The Karmann Ghia, the
most glamorous of Volkswagens, is an automotive drag queen: a rugged and
humble economy-car chassis dressed up in the finest haute couture. It is also a car of many nations: engineered and built in Germany, designed in Italy … and styled in Detroit? Read on…
THINKING BEYOND THE BEETLE
For 20 years, Volkswagen managing director Heinz Nordhoff clung
stubbornly to the Beetle. Although both in-house designers and outside
consultants like Porsche proposed literally dozens of redesigns or
replacements for the familiar Bug, Nordhoff rejected almost all of them.
Instead, he opted for a steady, conservative evolution of VW’s basic
Type 1 sedan (the Beetle) and Type 2 Transporter (a.k.a. Microbus),
improving their functionality and build quality without altering their
basic design. Like Henry Ford before him, Nordhoff preferred to perfect a
fundamentally archaic automobile rather than risk anything new.
Conservative and autocratic as he was, Nordhoff was not oblivious to
the value of new products, so long as they required little investment on
the part of Volkswagen itself. The Beetle convertible, for example, was
the product of the independent coachbuilder Karmann, not VW’s own
Wolfsburg factory. As early as 1951, Nordhoff and Wilhelm Karmann had
discussed the possibility of a stylish coupe based on the Type 1
chassis. Nordhoff was not satisfied with Karmann’s styling studies,
however, and nothing had come of it.
The original Volkswagen was created by
Ferdinand Porsche in 1938, perhaps inspired by designs by the
Czechoslovakian company Tatra (which sued VW for trademark infringement,
a suit not settled until 1961). It was originally called the KdF-wagen,
from the Nazi slogan Kraft durch Freude, “Strength through Joy.” The more innocuous Volkswagen name was adopted in 1946.
AN ITALIAN OFFER
Around the same time, Mario Boano, styling director of the Turin-base
Carrozzeria Ghia, was looking for new customers. After the war, Italy’s
coachbuilders had an abundance of talent, but a distinct shortage of
business; they scraped by with consulting work and a handful of
custom-bodied or semi-custom cars.
In 1950, Ghia was approached by C.B. Thomas, president of Chrysler’s
Export division, and commissioned to do a one-off on a stock Plymouth
chassis as a demonstration of what Ghia could do. The result was the
XX-500, a four-door sedan based on an Alfa Romeo design Boano had done a
year or so earlier.
Unlike GM, where styling chief Harley Earl reigned supreme, Chrysler
in those days was dominated by engineers, not designers. Chairman K.T.
Keller had recently hired Virgil Exner — formerly at Studebaker, and
before that, an employee of Raymond Loewy — to head the tiny Advanced Style Center,
although as yet Exner had no control over production car design. Both
Exner and Keller impressed by the quality of Ghia’s craftsmanship, and
even more impressed by the Italian studio’s low costs. Keller soon
negotiated a deal for Ghia to build concept cars for Chrysler, based on
designs created by Exner’s advanced styling studio.
The coachbuilder Wilhelm Karmann GmbH was
founded in 1901. Aside from its relationship with Volkswagen, it has
built cars for AMC, Audi, BMW,
Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes, Porsche, Renault, and Triumph. Carrozzeria
Ghia, meanwhile, was founded in 1915 by Giacinto Ghia. When Ghia died in
1944, Mario Boano and Giorgio Alberti acquired a controlling interest
in the firm.
During the same period, Segre began discussions with Karmann about
the possibility of a Volkswagen-based coupe. Karmann had yet to produce a
design that satisfied Nordhoff, but Karmann’s firm still needed the
work. He was willing to collaborate if Ghia could develop a suitable
design for Karmann to build. Mario Boano’s studios created several
styling studies for a VW-based coupe, but none of their early efforts
met with Karmann’s approval. Boano went back to the drawing board.
AN ELEGANT CONNECTION
Around the same time, Virgil Exner commissioned Ghia to build a sleek
fastback show car called the Chrylser D’Elegance. Although it had a
decidedly Italianate flair, it was entirely the work of Exner’s studio,
principally former Kaiser-Frazer designer Cliff Voss. Exner’s team
created a 3/8th-scale fiberglass model of the D’Elegance, which was
shipped to Turin as a guide for Ghia’s artisans in creating the
full-sized car. (Ghia also produced roughly 18 copies of the similar
Thomas Special, some of which were sold through Chrysler’s French
distributor, although contrary to some reports, there were not multiple
copies of the D’Elegance.)
A few months later, in the fall of 1953, Luigi Segre presented
Karmann with a new coupe prototype to Karmann. Although it rode a
commercially purchased Volkswagen chassis, it bore a pronounced
resemblance to Exner’s Chrysler D’Elegance design. The prototype was
significantly smaller than the D’Elegance, but Virgil Exner thought it
was a precisely scaled-down version of his design.
