 5 63! 
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1962 1/2 Australian Made Beetle
1961 factory RHD Karmann Ghia
(gone now)
1964 RHD Conversion Karmann Ghia
1956 RHD Beetle
1972 Kombi |
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The aussie Trimmer
Samba Member
Joined: July 05, 2006
Posts: 385
Location: Western Australia
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| Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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| PFN wrote: |
Aha, yes, that makes perfect sense in terms of the local conversions relating to the 15 from 1959 or the earlier exhibition cars.
Here's some photos of my vehicle...
On receiving the car's certificate from Wolfsburg it looks like someone in the past has thought that black over white looks better than the original white over black! And I can't say that I blame them.  |
Well what do you know; that looks like my little KG, but that is definitely not the steering wheel I had on it. I was wondering where it got to, where is it now??
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Cheers,
Kev.
Drive with your lights on (Be aware be seen) help others GIVE Blood |
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PFN
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2013
Posts: 159
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2013 6:34 am Post subject: |
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| The aussie Trimmer wrote: |
| Well what do you know; that looks like my little KG, but that is definitely not the steering wheel I had on it. I was wondering where it got to, where is it now?? |
Now I know why it has such a fantastic interior!  I put the repro Petri wheel on, but don't worry, the original is safely stored away. The car is now in the Mandurah area. Only changes other than the wheel are new Firestone whitewalls and NOS wiper arms. And I honestly can't think of anything else to do to her, which I'd say is a testament to your good self!
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1962 1/2 Australian Made Beetle
1961 factory RHD Karmann Ghia
(gone now)
1964 RHD Conversion Karmann Ghia
1956 RHD Beetle
1972 Kombi |
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kiwighia68
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013
Posts: 2875
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 12:12 am Post subject: |
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| Hi PFN, I've recently acquired a 1968 Ghia ex Japan. I was wondering whether the bumpers on your car are the original style, called blade, I believe, with overriders. Mine has the American market "towel rail" bumpers. I think the blade type without overriders keep the clean lines of the car and look much better. I'm in NZ, by the way. There are quite a few RHD Ghias down here. |
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PFN
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2013
Posts: 159
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 7:00 am Post subject: |
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| kiwighia68 wrote: |
| Hi PFN, I've recently acquired a 1968 Ghia ex Japan. I was wondering whether the bumpers on your car are the original style, called blade, I believe, with overriders. Mine has the American market "towel rail" bumpers. I think the blade type without overriders keep the clean lines of the car and look much better. I'm in NZ, by the way. There are quite a few RHD Ghias down here. |
Sorry I've been so long making a reply, it's been a busy time for me. And I've spent a few sessions trying to look for info on Japanese delivered Volkswagens. I haven't had much luck, which has been frustrating... The majority of what I found were LHD examples which must be US imports.
The bumpers on my KG are original. The '64 which I used to have from US had the "bow' type. I use the terms for the overriders which I've found in my grandfather's parts books. "stub" type for the early ones "bow" for the later ones. I agree that the "stub" type are far nicer.
And I'm sorry for not including NZ in the ranks of RHD VWs! It's great to be reminded what the AUSTRALASIA in Volkswagen (Australasia) was meant to refer to.
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1962 1/2 Australian Made Beetle
1961 factory RHD Karmann Ghia
(gone now)
1964 RHD Conversion Karmann Ghia
1956 RHD Beetle
1972 Kombi |
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PFN
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2013
Posts: 159
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 7:31 am Post subject: |
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Just put period correct plates on in replacement of vanity plates.
If you have a 1961 model in Western Australia make me an offer on the KG 61 WA plates!
