The Karmann Ghia had looks, though, and what the little German lacked in power and performance it made up for with an affable demeanor and delightfully low running costs. So while this spruced-up Bug might not have appealed to the more hardcore buyers of MGs, Triumphs, Alfas, and Morgans, the VW found itself plenty of friends and earned itself an impressive twenty-year production run.
The name of the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia seems to give away much of the car's history. It was, of course, a Volkswagen and used standard Volkswagen mechanical bits. Karmann, a renowned German coachbuilder, fabricated its carefully constructed bodywork. Ghia, a prestigious Italian design house, penned its elegant shape. The story behind the car's development, though, was actually far more complicated than the easily-decoded nomenclature suggests. More specifically, the design of the Karmann Ghia remained for many years something of a mystery. Simply attributing the styling to Ghia would be inaccurate and unfair to the individuals responsible for the car's timeless contours.
Several years before the Karmann Ghia's debut for 1955, Volkswagen had requested that Karmann design a sports car to be built over a Beetle chassis. Karmann developed several proposals, but all of these were rejected by Volkswagen. Luckily, Karmann head Wilhelm Karmann was friends with Ghia chief engineer and designer Luigi Segre. Karmann brought the Volkswagen project to the attention of Segre, who later surprised Karmann with a completed prototype styled and produced at Ghia in 1953. Karmann introduced Segre's project to highly impressed Volkswagen officials, and from that point on Ghia's initial design was further developed into the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
The designer of the lovely bodywork that emerged from Ghia's shops, though, was never officially identified. Virgil Exner claimed that the design for the Karmann Ghia was based upon his Coupe D'Elegance, a car he designed for Ghia, while the Ghia company itself stated that their own Mario Boano created the design in 1950. Likely, the final design was influenced by both Exner and Boano, especially given the latter's work on stylistic predecessors to the Karmann Ghia such as the Alfa Romeo 2500 S convertible of 1949 and a Lancia Aurelia limousine of 1950 (automotive historian Jan Norbye identified the stylistic similarities between these models).
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Karmann Ghia's design, its shape proved immediately successful and enduringly beautiful. The earlier models, produced from 1955 to 1959 and now often called 'lowlights,' were the purest with their tiny taillights, smaller front grilles, and lower headlight mounting positions unaffected by later headlight height regulations. All subsequent Karmann Ghias maintained much of the original design's character and grace, though, as the car never faced a full redesign.
Volkswagen enlarged the car's taillights, raised the headlight mounting places, and widened the front grilles (used only for cabin ventilation as the engine was air-cooled and rear-mounted) for 1960, but even these changes kept intact the car's delightfully mouse-like face and superb proportions. Later models looked bulkier, with taillights that kept growing, bigger front turn indicators, and bulkier bumpers, but even the final models retained sheetmetal nearly as pretty as that of the very first models. Luckily, the discontinuation of the model after 1974 prevented the design from being marred by the infamous federal bumper regulations imposed in 1975. Though Karmann Ghia bumpers were enlarged in 1972, they remained far more attractive and better-integrated than the rubber units forced upon so many hapless little sports cars from 1975.
Every bit as impressive as the Karmann Ghia's styling was its build quality. Karmann did a wonderful job crafting the car's timeless forms, hand finishing the bodies for an attention to detail unprecedented in such an affordable car. Despite the cars' eventual propensity to develop rust problems, Karmann treated the Volkswagens with careful corrosion protection and sophisticated painting techniques. The flowing compound curves that defined the Karmann Ghia's excellent styling were shaped by Karmann with unerring finesse, and finished to a remarkably high standard.
Initially offered only as a coupe, Volkswagen introduced a Karmann Ghia cabriolet for 1957 that continued in production alongside the coupe until the 1974 model year, after which the Scirocco hatchback replaced the Karmann Ghia model range. The cabriolet retained all of the coupe's great looks. Surprisingly, it also retained much of the coupe's all-season drivability, thanks to Karmann's advanced convertible top with its effective insulation and glass rear window.
Never offered with more engine than a 60-horsepower, air-cooled flat four, the Karmann Ghia simply could not accelerate like a proper sports car—and with its substantial rear weight bias, handling was never ideal. For 1967, disc brakes and a revised rear suspension endowed the Karmann Ghia with greater performance potential, but it remained the German tortoise amongst British and Italian hares. As the advertisements declared, though, Volkswagen never pretended that the Karmann Ghia intended to compete directly with real sports cars.
Instead of raw excitement, the Karmann Ghia offered peace of mind: reliability instead of maintenance hassles; easily attainable parts and good service instead of spotty dealer networks; everyday usability instead of occasional fun. But despite these relatively staid traits, the Karmann Ghia also offered buyers something truly exciting—it provided its owners the chance to experience a car of exceptional style and undisputed quality. With roughly 360,000 coupes and 80,000 cabriolets produced, the Karmann Ghia brought the joys of owning a rare car to buyers who knew they really needed a common one.
