About this episode

The episode discusses the groundbreaking restoration of a 1955 Karmann Ghia that won a prestigious award at a major car show.

"Karma" is the latest ground-breaking creation from Type 1 Restoration — Dennis Troggio's 1955 Lowlight Karmann Ghia that just captured the coveted Al Slonaker Award at the Grand National Roadster Show, the highest honor for non-roadster vehicles at the most prestigious indoor custom car show in the world. This wasn't their first shot at Slonaker glory. We get into the second attempt — and how lessons learned from the legendary "Turmoil" split-window Beetle (a build that redefined what was possible in the VW and hot rod world) shaped the philosophy behind Karma. Turmoil raised the bar. Karma shattered it. The 1955 Lowlight Karmann Ghia is already one of the rarest early production Volkswagens ever built — the very first year of Ghia production. Owner Dennis Troggio was also hands on with this build. But this car goes far beyond restoration. Nearly everything on Karma has been re-engineered, re-imagined, or custom-machined from scratch. The list of untouched parts is shorter than the list of one-off components. From custom-machined brake rotors carved out of solid cast iron, to intricate mechanical detailing throughout, no surface was overlooked. The interior, crafted by the…

People in this episode

Host: Bill Tsagrinos

Topics covered

• Karmann Ghia
• car restoration
• custom cars
• Al Slonaker Award
• automotive craftsmanship
• Type 1 Restoration

Keywords

• Karmann Ghia
• Al Slonaker Award
• Type 1 Restoration
• custom car
• automotive engineering
• car show
• restoration techniques
• Dennis Troggio

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Type 1 Restoration, RevMaster

Products: Karmann Ghia, Type 1 powerplant

Books & works: Karma, Turmoil

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