| Author |
Message |
Rome
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004
Posts: 10604
Location: Pearl River, NY
|
 Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 9:49 am Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
 |
|
A well deserved award!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2025 8:18 am Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
What a great day at Volksfest 34 held at the Ohio History Connection in Columbus Ohio!
Our very own Central Ohio Vintage VW Club ( https://www.covvc.org/ ) hosts the event. This is our second year at this venue. Other than the heat combined with blacktop it seems like a great spot in a central location with plenty of space for swapping, show car, and spectator parking.
We had nearly 250 registered cars.
Although it was a bit on the warm side it didn’t seem to detract from a great turn out of VW’s, Porsches, Audi’s, Corvair & some other unique rides.
This year was a first for the club by honoring a VW model, so with that we celebrated 70th anniversary of the start of production of the Karmann Ghia with a dedicated show space.
"Joan" was honored with the “Best Karmann Ghia” award.
Quite an accomplishment considering the great group of Ghia’s that participated.
Link
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2025 12:19 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
That's the one!
I followed it through the streets of South Bend from our trailer parking lot to the show field.
It's tiny, but the engine makes some big noise  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rome
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004
Posts: 10604
Location: Pearl River, NY
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2025 10:12 am Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
| Rome wrote: |
Sounds like an outstanding car show with a large mix of era and models. Congrat's on your award! I've seen Mr. Falk's '63 in person at a VW meet in PA within the last few years; a remarkable car and thrill to see up close.
Is that an Aigle Ghia to the right?
|
It’s described in the program as a 1954 Panhard Dyna Junior Coupe.
Known as the”Competition” model. One of seven bodied by Ghia- Aigle
Displayed on behalf of the Lane Motor Museum. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rome
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004
Posts: 10604
Location: Pearl River, NY
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2025 9:19 am Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
Sounds like an outstanding car show with a large mix of era and models. Congrat's on your award! I've seen Mr. Falk's '63 in person at a VW meet in PA within the last few years; a remarkable car and thrill to see up close.
Is that an Aigle Ghia to the right?
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2025 8:32 am Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
Rarely do I trailer my Ghia's. I don't own a trailer but on a couple of occasions I have wanted to attend events that are a bit further than I want to drive.
More than two hours is too much for me. Plus I get hot, sweaty and tired.
I have rented car haulers from U-Haul in the past. They are built like a Abrams Tank. With the narrow track the Ghia's will barely fit so one needs to be very careful loading..... and driving.
I might revisit that topic in a later post.
South Bend In. is a 4.5 hour drive from Columbus. I pulled the trailer with our motorhome and stayed at the rig parking directly across from the Notre Dame Campus Friday/Saturday night.
The Concours d’Elegance at Copshaholm as a showcase of the history and beauty of the automobile as art was truly magnificent.
But was even better were the staff at the Studebaker Museum and Oliver Mansion. They made my time there unforgettable.
Each and every person I met was truly outstanding.
The City of South Bend Indiana has much to be proud of.
Our VW’s were well received.
A 67 Beetle survivor shown by John Jaskowiak won a special award.
The 1963 Karmann Ghia convertible shown by Greg Falk was awarded a 1st Place award.
Greg’s Ghia is a beautiful Pacific Blue survivor.
The earlier Ghia’s (and Beetles) really stand out with there beautiful interiors to match and compliment the great exterior colors VW chose in the early sixties.
Greg also has some neat matching period luggage to compliment.
The judges were very kind and a bit humorous.
Elizabeth embroidered a black and red polo shirt to compliment the colors of the Joan.
Our judging team for the Carrozzeria Ghia Class was Bill Rothermel along with Luke Chennell & Rob Signom.
Mr. Rothermel looks at my shirt and exclaims, “You will receive no extra points for your outfit”. Hilarious!
Joan and I were excited to receive the 2nd place ribbon.
Best in class was the 1972 DeTomaso Pantera.
The Ghia class was impressive.
