Based in Perth,  the Karmann Ghia Company of Australia,is found in a small industrial complex, with a wood yard around the corner and rusting car shells dotting the landscape. For this company, a modest workshop and a couple of faithful employees are what’s needed to keep a global clientele happy - plus of course, lots of skill and time-honoured attention to detail !

His level of commitment is such that Jerry’s parts are sought after in California, and in Germany too. Talk about selling fridges to Eskimos !

Not only does Jerry manufacture and sell better than original parts however, he also restores and modifies Karmanns to perfection. His own piece de resistance is this gorgeous little 1958 Karmann Ghia convertible.

The ‘58 convertible is the rarest and most sought after model, due to the simple fact that 1958 was the first model year for Karmann convertibles. Production numbers for that first batch were accordingly the lowest in the convertible’s sixteen year history (1, 325 in ‘58 compared to a yearly maximum of 5,873 in 1970 before production ceased in 1974)

Jerry’s interest in Karmanns began some ten years ago when a mate, Pete Arnoldi, restored a white 1960 coupe, and Jerry then found himself a ‘farmyard wreck’ in the form of a 1960 coupe in Western Australia’s deep south.

Recalls Jerry; "There was this ‘58 convertible sitting in the corner and… well, most people would have cried had they seen it.

"The car was a faded Amazon Green, with no upholstery, no engine and it had the wrong transmission. In fact, because of the front transmission mount, the tunnel had been cut to accommodate the shift rod."

There was, however, one very important good point about the car - Jerry was delighted that he could open the doors then jump up and down on the sills without them giving way! (Karmanns often fell victim to rust.)

His  restoration project was loaded along with five other Ghias that had been purchased for customers back in Perth. Ironically, his ‘58 convertible had to wait a full year before it could be tackled, because the other five Karmanns had to be converted to right hand drive first for their customers. It’s worth noting that Jerry performs this modification with full approval and paperwork from the road traffic authorities.

Jerry and his best mate, Dennis Sparnon, then spent every night for three weeks straight, smoothing out the body ready for paint. The colour is British Racing Green Metallic from Dupont and was applied in two-pack format with seven coats of clear. Although Jerry and Dennis prepared the bodywork, the paintwork was done by a small specialist outfit who wish to remain nameless.

Actually converting the ‘58 to right hand drive for Australian conditions was no small achievement either.

Jerry could have left the vehicle in its original left hand drive configuration, but wasn't keen on driving around with a monstrous red and white sticker across the back saying, ‘Caution Left Hand Drive’. (You have to live in WA to understand!)

The conversion to RHD was particularly difficult because up until ‘59 all Karmann Ghias had fully metal dashboards. This brought to the fore Dennis Sparnon's trade skills as a motor body builder.

"He completely hand made the dash in an operation that took 50 hours, but the process allowed us to perfect steel moulds for pressing the glovebox openings and lids," says Jerry. "Why spoil an appreciating investment by welding in a glove box from a Beetle!"

Jerry’s business now sells these quality replica dashes and ancillary fittings. And this Karmann carries a very rare ‘Blumenvase’ on the dash. Traditionally with a rose in it, this little vase is very rare and highly sought after in Volkswagen circles. What some purists might think of the Aussie gum leaves in this one we won’t discuss!

Naturally, the chassis itself was primed, painted and sealed before the body was bolted to the pan and brand new wiring run through the vehicle.

This has seen Jerry wire the car up for 12 Volts as compared to the original 6 Volts.

Not a particularly difficult conversion, which saw the original alternator re-wound and the addition of a modern regulator and 12 Volt battery. Interestingly, the original 6 Volt wiper motor had to remain for mechanical reasons, but an in line potentiometer feeds it the correct voltage.

Nonetheless, there were a few little electrical ‘glitches’ to be sorted out on the car, including the fact that vehicles of this era quite commonly combined the brake and indicator lights as one unit.

"I hunted around wreckers, people I knew and other colleagues in the trade until I had a collection of seven engines from which I could build a good one," said Jerry.

It’s become such a specialist job to restore these 1192cc motors, that simply having a collection of suitable crankshafts isn’t even enough anymore.

"The problem now is things like the bearings - I’ve hunted everywhere for main bearings to suit the crank for this engine and just can’t find anything to suit anymore, even in the USA," said Jerry.

"What we have to do is find bearings that are close to the original size first, and then grind the crankshaft to suit the bearings."

  A bloke by the name of Peter Howard was brought on board next and, quite frankly, his craftsmanship is breathtaking.

"Peter has done several of our Karmanns and they all have taken out prizes," says Jerry. "He’s one of those elderly craftsmen who learnt his trade back in Ye Olde England and just works away quietly in his workshop."

The hoodframe was set up with new bows from West Coast Metric, while the hinge pins and bushes came from KGPR.

It took some time to find an insert material for the seats that looked even remotely similar to the original square hounds tooth pattern, but the end result is more than pleasing.

The hood and tonneau cover is genuine Hartze Canvas and completely watertight. One piece missing that would complete the car, though, is the rare header bow chrome strip.

Alright, so the car could have been driven around on modern rubber, but a car like this just wouldn’t look cool without the original whitewalls, now would it ?

Jerry tried everything from fake stick on whitewalls to three different types of rubber paint, but they all failed in one way or another.

A phone call to the Corker Tyre Company in the USA then led Jerry to their Australian agent and the ‘58 convertible now wears original Firestone 560-15 rubber.

"They’re not the best handling tyres," admits Jerry, "but they look perfect!"

The full list of components required to put this 1958 Karmann Ghia back on the road is endless, but it doesn’t just extend to parts which actually make the car function so to speak.

Under the front bonnet sits a toolbox that looks every bit an original, yet the box and many of the actual tools were made by Jerry’s Karmann Ghia Company of Australia. Once again, they’re now sold worldwide.

Such attention to perfect detail makes this 1958 Karmann Ghia convertible a stand alone unit. It’s certainly the only ‘58 convertible in Australia, and possibly the only right hand drive one in the world.