Unusual trim package on a '73

[jason_hamilton]

An Indiana owner has asked if I can confirm an originality issue.
Anyone ever seen black graphics like on this '73 Cabrio?

The owner states that "I've been trying to find some information on the 73 Ghia convertible I bought last fall. This car has a trim package that has black striping going down the top of the front fenders as well as black trim extending about 2 inches around the cockpit. Also, there is black in between the two chrome strips on the side of the car. The overall color of the car is Saturn Yellow. In addition to the above, the car has the sport rims (no hubcap, just the plastic center cap), wood shifter and the padded sport steering wheel. Back in that era, VW had a "Sport Bug" and some have said that this may be the case with the Ghia as well. I know that this is not a later addition to the car as I bought it from the original owner and the original invoice denotes that there is some special package with the car. I'm trying to find any information on what this could be and thought maybe you could help."
I'm hoping he can get me a scan of that invoice, but in the meantime I figured I'd put it out there.

Any thoughts?

_________________
Jason Hamilton
1969 Karmann Ghia coupe
@MiddleAgedHoon

[Rome]

Yes, Jason! Back in '74, the year before I got my license, my schoolbus drove thru a neighborhood where a gal in the 11th grade had such a Ghia cabrio at her house. This was in southern NY state. She drove it as her everyday car (was brand new) and I only saw it that, and the next year. Same stripe package and wheels as the one you show. I never got close to the car to see its interior. I never saw another Ghia like that again, ever.

I imagine that your "factory" parts catalog would not've shown this trim package; it most likely was developed at VW's US HQ in NJ at the time without the blessing of VW or Karmann in Germany. I asked two friends who used to work at VWoA's service engineering group in NJ at that time; only one vaguely remembers the kit for the Ghia. Have you tried Richard Troy's encyclopedic knowledge for this?

I know a fella who is the Parts Mgr for a VW dealer in CT; he "might" remember this kit although it was way before "his time". I really doubt that there are any order sheets or part numbers for this kit still on the books; you'd have to find a supplemental parts order book or maybe it was just a special one-time dealer parts bulletin that was not incorporated into the factory parts binders. And that stuff would get tossed every several years...

Roland in NY

[70 140]

maybe a dealer invented the kit ?

[EdW]

I'm the owner of the Ghia being discussed. On the "Birth Certificate" it states on one of the M-codes that it has "Top black" as an astericks. Now, I don't know if this means that it has a black convertible top or the trim package. Maybe someone that has a black convertible top and their birth certificate can clarify this? If you want, I can take a pic of the steering wheel and post it as that is unique too and has a red VW emblem stamped into the steel on it.

[EdW]

Forgot to mention that on the invoice under "Model" it states it as "Yellow Special".

[jason_hamilton]

Below is Ed's "birth certificate" and the original invoice (click to enlarge).

Ed, M002 is a VW "package code" only available for US market cars that comprises the M261 and M976 options, which could not be had elsewhere. It does not explain the black graphics. The asterisk comment only confirms that your car came with a black top and seats.

I take "Yellow Special" as an indication that the salesman aknowleged that your car had a "dealership option" (as opposed to "factory option") package, even though the invoice don't state a sales code for said package. Of course, that's speculation on my part.

The wood shift knob was a common dress-up accessory available at most dealerships (my '70 has one), but I don't believe it was part of any VW option package.

I think Roland's on the right track with his guess that the graphics were a dealer option, but maybe someone else knows something definitive.
This was also the subject of some discussion in one of the Ghia Gab newlsetters of a dozen years ago ( http://www.house-of-ghia.com/ghiagab_v13-1.html )

_________________
Jason Hamilton
1969 Karmann Ghia coupe
@MiddleAgedHoon

[garyrowland]

this is rowland in northwest Indiana. not to be confused with roland in NY. aka "rome" in an above post, but I've heard it was a dealers option to mimic the sport bug of the same era - but I've never seen one, the story goes only a handful ever got sold, and no. I don't know name of dealer or location so is it one of those "urban legends"? these are the first photos I've ever seen

[garyrowland]

oh, on the birth cert. - the top black only refers to the convertible top- nothing dealer on that

[carmangary]

I haven't seen the black on the top of the fenders but I have seen the black trim between the two strips of side trim before.

[EdW]

Here is the steering wheel off of this car. Is this the same as they would have on the Sun Bug?

[img]http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=105892[/img]

Ed

[jason_hamilton]

[retrowagen]

Hi Gang,

Well, I remembered seeing this trim package for the 1973/1974 Cabriolet in some factory photos... Here's a really bad scan of one of them (sorry, my scanner is dying!):

Obviously, this vehicle has other rims than what's pictured on Ed W.'s special Cabriolet. I believe the steering wheel pictured mounted on Ed's car is the same type as used on the concurrent special edition Rallye Beetle, a VDM leather-rimmed three spoke with a really huge hub.

I don't know too much else about this trim package--whether it was dealer or factory installed, for instance--although the factory photo suggests it may have been factory installed, or, to be certain, cooked up by either the VW styling studio in Wolfsburg, or Karmann in Osnabrueck.

There's a second factory photo of this car, shown from the rear three-quarters view, which shows the extra graphics around the cockpit applied to only the driver's half of the car! As if the styling studio was not fully committed to the concept yet.

I have talked at length in the past to a couple German Karmann-Ghia experts (one the author of a book) about this trim package; they knew little or nothing about it too, asking me if there were any of these running around in the US. I had never seen one, but I guess now we know where to find one!

Ed, hang on to that car...
_________________
David Ruby
President, Karmann-Ghia World Club

[EdW]

Dave,

That's exactly what I have except for the rims. It's interesting on the second picture you mentioned as my car has a seam in the back center of the black trim right below the top. That second picture you have could be showing the process of putting the trim on. Still, if anyone has any additonal info, I'd love to hear from you.

Ed
_________________
20‰

[EdW]

I was just out in the garage looking at the car closely and the trim package had to have been intstalled at the factory. I say this because if it was installed at the dealer, they would have had to remove the convertible top along with the door trim (both at the windows and the lower trim), mirrors, door handles and headlights just to get the black decal underneath these items. Anybody know if dealers would go through this much hassle?
_________________
20‰

[garyrowland]

I don't think a dealer would go to that much trouble, and besides with retrowagen producing factory photos - so much for the dealer option idea? any way you slice it - not to many of them, its a pretty rare bird

[coad]

[EdW]

Well, I'm working on it and hopefully will have it ready for the 50th anniversary up in Michigan.
_________________
20‰

[EdW]

I've posted some more pictures of my car in the Gallery under "1973 Ghia special" if you want to see it a bit more cleaned up than the day I picked it up.
_________________
20‰

[jason_hamilton]

Boy, the paint sure shined up nice. It's gonna be a relatively easy resto and a cool unusual car when it's done.
_________________
Jason Hamilton
1969 Karmann Ghia coupe
@MiddleAgedHoon

[EdW]

That's just after washing the car. I haven't even done any polishing yet - gonna wait until the rust repair is finished. Jason, any idea on how festering the rust is on the front shots that I posted?
_________________
20‰