The Karmann Ghia’s design was quite advanced
for its era. It had curved side glass — rare then, even in America — and
frameless door glass, with extremely thin roof pillars. The front
fenders of the early models were more sharply curved, lowering the
headlights and making the nose look even lower than it is. In 1960, the
curvature was relaxed, and the headlamps raised about two inches (50
mm).
Years later, automotive writer Jan Norbye interviewed Ghia’s
surviving designers, who insisted steadfastly that the design concepts
for the Volkswagen coupe were Boano’s, not Exner’s. To defend that
claim, some historians have gone so far as to attribute the D’Elegance
design — and even Chrysler’s other Ghia-built specials — to Ghia’s
designers in Turin. Exner’s son, Virgil Exner, Jr., who was close with
Segre, said that Ghia made no secret of the resemblance between the two
designs. In 1975, Exner, Jr. told author Richard Langworth that during a
visit to the Ghia studios in May 1955, the Ghia stylists actually asked
Exner if he thought it bore too strong a resemblance the D’Elegance;
Exner replied that it looked exactly like it.
Although the VW coupe was already in progress when Ghia’s designers
saw the D’Elegance, we suspect that the latter’s design provided several
elements that Boano utilized for the Volkswagen project. It was not an
outright copy — the VW coupe and the Chrysler were certainly not
identical, least of all in size, and simply adapting such a design to a
much smaller platform was itself no small feat. Nonetheless, we don’t
believe the similarities were coincidental. It is certainly evident that
the collaboration between Exner and Ghia produced a common design
language — if they hadn’t, it’s unlikely that the D’Elegance would have
provided any usable themes for Boano to use — but if we had to assign
principal authorship for the design that became the Karmann Ghia, it
would be to Exner, not Boano. (We’re inclined to dismiss as national
chauvinism the idea that Ghia, not Exner, designed the D’Elegance; there
is far too much evidence to the contrary.)
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia rode the same
94.5-inch (2400mm) wheelbase as the Beetle, but was somewhat shorter
overall. It is much lower than the Beetle, though, at only 52.8 inches
(1,341 mm) — as low as a contemporary Thunderbird
hardtop. Although it was nominally a 2+2, the rear seat as always
rather cramped. In 1973, the back seat was deleted entirely, a
straightforward way of avoiding new U.S. federal laws requiring seat
belts for rear-seat passengers.
THE VOLKSWAGEN KARMANN GHIA
Whatever its origins, the new design was favorably received by
Wilhelm Karmann. He and Segre presented it to Heinz Nordhoff and
Volkswagen vice president Karl Feurereisen in November 1953. Feuereisen
was immediately enthusiastic, but the eternally conservative Nordhoff
declared that it was too expensive before even asking what it would
cost. Karmann retorted by quoting a highly attractive price. Nordhoff,
who was neither blind nor lacking in taste (in his private life, he was a
wine connoisseur and collected Renoirs), gave in. Contracts were
swiftly signed and the new coupe got the green light for production.
Nordhoff was not wrong about the new coupe’s high production costs.
Its sleek curves were too intricate and complex for simple stampings,
and many of its panels had to be painstakingly hand-formed. Each body
required a great deal of hand labor, which accounted for its high
eventual prices, more than 50% higher than a Beetle sedan. The
complexity of the body also posed serious production challenges, and it
took 21 months for Karmann’s engineers to ready the approved design for
mass production. The payoff for all this effort was a beautifully clean,
elegant shape, one of the most attractive and tasteful of its era.
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia’s distinctive
“nostrils” were not part of the original Ghia prototype; they were
apparently added by Karmann. The louvers were added in 1960. On U.S.
cars, the original marker lights, shone on this 1965 example, were
replaced in 1970 by large, wraparound marker lights.
Underneath, the coupe rode a more-or-less ordinary Beetle chassis.
Given the price and weight — the coupes were around 150 pounds (68 kg)
heavier than the sedan — a more powerful engine than the Beetle’s 1,192
cc (73 cu. in.) four might have been appropriate, but Nordhoff was
adamant that the coupe not be presented as a sports car. Volkswagen had a
complex relationship with Porsche to preserve; VW paid licensing fees
to Porsche for the Beetle (which had been designed by Ferdinand
Porsche), while Porsche provided VW with engineering consulting
services. Nordhoff had no desire to alienate Ferry Porsche by competing
with the Porsche 356,
which was in many respects a sleek, high-performance version of the
Beetle. Since Karmann also did extensive business with Porsche,
positioning the new VW coupe as a potential Porsche 356 rival would not
have been a politic move for them, either.
In the end, the coupe’s only substantive mark of mechanical
distinction was a front anti-roll bar, which helped to reduce the
sedan’s tendency to oversteer. (Beetles did not get this addition until
1960.)
