CarBrandLogos archive · Volkswagen · 1955

VolkswagenKarmann Ghia

Italian lines, German hand-formed steel, Beetle mechanicals underneath.

Photo: Sicnag · CC BY 2.5

The story

A defining chapter in Volkswagen history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Wilhelm Karmann's coachbuilding firm at Osnabrück was already building Beetle cabriolets for Volkswagen and wanted something more ambitious. Volkswagen was not interested, so Karmann approached Ghia in Turin, and Luigi Segre's studio produced a body that persuaded Wolfsburg to change its mind.

Marigny May07Karmann Ghia Back · see above · CC BY 2.5

Design and engineering

The design was full of compound curves with no straight break lines, which meant the panels could not simply be stamped and bolted together — the seams were hand-welded and leaded smooth, and each body required a great deal of skilled labour. That is why a car with a Beetle's mechanical specification looks like something from a class three times its price.

1966 Type 34 Karmann Ghia · Jameskramer · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

Underneath, it was exactly a Beetle: the same floorpan, slightly widened, the same torsion-bar suspension and the same air-cooled flat-four hanging out behind the rear axle. Performance never came close to matching the bodywork, and Volkswagen was careful never to call it a sports car in its own advertising. Buyers did not seem to mind; the point was the shape.

1966 Type 34 Karmann Ghia rear · Jameskramer · CC BY-SA 3.0

Legacy

It sold from 1955 to 1974 in Type 14 form, joined by the sharper-edged Type 34 on the Type 3 platform from 1961, which was never officially sold in the United States. Brazil built its own versions, including the Karmann Ghia TC. Around 445,000 were made in total, which for a hand-finished body is an extraordinary number, and it remains the most elegant thing Volkswagen made in the air-cooled era.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1955–1974

Body

2-door convertible

Technical specification

The Karmann Ghia, in detail.

Production: Germany; Type 14: 1955–1974; Type 34: 1961/1962–1969; 445,238 total units built:; Coupé: 364,401 (Type 14 and 34); Cabriolet: 80,837 (all Type 14) Brazil; Type 14: 1962–1971; TC (Touring Coupé): 1972–1975; 41,689 total u
Class: Sports car (S)
Body style: 2-door convertible; 2-door coupé
Layout: RR layout
Engine: 1200 cc, 1300 cc, 1500 cc, or 1600 cc flat-4
Designer: Carrozzeria Ghia: Luigi Segre and Felice Mario Boano and others; 1972 update by Sergio Sartorelli
Assembly: West Germany: Osnabrück; Brazil: São Bernardo do Campo (Volkswagen do Brasil)
Manufacturer: Volkswagen