TheSamba.com :: View topic - The Edmondson Testimony- Judson Blowers

Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:58 am

I'd wager the original paint scheme was Bamboo/Dark Green. Looks as though the modern incarnation of that vehicle is roughly that... including the bumpers! :?

It's too bad that this sort of thing happens from time to time. An original vehicle with a documented (in period) history - a race history, natch - is sold, parted out, and re-incarnated as a shadow of its former self. To see that car with painted bumpers, faux-Porsche "Chromies," a modern CD player, and some sort of EMPI'd 1,600 in the engine bay makes me sad. There have not been too many Karmann-Ghias with documented race history, let alone "Lowlights" with documented race history (and for good reason, I suppose), and one of the very, very few still left is now quite different from what it once was...

That car has gone from historical museum piece to ordinary daily driver. Pity.

Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:34 pm

John Moxon wrote: At the time the asking price was $12000 but the guy who has the engine and Judson wanted at least $5000 for their return. The price goes up...$17000, then you have shipping $1000(?). Import duty 10% + 17.5% Vat for a car that has been 1/2 restored. The interior needed a lot of attention and a new wiring loom, return to 6v or at least a sympathetic 12v without the alternator so at the end of the day you're looking at $25-$30000

get the car for 6 or 7, + motor 3
$9-10k for both, & has to be both (hello jeff :oops: ;))

allow £1200 shipping (although not too sure on the logistics from asheville - can the vendor help get it to a port?)
get the kingstown boys to help you out
(you to get creative on the purchase price)

immediately reinstall the motor, correct the bumpers, add the window chrome trim, maybe correct the roof colour
then get the details right in time.....wheels, interior, paint...

at least it would be in the right hands

yes, assuming should be Bamboo/Dark Green
like John Figgs super cool UK Coupe

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=218107
remind you of anything, john;)?

packed with a Judson, overall you might look tougher than Mr Figg!
(this pic was taken just after he'd seen off Mr Troy!!)

period pic of John's Coupe. i think thats his daughter back in '65

No other 58/9 Coupe colour combo would look like this in b/w, save at a stretch Brilliant Red/Black

(double click on the pic - v1 chart from some time back)

Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:22 pm

RockStock wrote:

yes, assuming should be Bamboo/Dark Green
like John Figgs super cool UK Coupe

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=218107
remind you of anything, john;)?

packed with a Judson, overall you might look tougher than Mr Figg!
(this pic was taken just after he'd seen off on Mr Troy!!)

period pic of John's Coupe. i think thats his daughter back in '65

No other 58/9 Coupe colour combo would look like this in b/w, save at a stretch Brilliant Red/Black

(double click on the pic - v1 chart from some time back)

What's that hole in his roof Rockstock? Golde??

Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:36 pm

yes, Golde. nice eh

Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:25 am

I'm just putting a few finishing touches to a Newsletter I write for the Judson Register folk and hopefully I can get someone fired up enough to go and rescue the poor KG.

There is a strong pull to see it in the right hands and restored in a way it deserves but I'd rather it stay in the US.

Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:16 am

RockStock wrote:

Forgive me if I go a little off topic - Can anyone tell me if that copper colored Ghia in the background is an original VW color? Is that Gazelle brown?

Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:48 am

Yes it is an original colour scheme for 58/59 coupe's.
It's called cognac,L352, the roof is L 472,beige grey?.
That coupe is very original having only had an exterior repaint. 8)

Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:57 am

RockStock wrote: get the car for 6 or 7, + motor 3
$9-10k for both, & has to be both (hello jeff :oops: ;))

allow £1200 shipping (although not too sure on the logistics from asheville - can the vendor help get it to a port?)

Agreed. About $12,000 with the original engine and sitting in the buyer's garage would be a fair price for everyone concerned.

Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:59 pm

John Moxon wrote: coad wrote: RockStock wrote: then someone can buy it, give the vendor a decent price, and go about correcting the colour scheme etc

What was the original colour, anyone know?

:oops: I'm going to expose my KG ignorance here Coad. Is that not a stock '59 KG colour scheme? I've only the period B&W pictures so it hard to tell.

Not with painted bumpers minus the pram handles.

"$12500 invested" doesn't include the money he made by selling the interesting bits. Without the engine and Judson it's just another resto-custom KG. Who knows how much Bondo lurks under that paint!

Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:53 pm

Come to Daddy :P

Just had Mr Rockstock on the phone for an hour (his phone bill) asked me to have a quick look at this thread to see if I could shead some light.
Answer to the question is yes :D

Whilst collecting parts for a Judson supercharger, I bid for and won ( as advertised) an original letter sent from the Judson company to the owner of the car back in the 60's. Sad to say when the letter arrived it is a copy and not the original, however on one side it has the two old photo's as previous posted in this thread, one of the owner and the second with all the throphies. The other side is a letter from the Judson company to the owner. I will have to dig the letter out tomorrow.
Thanks to Mr Rockstock for the last advert for my Lowlight information disc, on which is stored many photos of the car, in various states.
A) Original
B) During restoration
c) post restoration.