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1962 1/2 Australian Made Beetle
1961 factory RHD Karmann Ghia
(gone now)
1964 RHD Conversion Karmann Ghia
1956 RHD Beetle
1972 Kombi |
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TheFop
Samba Member
Joined: February 03, 2014
Posts: 302
Location: Auckland - New Zealand
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| Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
YEAR NUMBER
1959 15
1960 264
1961 284
1962 97
1963 81
1964 28
1965 31
1966 5
1967 0
1968 2
TOTAL 807
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| And I'm sorry for not including NZ in the ranks of RHD VWs! It's great to be reminded what the AUSTRALASIA in Volkswagen (Australasia) was meant to refer to. Very Happy |
So correct me if I'm reading this wrong but what your saying is NZ imports are included in the years shown? If so that really isn't a whole lot of original RHDs if you start knocking them off for crashed, rusted and scrapped, burnt out, stolen etc there probably isn't a whole lot of original Australasian RHDs down this way anymore...makes me even more determined to do a good job saving mine....she's a rare little beastie. |
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kiwighia68
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013
Posts: 2875
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 4:24 am Post subject: |
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| TheFop wrote: |
| Quote: |
YEAR NUMBER
1959 15
1960 264
1961 284
1962 97
1963 81
1964 28
1965 31
1966 5
1967 0
1968 2
TOTAL 807
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| Quote: |
| And I'm sorry for not including NZ in the ranks of RHD VWs! It's great to be reminded what the AUSTRALASIA in Volkswagen (Australasia) was meant to refer to. Very Happy |
So correct me if I'm reading this wrong but what your saying is NZ imports are included in the years shown? If so that really isn't a whole lot of original RHDs if you start knocking them off for crashed, rusted and scrapped, burnt out, stolen etc there probably isn't a whole lot of original Australasian RHDs down this way anymore...makes me even more determined to do a good job saving mine....she's a rare little beastie. |
And plenty RHD Ghias were sold in South Africa too. South Africa manufactured VW Beetles for many years and still manufactures VWs at its plant at Uitenhage. Surprising little country this: They export RHD Mercedes C class, BMW 3 Series, Toyotas, VW Golf and Polo to NZ and other places, (some 400 000 RHD cars each year).
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Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32625
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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clarkare
Samba Member
Joined: May 25, 2011
Posts: 53
Location: Windsor, Berkshire,UK
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| Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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As Kiwighia68 stated many RHDs were sold in South Africa. My 1960 RHD was imported from South Africa into the Uk. Does anyone know if there will be any markings on the car to indicate that it was originally imported into South Africa, as stated earlier in the post some of the Australian imports had the guages stamped Australia
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1960 RHD Karmann Ghia |
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sputnick60
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 22, 2007
Posts: 3916
Location: In Molinya Orbit
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| Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 3:02 am Post subject: |
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| clarkare wrote: |
| Does anyone know if there will be any markings on the car to indicate that it was originally imported into South Africa? |
The birth certificate would be the only sure-fire way to determine where the car was delivered ex-factory.
That Aussie Ghias had Australian built gauges was a function of the import tax regime at the time. The auto industry was protected with import duty imposed on foreign built vehicles. There was an Australian content rule that prescribed a certain minimum dollar value that would reduce the import duty on foreign product. Locally adding instruments and other expensive electrical items to cars on a light assembly line would save taxes and lower the ticketed price to below particular tax thresholds.
Nicholas
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'66 Karmann Ghia Cabriolet...
'65 Porsche 356C Coupe...
2005 Mecedes Benz C180 Kompressor Estate
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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TheFop
Samba Member
Joined: February 03, 2014
Posts: 302
Location: Auckland - New Zealand
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| Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:06 pm Post subject: |
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| My car has a 1600cc 126a motor which replaced the original 1200cc, apparently it was cheaper to bring in a industrial engine into NZ than a "car" engine for the same tax purposes. |
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PFN
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2013
Posts: 159
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 10:41 am Post subject: |
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| TheFop wrote: |
| My car has a 1600cc 126a motor which replaced the original 1200cc, apparently it was cheaper to bring in a industrial engine into NZ than a "car" engine for the same tax purposes. |
That just sums up the the issues with Australasian import/manufacture of the Volkswagen. It resonates so well with the upcoming cessation of manufacture of all cars in Australia. You really can't blame Volkswagen for seeing the writing on the wall in 1967 before any other of the local "makers". Soon I can let my "Made in Australia" sticker on the back window of my 1962 Beetle sit with all the Fords, Holdens, et. al. as antiques of another time. Am I bitter? Naaah....
