In a large number of countries, the USA being the most important market, standard bumpers were not safe enough, particularly for these export markets, so European bumpers were replaced by a reinforced version. These were the same bumpers, but with high bumper rosettes and reinforcement tubes attached to and/or between them.
These reinforcement tubes are bolted to the bumper, and to ensure that the reinforcement pieces cannot damage the bumper, rubbers are fitted between them.
This little detail also shows that the Karmann Ghia had to outperform the VW Beetle. The Beetle had similar export bumpers, but no protective rubber between these parts.
If these rubbers aren't present on your Karmann Ghia, or if they've worn down over the years, it's time to change them. If you don't do it for the protection of steel on steel, do it for the originality.
Useful information from Paruzzi magazine and from our YouTube channel :
Look for more technical articles on the page Paruzzi Magazine