Also included was a 1967 Ghia 450SS and a 1955 Chrysler Crown Imperial Limousine.
The Ghia company sure was prolific in their heyday during the 1950’s 60’s.
Joan and I had a fantastic day on the beautiful grounds of the Oliver Mansion (of Oliver tractor fame).
As a bonus I got to hang out with a fellow Ghia enthusiast
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DaveB9
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2021
Posts: 367
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2025 7:45 am Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
| She's a gorgeous looking car! Nice to get to some mixed events and see different machines. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Marcdeb
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2019
Posts: 3254
Location: Vermont
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2025 9:47 am Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
We have had a wet spring so it’s been hard to enjoy the Ghia’s as much as I like.
The weather forecast for Fathers Day weekend called for wall to wall rain.
Stan Hywet Fathers Day Car Show is a great event that helps support the daily operations at the mansion.
It’s a huge event and a beautiful site now in its 67th year making it one of the oldest shows in Ohio.
F.A. Seiberling, co-founder of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, had the mansion build in 1910 on 70 acres in Akron.
There are 28 classes ranging from pre war up to exotics.
The Ghia was entered in “Production 1960-70.
As this is a Classic Car Club of America (CCCA)event, all cars must be stock.
Joan managed a 3rd place in a very nice field cars ranging from VW buses to Cadillacs.
There were at least 4 Beetles along with a couple of additional busses, a Vanagan Camper and a sweet Kubelwagen.
You have to preregister and there’s always a chance that weather and grounds will be less than ideal.
I wasn’t sure I was going until the morning of as the weather forecast looked sketchy at best. The weather turned out great.
The lawn at the mansion was soggy but fortunately not the mud pit that was forecasted.
I did hit a downpour just as I got back in town.
I was two miles from home!
Joan effortlessly made the 2 hour trip from Columbus to Akron up 71, the mighty 1500cc singing along.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Marcdeb
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2019
Posts: 3254
Location: Vermont
|
| Posted: Thu May 01, 2025 12:59 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
| kingkarmann wrote: |
We have had some decent spring days lately. Finally, I was able to take a top down drive.
It sure helps clear ones head!
When I returned and grabbed the mail I found out that Joan was selected to represent the our cars in the "Carrozeria Ghia" class for Ghia bodied cars at the the Concours at Copshaholm in South Bend Indiana July 12th.
https://www.concoursatcopshaholm.org/
If any fellow Sambanista's are in or around the area during the event please stop by and say hi
|
That's a perfect photo for framing Mark. Beautiful! Congratulations. Quite an honor.
_________________
Marc
68 Karmann Ghia Cabrio Autostick
71 Karmann Ghia Cabrio
Previously Owned:
2011 VW EOS Hard Top Conv
2008 Saab 9-3 2.0T Conv
2003 Saab 9-3 SE Conv
2001 Saab 9-3 Conv
1998 BMW 3 Series Conv
1997 Saab 900 Conv
1997 Mazda Miata
68 Ghia Vert Survivor with 22,350 miles: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=768107&highlight=
71 Ghia Vert Restoration: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=726710&postorder=asc |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Thu May 01, 2025 12:32 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
We have had some decent spring days lately. Finally, I was able to take a top down drive.
It sure helps clear ones head!
When I returned and grabbed the mail I found out that Joan was selected to represent the our cars in the "Carrozeria Ghia" class for Ghia bodied cars at the the Concours at Copshaholm in South Bend Indiana July 12th.
https://www.concoursatcopshaholm.org/
If any fellow Sambanista's are in or around the area during the event please stop by and say hi
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Marcdeb
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2019
Posts: 3254
Location: Vermont
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2025 5:25 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
New shoes for Joan!
I also invested in a wheel hanger stud.
Makes mounting the wheels so much easier.
Sure wish I got this handy thing years ago.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Marcdeb
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2019
Posts: 3254
Location: Vermont
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 11:38 am Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
My timing sure is off!