_________________
1962 1/2 Australian Made Beetle
1961 factory RHD Karmann Ghia
(gone now)
1964 RHD Conversion Karmann Ghia
1956 RHD Beetle
1972 Kombi |
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PFN
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2013
Posts: 159
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:31 am Post subject: |
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| TheFop wrote: |
| Quote: |
YEAR NUMBER
1959 15
1960 264
1961 284
1962 97
1963 81
1964 28
1965 31
1966 5
1967 0
1968 2
TOTAL 807
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| Quote: |
| And I'm sorry for not including NZ in the ranks of RHD VWs! It's great to be reminded what the AUSTRALASIA in Volkswagen (Australasia) was meant to refer to. Very Happy |
So correct me if I'm reading this wrong but what your saying is NZ imports are included in the years shown? If so that really isn't a whole lot of original RHDs if you start knocking them off for crashed, rusted and scrapped, burnt out, stolen etc there probably isn't a whole lot of original Australasian RHDs down this way anymore...makes me even more determined to do a good job saving mine....she's a rare little beastie. |
I was amazed too when I saw the figures quoted above. It fits when you think on what VW dealers have told me about about Ghia sales in the Western Australian environment. It's along the lines of "When we could get a demonstrator or a showroom vehicle, which was rarely, customers loved them. When orders were placed supply times were so long and requested colour combinations so hard to get that cancellations were common." And it seems that demonstrators kept disappearing... Only to be found during audits in the driveways of wives and girlfriends of dealership managers!
And that very nearly exclusive period of 1960-65 for Australian delivery of Ghias made me think growing up of that body style as being what a KG was. That's all I ever saw. I'm still trying to get my head around what a "Fat Chick" is! As with so many other things, The Samba is educating me out of my provincial ignorance. 
_________________
1962 1/2 Australian Made Beetle
1961 factory RHD Karmann Ghia
(gone now)
1964 RHD Conversion Karmann Ghia
1956 RHD Beetle
1972 Kombi |
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PFN
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2013
Posts: 159
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 6:46 am Post subject: |
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Thinking about what Nicholas said above, made me wonder regarding what other parts on the KG may have been Australian made...
My passenger window winder broke about a month back, so I thought I'd order a pair of repros with the nice mushroom heads. I always thought it odd that this 1961 vehicle had "beetle" window winders, and dash knobs. All obviously worn and old. Why would someone swap the KG mushroom pattern ones for beetle ones? When I removed the old winder handles, I noticed that the buffer under one of them was Australian made:-
And so was the other! With a lack of another Australian delivered example to compare with, would VW Australasia have boosted local content by using beetle interior components like this on the KGs? Or maybe someone just redid the interior fittings a while back when repro components weren't as available as secondhand local fittings?
_________________
1962 1/2 Australian Made Beetle
1961 factory RHD Karmann Ghia
(gone now)
1964 RHD Conversion Karmann Ghia
1956 RHD Beetle
1972 Kombi |
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Angus Dowrie
Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2005
Posts: 341
Location: Kangaroo Point, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 2:39 am Post subject: |
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Digging up an old post, came across this as I was checking photos of RHD dashes (as you do....)
The comments about some Australian made components may have been true at some point, but every component on my oct'62 build australian delivery coupe was German - gauges, relays, handles, escutcheons. Low mileage car, so things hadn't worn out.
They are physically the same so it may be more the case that when say a speedo died it was easy to find an oz speedo from a beetle.
Don't know for certain, but it is another possibility. |
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Mellow Yellow 74
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2014
Posts: 1615
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 5:08 am Post subject: |
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Your clock and speedo are in the opposite positions to my 62 RHD and the UK lowlights posted earlier - does anyone know which year this changed?
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1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon) |
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John Moxon 
Samba Moderator
Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 13953
Location: Southampton U.K.
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kiwighia68
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013
Posts: 2875
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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Does anyone have a good photo of the steering box and steering column taken from above (with the fuel tank out), please? I can't get my steering column and steering box to line up properly ('68 RHD coupe ex Japan). What am I doing wrong?
Note the weird angle where the column comes through the wall. It's as if it wants to meet the steering shaft an inch or so to the right (facing front).
The steering box is in the standard marked position, as in this photo (not of my car):
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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