Source: Internet
Monday, November 5, 2012
1958 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia
The Karmann Ghia had looks, though, and what the little German lacked in power and performance it made up for with an affable demeanor and delightfully low running costs. So while this spruced-up Bug might not have appealed to the more hardcore buyers of MGs, Triumphs, Alfas, and Morgans, the VW found itself plenty of friends and earned itself an impressive twenty-year production run.
The name of the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia seems to give away much of the car's history. It was, of course, a Volkswagen and used standard Volkswagen mechanical bits. Karmann, a renowned German coachbuilder, fabricated its carefully constructed bodywork. Ghia, a prestigious Italian design house, penned its elegant shape. The story behind the car's development, though, was actually far more complicated than the easily-decoded nomenclature suggests. More specifically, the design of the Karmann Ghia remained for many years something of a mystery. Simply attributing the styling to Ghia would be inaccurate and unfair to the individuals responsible for the car's timeless contours.
Several years before the Karmann Ghia's debut for 1955, Volkswagen had requested that Karmann design a sports car to be built over a Beetle chassis. Karmann developed several proposals, but all of these were rejected by Volkswagen. Luckily, Karmann head Wilhelm Karmann was friends with Ghia chief engineer and designer Luigi Segre. Karmann brought the Volkswagen project to the attention of Segre, who later surprised Karmann with a completed prototype styled and produced at Ghia in 1953. Karmann introduced Segre's project to highly impressed Volkswagen officials, and from that point on Ghia's initial design was further developed into the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
The designer of the lovely bodywork that emerged from Ghia's shops, though, was never officially identified. Virgil Exner claimed that the design for the Karmann Ghia was based upon his Coupe D'Elegance, a car he designed for Ghia, while the Ghia company itself stated that their own Mario Boano created the design in 1950. Likely, the final design was influenced by both Exner and Boano, especially given the latter's work on stylistic predecessors to the Karmann Ghia such as the Alfa Romeo 2500 S convertible of 1949 and a Lancia Aurelia limousine of 1950 (automotive historian Jan Norbye identified the stylistic similarities between these models).
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Karmann Ghia's design, its shape proved immediately successful and enduringly beautiful. The earlier models, produced from 1955 to 1959 and now often called 'lowlights,' were the purest with their tiny taillights, smaller front grilles, and lower headlight mounting positions unaffected by later headlight height regulations. All subsequent Karmann Ghias maintained much of the original design's character and grace, though, as the car never faced a full redesign.
Volkswagen enlarged the car's taillights, raised the headlight mounting places, and widened the front grilles (used only for cabin ventilation as the engine was air-cooled and rear-mounted) for 1960, but even these changes kept intact the car's delightfully mouse-like face and superb proportions. Later models looked bulkier, with taillights that kept growing, bigger front turn indicators, and bulkier bumpers, but even the final models retained sheetmetal nearly as pretty as that of the very first models. Luckily, the discontinuation of the model after 1974 prevented the design from being marred by the infamous federal bumper regulations imposed in 1975. Though Karmann Ghia bumpers were enlarged in 1972, they remained far more attractive and better-integrated than the rubber units forced upon so many hapless little sports cars from 1975.
Every bit as impressive as the Karmann Ghia's styling was its build quality. Karmann did a wonderful job crafting the car's timeless forms, hand finishing the bodies for an attention to detail unprecedented in such an affordable car. Despite the cars' eventual propensity to develop rust problems, Karmann treated the Volkswagens with careful corrosion protection and sophisticated painting techniques. The flowing compound curves that defined the Karmann Ghia's excellent styling were shaped by Karmann with unerring finesse, and finished to a remarkably high standard.
Initially offered only as a coupe, Volkswagen introduced a Karmann Ghia cabriolet for 1957 that continued in production alongside the coupe until the 1974 model year, after which the Scirocco hatchback replaced the Karmann Ghia model range. The cabriolet retained all of the coupe's great looks. Surprisingly, it also retained much of the coupe's all-season drivability, thanks to Karmann's advanced convertible top with its effective insulation and glass rear window.
Never offered with more engine than a 60-horsepower, air-cooled flat four, the Karmann Ghia simply could not accelerate like a proper sports car—and with its substantial rear weight bias, handling was never ideal. For 1967, disc brakes and a revised rear suspension endowed the Karmann Ghia with greater performance potential, but it remained the German tortoise amongst British and Italian hares. As the advertisements declared, though, Volkswagen never pretended that the Karmann Ghia intended to compete directly with real sports cars.
Instead of raw excitement, the Karmann Ghia offered peace of mind: reliability instead of maintenance hassles; easily attainable parts and good service instead of spotty dealer networks; everyday usability instead of occasional fun. But despite these relatively staid traits, the Karmann Ghia also offered buyers something truly exciting—it provided its owners the chance to experience a car of exceptional style and undisputed quality. With roughly 360,000 coupes and 80,000 cabriolets produced, the Karmann Ghia brought the joys of owning a rare car to buyers who knew they really needed a common one.
Source: Internet
