The humble Volkswagen Beetle was transformed into a stylish coupe dubbed the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. It was the brainchild of Wilhelm Karmann whose Osnabruck factory was already building a cabriolet version of the Beetle. It wore chic styling from Italian design studio Ghia on a modified Beetle floorpan, with a stabilizer added to improve handling. It had superior aerodynamics and sleeker bodywork, allowing Karmann Ghia to offer a nicer and more equipped interior than its Beetle cousin. The original Type 14 Karmann Ghia remained in production until 1973, by which time around 300,000 examples had been made and developments mirrored the Beetle. From 1960, a fully-synchromesh gearbox and more powerful 34 bhp engine were adopted, then came the 1300cc engine in 1965. A year later, a 1600cc motor from the Super Beetle was introduced. At the same time, dual circuit brakes with front discs were fitted with greatly improved the stopping power. In 1970, the 1.6-liter engine was further improved to offer 50 horsepower.
By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2016
By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2016
Coupe
By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2017
Related Reading : Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia History
In 1950, Karmann approached Volkswagen with a design for a new vehicle. Karmann had a working relationship with Volkswagen that went prior to this project that included the Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet. The idea was initially rejected by Volkswagen so Karmann approached the coachbuilding company Carrozzeria Ghia of Turin who built the first prototype of the vehicle, completing in 1953. In November....
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Related Reading : Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia History
A red sports car barrels through a deserted landscape, driven by a helmet-clad professional as an excited announcer extols the virtues of the commercials featured automobile. Surely Volkswagen did not invent this archetypal format of romanticized car ad when they borrowed it to market their Karmann Ghia to bored TV audiences. Volkswagens seemingly ordinary commercial included a twist ending, though.....
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Volkswagen Celebrates 60 Years Of The Karmann Ghia
Volkswagen Celebrates 60 Years Of The Karmann Ghia
Thanks to the Karmann Ghia, Volkswagen had a car in the mid-1950s in its line-up that was positioned above the Beetle, allowing the company to appeal to a broader customer base. It is now 60 years since that prototype was shown internally, on the occasion of the Paris Motor Show. The car went into full production in 1955. Today the one-off prototype is one of the stars of the Volkswagen Osnabrück....
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Similarly Sized Vehicles
from 1973
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Volkswagen Monthly Sales Volume
March 2023
67,853
1973 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Vehicle Profiles
Recent Vehicle Additions
Performance and Specification Comparison
Price Comparison
$2,300 - $3,100
Karmann Ghia TC Type 145 Specification Comparison by Year
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