Gene Langen's 1958 Ghia by the House of Ghia

I have to admit that I was a VW enthusiast for quite a while before my eyes were opened to what a Lowlight Ghia actually is. The production of the Ghia started in late 1955, and the early models through 1959 are considered Lowlights. What's the difference, you might ask? In basic exterior differences, Lowlight models have headlights that are set lower on the fenders, smaller grille openings, and smaller, lower-mounted taillights. These styling differences make for a smoother and sleeker appearance that is very appealing to the eye. Approximately 30,000 to 35,000 Lowlight Ghias were produced. That is a pretty low number compared with the total Ghia production lasting until 1974 with a 445,000 models rolling out of the factory.

Not much is known about the history of this early coupe, but its new owner, Gene Langen, saw its potential. It soon found itself in the care of Mike Gregory and the crew at The House of Ghia (HOG) in Salem, Oregon. The project had been purchased by Gene from Ryan Shubiger. Between the parts that came with the project and those provided by the team at HOG, the goal was to use NOS and factory restored parts to take the '58 back to as original as possible. Mike informed Gene that they had enough NOS and authentic Okrasa parts to build a complete engine from the original case with an Okrasa kit upgrade, and Gene agreed to the idea. So, the team set forth to give the Lowlight a concours-level factory restoration, with an era correct and authentic Okrasa upgrade for some extra performance and eye appeal.

The team at HOG got busy on the car, and it was taken down to bare metal. Any rust issues were properly addressed by Adam Ryan. Then Ed Edwards assembled the pan and suspension. Mike Gregory later took the Ghia through the long process of bodywork and into the initial stages of paint. He sprayed the interior, trunk, engine bay, and underside of the body. Master craftsman and painter Paul Iozzio was then called upon to tackle the exterior sheet metal. The coupe left the factory in 1958 with the highly sought-after paint combination of Cognac with a Beige Grey roof. The body's factory Cognac color was matched to the original paint that still shined brightly on the backside of the glovebox door.

With the body painted and the chassis restored, Mike and the team turned their attention to the interior. SMS Auto Fabrics in Canby, Oregon, was a great source for providing fabrics for the basalt grey and red-speckled cloth seats, as well as the door panel embossed vinyl. The materials were then sent to Kevin Ferguson of Trimtec in Australia for stitching of the seat covers and creation of the door panels. Trimtec also gets credit for the original-style trunk liner. The rubber mats and firewall rubber were provided by Luis Jimenez of Lowlight Werks in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. Acme Headlining Co. made the light grey perforated headliner. Mike and his son Alex performed the interior assembly, including the headliner - Mike built and installed the rear seat carpet pieces and restored the factory original rear-view mirror.

The engine was built in-house at HOG, utilizing the original engine case, along with a combination of NOS and authentic Okrasa parts. The case was sent to Finish Line Coatings in Portland, Oregon, for coating before assembly. The carburetors were rebuilt by Tim Robson at Volksbitz, and a full-flow filter and oil cooler setup were performed by Michael Bucchino Sr. The transaxle was rebuilt by Jeff Fields of Transaxle Engineering. Jeff disassembled the unit, then sent the halves and nose cone out for coating at Finish Line before he reassembled it utilizing original and NOS parts. Extra care was taken to clean and plate the original bolts and hardware for re-use on both the engine and transaxle. The result is a visually stunning era-correct 36hp Okrasa engine and split case transaxle combination that performs beautifully.

Rounding out the appearance of the Lowlight is chrome plating of all the brightwork performed by Ogden Chrome of Ogden, Utah. All the factory trim and Lemmerz beauty rings were straightened and polished by Eric Winter in Salem, which accents the black and beige grey-painted rims. The final bit of icing on the cake is the NOS side view mirror.

The House of Ghia certainly knows how to properly restore early Ghias, and the team's passion and dedication to their craft shine through in the finished restoration of Gene's absolutely gorgeous 1958 Lowlight. We hope Gene enjoys many years and miles behind the wheel of this beauty.