It’s sunny and 70 degrees. I pulled th old tires off yesterday.
Installation of the replacements happens tomorrow 
Fortunately it’s supposed to be even nicer the rest of the week here in Buckeye Country.
My wife handled the sewing repairs on the seatback seam.
She did a wonderful job
Before
After
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2025 7:47 am Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
| Marcdeb wrote: |
I suspect you will be amazed at how much better the car rides with the new tires. My 68 Ghia had 20+ year old tires with less than 2000 miles on them. I also bought Cokers. The improvement for the ride was enormous. I didn't realize how the old tires had gotten extremely hard.
If anyone is interested, here's a link to my thread for preserving my original seats which had the same problem as well as other issues.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=790303&highlight=
|
Thanks for the link!
Definitely interested.
Fortunately the thread gave out. The vinyl didn't tear.
How is your repair holding up?
The old tires do get hard.
I plugged a hole on the Sophia's (coupe) front tire last summer.
It had a slow leak caused by a screw I picked up somewhere.
I could tell how hard the tire had become when using the reamer and plug tool. They are just about 20 years old
The coupe runs 155's as there is no room for 165's out back.
I wondered how 165's would work on the Vert but not the 67 coupe. 
After a bit of investigation the answer is simple.
During restoration on the coupe I replaced the drums with wider and easier to find 40mm.
Joan has the correct narrower 30mm drums thus giving enough space to mount a 165 tire. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Marcdeb
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2019
Posts: 3254
Location: Vermont
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2025 3:58 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
I suspect you will be amazed at how much better the car rides with the new tires. My 68 Ghia had 20+ year old tires with less than 2000 miles on them. I also bought Cokers. The improvement for the ride was enormous. I didn't realize tires would get that hard with age.
If anyone is interested, here's a link to my thread for preserving my original seats which had the same problem as well as other issues.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=790303&highlight=
_________________
Marc
68 Karmann Ghia Cabrio Autostick
71 Karmann Ghia Cabrio
Previously Owned:
2011 VW EOS Hard Top Conv
2008 Saab 9-3 2.0T Conv
2003 Saab 9-3 SE Conv
2001 Saab 9-3 Conv
1998 BMW 3 Series Conv
1997 Saab 900 Conv
1997 Mazda Miata
68 Ghia Vert Survivor with 22,350 miles: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=768107&highlight=
71 Ghia Vert Restoration: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=726710&postorder=asc
Last edited by Marcdeb on Sat Feb 22, 2025 9:55 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DaveB9
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2021
Posts: 367
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2025 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
I reckon the Cokers will look fantastic and you don't want the thought of elderly tyres in the back of your mind spoiling the drive.
I'll be interested to see that seat repair in detail. I have a couple of original seats that are splitting the same way (not my Ghia) and desperately want to retain the original vinyl. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4540
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2025 2:37 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing Joan! |
|
|
Our garage is not climate controlled so I haven't been doing much work out there. Our winter has been chillier than the last couple. It seems to be much like that everywhere lately.
Knowing the tires on Joan are nearly 19 years old I (reluctantly) decided to replace the beautiful BF Goodrich Silvertown WW's with Coker Classic's.
I went back and forth about replacing. The Silvertown's still have the whiskers.
Great tires but I do highway drive and decided that the potential risk to the Ghia , me or some innocent traveler was just to great.
After some discussion with Coker and a special deal that I could not pass up I went with the Coker Classics 165R15.
Although 67's came with 155's the 165's fit just fine.
Looking forward to getting them mounted soon and taking them for a spin.
Date code on the BR Goodrich's and whiskers
Next issue is the thread breaking on the drivers side seat back. It's really not surprising given it's interior is original. I've also put over 2,500 miles on her since delivery in August of 2021.
I've removed the seat and separated the cover from the pad. I'll document it more thoroughly as I complete the repairs.
Come on Spring! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
