TheSamba.com :: 1963 Type 3 Ghia

On April 3, 2003, I went to see this 1963 Type 34 in Phoenix, AZ. The current owner was the third owner, although the car has never been registered to either second or third owner so legally, it is still a one-owner vehicle. The original owner was from Scottsdale, AZ and may still live there. It had been sitting in its current location since 1995 and was running when it was parked, although the carburetor leaked. It has been stored under a heavy car cover so all weather has been kept off the vehicle, although there is a spot on the rear trunk where the paint is burned off, perhaps by some chemical. It had been repainted once and has 139K miles. It was originally a solid Pearl White with matching roof. The engine was rebuilt many years ago by a professional Phoenix VW shop and it had not been driven much since that time. The current owner bought it as a running and driving vehicle but the brakes needed work as of 1995. They still felt solid but I'm sure they need a complete run-through before usage. It appears to be very complete, missing only a few small things as well as the front trunk spare tire metal cover. It appeared to have never been hit but there was a small area of damage on the rear right corner as if it had been backed into a curb. There was also rust that had been repaired in the fronts of both rockers but the work had never been completed. The lower nose had a significant patch replaced due to rust, perhaps due to the missing drain tube. This area had also never been finished. The original seats and door panels were redone by the second owner somewhat in the original style but were not 100% "correct". The car originally had a white and black/red checkered cloth interior. The second owner purchased a large amount of NOS seals and parts directly from Germany in the 1980s and I would estimate at least 50% of the rubber, all NOS, is present, as well as various trim, lenses, and mechanical parts. The car has the original paperwork, including an owner's manual, the original radio manual, the original bill of sale, and a number of receipts spanning many years. Glass appeared to all be good. The car was partially disassembled as seen but the majority of the parts appeared to be present. The interior door panel tops were redone in a black vinyl, eliminating the chrome strips. They did not look correct. Carpet was the original and worn out. One original rubber floor mat appeared to be still in place, the other may have been in storage with the owner's spare and NOS parts.

Engine #:
T0655434 (January, 1969 - Case had to be replaced when engine was rebuilt)

Photos
Exterior photos plus strange headlights. Right headlight needs a little finishing work
Interior, door, dash, and radio Push-button dash was upgraded with the standard VW kit
Front trunk and nose Clean nose but lower nose has unfinished rust repair
Rust work and repairs that need to be finished
VIN tag	Rear Trunk, Engine, and original intake sticker Intake manifold was cracked Note strange fuel pump cover