A few picture to wet the appertite.

Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:50 pm

Broadacus wrote: Come to Daddy
lol

Broadacus wrote: Just had Mr Rockstock on the phone for an hour
this guy can talk ](*,) :wink:

Broadacus wrote: A few picture to wet the appertite
cry over ](*,)

Fri Aug 11, 2006 1:01 am

Broadacus wrote: Come to Daddy :P

Just had Mr Rockstock on the phone for an hour (his phone bill) asked me to have a quick look at this thread to see if I could shead some light.
Answer to the question is yes :D

Whilst collecting parts for a Judson supercharger, I bid for and won ( as advertised) an original letter sent from the Judson company to the owner of the car back in the 60's. Sad to say when the letter arrived it is a copy and not the original, however on one side it has the two old photo's as previous posted in this thread, one of the owner and the second with all the throphies. The other side is a letter from the Judson company to the owner. I will have to dig the letter out tomorrow.
Thanks to Mr Rockstock for the last advert for my Lowlight information disc, on which is stored many photos of the car, in various states.
A) Original
B) During restoration
c) post restoration.

Hi Ian,

Thanks for posting the pictures, they make interesting/sad viewing. The reason I got cold feet on this Ghia is that I know very little about early Ghias and it looked like I would be paying a premium on the car's history which no longer exists in tangible form. Certainly, if you have the post restoration pictures you'll know there is still a lot to be done on the car, (besides getting back the engine and Judson) before it can be called a true restoration.

I'd be interested to see the letter from the Judson Company to the original owner. All I have is a copy of the promotional flyer produced by Judson which included the owner's letter to the company:
http://vwjudsonregister.tripod.com/the_edmondson_testimony.htm

How about it then Ian..."Come to Daddy" you could well be THE Daddy :wink:

Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:16 am

http://vwjudsonregister.tripod.com/the_edmondson_testimony.htm

The link above is the letter I am talking about. Bid for it on E Bay back in 2003 and was sad to see it was just a photocopy when it arrived ( some people will try to rip you off) however I remembered the car and when it first appeared for sale saved all the pictures. I have many pictures of the car before the restoration, whilst it is having a bare metal restoration and post restoration.

I would like to thank all the people that contacted me after Mr Rockstock put the information about the discs I sell. All funds go towards the purchase of NOS parts for my 1958 Convertible restoration. One of the back wings is costing £700 so I will have to sell a few more discs to reach my target.

If anyone is interested please contact me.

Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:51 am

one more testimonial for broadacus' cds....they're a great resource - i'm also (s-l-o-w-l-y) restoring a 58 cab, and there is more information in his cd set than anywhere else, and is screaming bargain at that.

help a fellow ghia-er out, and help yourself out in the process....

matthew

Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:39 am

mnoe wrote: one more testimonial for broadacus' cds....they're a great resource - i'm also (s-l-o-w-l-y) restoring a 58 cab, and there is more information in his cd set than anywhere else, and is screaming bargain at that.

help a fellow ghia-er out, and help yourself out in the process....

matthew

Yep just received my 2 CD set on Lowlight Karmann Ghias from Ian. I can wholeheartedly recommend it to all KG fans. For those actively looking for a Lowlight or those who just aspire to owning one one day it provides you with 2 CDs packed with pictures and information of every conceivable Lowlight variation. Great value for money.

Email "Broadacus" to get yours today.

No I don't get comission :D

Sun Aug 13, 2006 7:03 pm

Just ordered my set yesterday, lets see, england to New York, New York to Germany, Germany to Dubai, Dubai to Bagram, Bagram to Kabul, Um....i should have them in three weeks 8)

Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:13 am

Damn it, it's back again! http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=393809

Now the price is negotiable . As Kyle said on the register forum it's back to taunt me. :evil:

Come on there must be one of you Ghia freaks in the US who'd love the challenge of putting this "historic" Ghia back together. I'd love to do it myself but I need to keep my money safe for another Ghia. :?

Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:18 am

John Moxon wrote: Now the price is negotiable . As Kyle said on the register forum it's back to taunt me. :evil:

Come on there must be one of you Ghia freaks in the US who'd love the challenge of putting this "historic" Ghia back together. I'd love to do it myself but I need to keep my money safe for another Ghia. :?

Only $8700

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=394061

Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:32 am

Lost opportunities.

The Ghia came up for sale when I had my 52 Hudson Hornet. Like most of us my budget can only hold so many projects.

It would have been a great car to pick up in the original condition but it looks like a good restoration was done from the pictures to the body.

It can be put back right. The price is certainly getting reasonable if the original engine and parts come with it.

When I picked up a NOS 40 hp Judson with the scoop this testimonial was in the "Package of Power". I am amazed that it is still around. Really nice period piece of VW history with racing past!

Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:39 am

JeffL wrote: It can be put back right. The price is certainly getting reasonable if the original engine and parts come with it.
It was my understanding that the original motor was flipped some time ago, so basically what you're getting is a run-of-the-mill ghia and a backstory.