With the same engine as the sedan and more weight, the coupe’s
performance was little better than that of the Beetle. The 0-62 mph
(0-100 km/h) sprint took more than 30 seconds, although thanks to its
smaller frontal area and lower drag coefficient, the coupe had a higher
top speed than the sedan, around 72 mph (116 km/h). It had the same
unburstable nature, however, the same familiar engine note, and the same
excellent fuel economy.
The coupe made its press debut in July 1955, about a month before it
went into production. At that point, it still didn’t have a name.
Wilhelm Karmann finally suggested “Karmann Ghia,” which was simple
enough, and had an appropriately mellifluous ring. The Karmann Ghia
coupe went on sale in September 1955, with a starting price of 7,500 DM
ex works ($1,875 at contemporary exchange rates), compared with 4,700 DM
for an export-spec Beetle. In the U.S., prices started at $2,395, which
was as much as a full-size Ford Fairlane 500.
This 1958 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Cabriolet
still has the original sloping front fenders and lower headlights,
although it has the sturdier bumpers introduced in ’58.
A cabriolet was added to the line in November 1957, priced at 8,250
DM in Germany. In the U.S., it cost about $350 more than the coupe,
putting it in the same price territory as a Chevrolet Impala convertible
— definitely not an economy-car price tag.
THE UN-SPORTS CAR
While the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was expensive, it found a unique
niche. It was not fast, but it was as attractive as some cars costing
two or three times as much and few of those pricier rivals could match
VW’s reliability or low running costs. Despite the high prices, 10,000
Karmann Ghia coupes were sold in the first year, and a substantial
waiting list soon developed.
Initial production was slow, and as a result, Karmann Ghias were in
short supply in the U.S. market until the early 1960s and Volkswagen
didn’t begin advertising them until 1961. VW’s U.S. ad agency, Doyle
Dane Bernbach, approached the Karmann Ghia campaign with the same cheek
and irreverence as their justly famous Beetle ads, freely admitting the
car’s lackluster performance, but trumpeting its reliability, build
quality, and Italian style. (Naturally, no mention was made of Virgil
Exner.)
Since the Karmann Ghia was based on the Beetle, it evolved as the
Beetle did. Engine size and power grew steadily, to 1,285 cc (79 cu.
in.) in 1965, 1,493 cc (91 cu. in.) in 1966, and 1,585 cc (97 cu. in.)
in 1970, the latter offering a whopping 60 gross horsepower (45 kW). The
later Beetle’s MacPherson strut front suspension didn’t fit under the
Karmann Ghia’s fenders, but in 1969, the Karmann Ghia acquired the
Beetle’s improved “double-jointed” rear suspension. Karmann Ghias also
got front disc brakes from 1967, which U.S.-market Beetles never
received.
Despite (or perhaps because of) the lack of significant changes, the
Karmann Ghia’s popularity continued to increase throughout the sixties.
By 1970, annual sales were over 38,000, despite starting prices over
$3,000.
Its little-altered styling was timeless, but by the early
seventies, there were similarly priced rivals with far better
performance. A Datsun 240Z,
for example, cost little more, but offered three times the horsepower,
not to mention a more modern suspension. Karmann Ghia production finally
ended in the summer of 1974; a total of 485,983 coupes and convertibles
had been built in Germany and Brazil. Its replacement was the
Golf-based Volkswagen Scirocco coupe, which bowed in early 1974. Like
the Karmann Ghia, the Scirocco was also built by Karmann and styled in
Italy (by ItalDesign’s Giorgetto Giugiaro).
This is a late-model (probably 1973)
Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, with the oversize tail lamps and bigger bumpers
added in 1971. It has the 1,585 cc (97 kW) engine, which made 60 gross
horsepower (46 net, 34 kW), giving this model the highest performance of
any factory Type 143. That wasn’t saying much; Volkswagen’s claimed top
speed of 90 mph (145 km/h) was optimistic.
TYPE 34
The original, Exner/Boano-styled Volkswagen Karmann Ghia (known to VW as the Type 143) was the
first Karmann
Ghia, but it was not the only one. In September 1961, Volkswagen
introduced a coupe version of its new, cautiously modernized Type 3
sedan, known internally as Type 34, and nicknamed “Der Große Ghia.” Like
the Type 143, it was designed by Ghia and built by Karmann. In a
curious irony, its styling was at least partly the work of Virgil Exner,
Jr., who worked as a consultant for Ghia from 1958 to 1961.
The Type 34 Karmann Ghia was never officially imported to the U.S.
and sales were disappointing.
Production ended in June 1969, replaced by
the Porsche 914.
A total of 42,505 Type 34 Karmann Ghias were built, all coupes — there
were prototypes of a convertible version, but it never went into
production.
