The Car
1974 Karmann Ghia Coupe
Body
1974 Karmann Ghia Coupe
This is a May 1974 Karmann Ghia Coupe, one of the last built, as production ceased in July 1974.
Most of the body mods are due to a motorway accident in 2009, and were undertaken by Phil at what is now Woodward's of Sussex. This involved removing all the damaged bodywork and making good some corrosion damage, the fitting of a fibreglass flip-front & hinge mechanism, making a bespoke fibreglass rear body section, de-trimming and finishing in VW Pacific Blue. A tough 8pt cage was installed by Large Engineering. Rear screen & quarter windows are polycarbonate. Future plans involve more fibreglass & polycarbonate.
Engine
Audi 1.8 20 Valve Turbo (APX)
After a catastrophic failure of the 2109cc VW aircooled engine in 2016, it was decided to go with a more robust and tunable option. A 2000 model year Audi TT Quattro 225 was sourced, and donated its engine & ancilliaries, ECU & wiring loom, radiator & fan pack, plus a few other bits & pieces. A bellhousing adaptor kit was supplied by Andrew Raw at TSR Engine Conversions. Once up & running, this alone upped the power from the previous 170bhp to 225bhp.
The car was then taken up to Chris Roylance at VolksWorkshop for fault-finding & fine-tuning. The end result was 289bhp & 305ftlb. We should be looking at running in the 11s after initial testing has been completed.
Gearbox & Drivetrain
VW 002 (CE) & Porsche 924
The standard IRS gearbox doesn't take much abuse, so a VW 002 (VW Camper) CE code unit is being used. These are relatively cheap to pick up and even without modification can take quite a beating. This one keeps its factory gearset & ratios, but has been upgraded with an aluminium spool, machined & fitted by John Walklett. One of the advantages of using a 002 unit is that factory Porsche 924 driveshaft assemblies with their larger 100mm CV joints can be used, and plug straight into the VW IRS arms/bearings & drums. The transmission is fitted using a modified CogBox mount and supported by a Kafer bar system and bellhousing mount which adds extra bracing to keep the gearbox in place.
Suspension
Balljoint/IRS
The front end now uses an adjustable balljoint beam as the previous 3" narrowed beam started to become a handful over 90mph. Anti bump-steer bushes are fitted to the front spindles. The tie-rods are our in-house units made from CDS tubing and there is an Empi quick-steer kit. GAZ adjustable oil-filled dampers handle the bounces.
At the rear, the standard IRS suspension has been beefed-up with Urethane diagonal-arm bushes, Delrin torsion-bar grommets and 30mm Porsche 944 Turbo torsion bars. Our clearance bolts ensure the tyres don't come into contact with the springplates, and the rear shock-towers have also been clearanced. KYB GR2 gas-filled shocks control the ups & downs.
Wheels & Tyres
Street & Strip
Strip - Up front are 3.5x15"Â VMS Racing 'Modulo' in 5x100 fitment from Simon at Speedshop Malta, shod with 135/80/15 tyres, whilst at the back are 6x15 Porsche Teledials (ET52.3) on 10mm spacers, with Phoenix 6W/15 slicks.
Street - 6x15" 'G60' style steels with 165/80/15 tyres grace the front end and 7x15 Porsche Teledials with 225/60/15 tyres finish things off at the back.
Brakes
Disc/Drum
A full set of Goodridge stainless braided hoses ensure a firm pedal each time braking assistance is demanded. At the front a pair of drilled 5x100 pattern discs are gripped by a pair of awesome Wilwood/Empi calipers & pads. A line-lock makes sure the rear tyres can be warmed when required.
The rear is standard, except for a pair of 5x130 Porsche pattern drums.
A stud conversion all-round makes wheel changes at the track a breeze.
