Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Italian styling, Karmann coachbuilding and Volkswagen air-cooled mechanicals combined in coupé and cabriolet form.
Overview
The Karmann Ghia began when Wilhelm Karmann asked Luigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia to create a sporting body on Volkswagen mechanical foundations. Ghia produced a closed prototype in 1953, and its reception by Karmann and Volkswagen managing director Heinrich Nordhoff led to development of a production 2+2 coupé.
Volkswagen presented the Type 14 Karmann Ghia in July 1955 and launched it publicly at the Frankfurt motor show that September. Ghia shaped the low, rounded body in Turin, while Karmann built it in Osnabrück using extensive hand-finishing. Beneath it was a widened version of the Beetle platform with the same rear-mounted, air-cooled flat-four layout.
The result offered style rather than exceptional speed. Early cars produced 30 PS, but their low seating position, two large instruments and flowing body gave the familiar Volkswagen components a very different character. Engine capacity and output increased steadily during the model’s long production run.
Models and body styles
Type 14 Coupé (1955–1974)
The original coupé entered production in August 1955. A 1959 update raised the headlamps, enlarged the front air inlets and revised the rear lamps. Later changes brought larger bumpers, safety improvements and further detail revisions without altering the basic silhouette.
The rear-mounted flat-four grew from 1.2 litres and 30 PS through 1.3- and 1.5-litre versions to a 1.6-litre engine producing 50 PS. Four-speed manual transmission was standard, while the clutchless Saxomat and later an automatic stick-shift transmission were available in selected markets.
Type 14 Cabriolet (1957–1973)
Karmann began building the open Type 14 in November 1957. Its lined folding roof and strengthened body required substantial hand assembly, making it more expensive and less numerous than the coupé. Mechanical development generally followed the closed model.
Type 34 Coupé (1961–1969)
The larger Type 34 used the Volkswagen Type 3 platform and its flatter engine, providing more cabin and luggage space. Ghia’s sharper body featured integrated front fog lamps and pronounced horizontal creases. Volkswagen presented a cabriolet prototype but did not approve it for series production, leaving the Type 34 as a coupé only.
Production
Type 14 cabriolet production ended in 1973, followed by the coupé on 31 July 1974 as the front-wheel-drive Scirocco arrived. Volkswagen records 362,601 Type 14 coupés and 80,881 cabriolets. The Type 34 had already ended in 1969 after a much smaller production run.