From the rear, the Type 34 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia bears a certain resemblance to the Chevrolet Corvair,
although it’s inevitably somewhat smaller. It was the most expensive
Karmann Ghia, which probably factored into its poor sales. (Top photo and bottom photo both © 2006 ChiemseeMan; released into the public domain by the photographer)
There was also a third Karmann Ghia, also based on the Type 3, but
produced only in Volkswagen’s Brazilian factory in São Paolo. Dubbed
Type 145, it was marketed as the Karmann Ghia TC. The TC was never sold
in either Europe or America, although 18,119 were sold in South America
between 1970 and 1976.
KEEP YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL
By the time the original Volkswagen Karmann Ghia reached the end of
its life, Heinz Nordhoff was gone. After announcing his imminent
retirement, he died in April 1968, leaving his successor, Kurt Lotz,
with a very troubled company. Nordhoff’s reactionary attitude towards
the development of an adequate replacement for the Beetle had done
considerable damage to VW’s European market position. In the U.S., the
Beetle was a popular icon, but in Europe, it had fallen well behind the
times. Lotz’s efforts to set a new direction led to chaos and political
strife, and he was forced out in 1971. Volkswagen did not find its way
until new chairman Rudolf Leiding introduced the Volkswagen Golf in the
summer of 1974.
Mario Boano left Ghia at the end of 1953, shortly after proposing a
joint venture with Stilo Bertone to produce a coupe version of Alfa Romeo’s new Giulietta.
He and his son, Gian Paolo, opened their own styling studio,
Carrozzeria Boano, in 1954. Three years later, he passed control of the
firm to his son-in-law, Ezio Ellena, and became head of styling for
Fiat.
Virgil Exner became director of styling at Chrysler in 1953 and a vice president in 1957, a position he held until he was unceremoniously fired in November 1961.
In 1962, he and his son started their own design firm, Virgil M. Exner,
Inc., designing, among other things, the abortive Duesenberg revival of
1966 and the Pontiac Grand Prix-based
Stutz Blackhawk, which went into limited production in 1971. Exner died
in 1973, but his son went on to become a leading stylist at Ford Motor
Company.
Luigi Segre died in 1963 and Carrozzeria Ghia eventually fell into
the hands of Argentine businessman Alejandro de Tomaso, who sold it to
Ford in 1970. It survives today, more or less, as Ford’s Italian design
arm, and the name has been widely used as a model designation in Ford’s
European operations.
Not as cartoonish as the Beetle, the Type 143
Volkswagen Karmann Ghia nonetheless has a wholesome quality to it —
voluptuous, but not quite sexy. Heavier bumpers and awkward rectangular
side marker lights, added to late models, do little to spoil its looks.
The original Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, however, remains immortal.
They’re prone to rust — a problem with various vintage Karmann products,
exacerbated by the complex welding for the body’s compound curves. With
close to 500,000 built, though, Karmann Ghias are common enough to be
affordable, but not so ubiquitous as to be dull. As long as they don’t
rot or suffer a severe shunt, they’re as cheap and easy to run as a
Beetle. There are many faster cars, but few as pretty.
Source: ateupwithmotor.com
It
never ceases to amaze me how dedicated Samba fans are to these buses!
The most dedicated of Samba nuts will go to great length to save them
and fork out serious money in the process. We've seen rusted out
projects brought back from the brink, or in one buses case raised from
the depths of a lake!
The example you see here was found in a forest about a few months ago
by the seller. They were able to work a deal with the owner and had it
hauled to their barn, where they began work on. The previous owner put
some parts of the bus in their own barn, including all the seats. Since
getting it, the seller has replaced the front floors, gotten it running,
installed new window rubber, and replaced the rag top and all the parts
necessary to make it open and close. It still needs a lot more work to
be a driver, but this bus looks like a decent starting place! You can
find it here on eBay in Daytona Beach, Florida with a BIN of $40,000 and bidding just over $5k.
Over the weekend, I visited a junkyard in rural Massachusetts and found a row of Volkswagen Microbuses of different configurations
One
of the most gratifying parts of reviving a barn find is washing off the
years of dust and grime to see what the car really looks like. Of
course when I’m buying a car online, I prefer to see it cleaned up
before I bid. I know you miss out on the joy of washing the car
yourself, but it saving you a lot of heartache in the long run. The
seller of this Karmann Ghia did a great job of photographing it all
dusty, but they have cleaned it up and boy did it clean up nicely. Of
course having it cleaned up revealed some issues that aren’t noticeable
in the dusty photos. It has some rust spots on the nose and some paint
damage, but overall it looks to be in solid condition. The paint even
looks shiny and could left alone. Amazingly, the nose is straight and
dent free! You might not get the joy of cleaning this one off, but if
you have been looking for a Ghia to enjoy you know what you are getting
with this one! Find it 
