1958 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia

Volkswagen was enjoying success with its Beetle during the early 1950s and by the time production ceased in 2003, over 21.5 million examples would be built. The inexpensive, mass-produced automobile was designed to be mechanically simple and efficient for the hard-working German masses. Initially, they were built in very small numbers before and during World War II, later the Beetle literally rose from the ashes of Volkswagen's bombed-out Wolfsburg factory to become an instant success across Europe, Britain, America, and nearly every other country in the world. The model would stay true to its basic design and configuration throughout its lifespan, yet evolved through various facelifts and numerous mechanical updates. After production raced past the 15,000,000 mark, the Beetle went on to be known as The Best Selling' car of all time. This record, however, would be eventually superseded by the VW Golf.

Volkswagen's success with the Beetle and the healthy economy inspired them to build a more exciting and innovative automobile. Using design inspiration from Virgil Exner's Chrysler d'Elegance, Wilhelm Karmann and Luigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia joined forces to create a slimmed-down version with a flowing front-end design with sleek and balanced lines. Ghia had been tasked with creating both the d'Elegance and K-310 concepts, and many of their styling cues and themes were bestowed upon Volkswagen's new sports car.

The Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia
A prototype was shown in October 1953 at the Paris Auto Show. Internally designed as the Type 14, production began in August of 1955 in Osnabrück, Germany, and over 10,000 examples were sold during its inaugural year. U.S. sales commenced shortly thereafter in 1956. When production finally ceased at Karmann's Osnabrück, Germany plant in July 1974, a staggering 283,501 Karmann-Ghia coupes and 80,897 convertibles had been produced.

The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was initially built as a 2+2 coupe resting on a 94.5-inch wheelbase chassis, measuring 163 inches in length, and standing 52.2 inches tall. It shared the chassis and mechanical components of the Type 1 (VW Beetle) and wore styling by Italy's Carrozzeria Ghia and the hand-built bodywork was by German coachbuilding house Karmann. The engine was from the Type 14 and displacement would eventually grow to a 1,584cc displacement size with an output of 60 horsepower. Over its production lifespan, displacement size would include 1200cc, 1300cc, 1500, and 1584cc.

Compared to the utilitarian Type 1 Sedan, the new coupe was lower, slightly wider, and featured a smoothly extended nose. It had a lowered roofline with plenty of glass area and thin rear roof pillars, along with an extended lower-body crease with slightly bulged rear fenders. The hand-formed bodies by Karmann included several intricate areas including the nose section which was formed of several individual pieces, joined and then seam-filled with lead. Imperfections were discovered by gloved hands scanning the bodies; when perfection was achieved, the bodies were dipped in zinc-phosphate primer, wet-sanded, and then painted and hand-sanded four times. Water curtains in Karmann's paint booths eliminated the possibility of dust and helped ensure outstanding paint finishes.

A convertible body style was added in August 1957. The 1961 model year introduced new styling updates in the form of a wider and finned front grille, the headlights repositioned higher, and more rounded taillights at the back. The earlier examples with the lower-positioned headlights are known as lowlights. Even larger taillights with integrated reverse lights and large wrap-around turn signals were added in 1970. To conform to new safety requirements, particularly in the United States, the original round bumper was replaced by a larger, square-section bumper, and the taillights once again grew larger in size. Energy-absorbing bumpers for US-based models were added in 1973.

After the production of the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia ended in 1974, it was superseded by the Golf-based Scirocco.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2022