1974 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia

Nearly every early model introduced by Volkswagen was met with overwhelming popularity, success, and longevity. The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia broke from the traditional 'utilitarian' transportation mold, embracing a 2+2 coupe and convertible sporty motif, and nearly a half million examples were produced in Germany over the car's production life (plus an additional 41,600 examples of the Type 34 variant produced by Volkswagen do Brasil for South America).

Volkswagen's focus in the post-World War II era was on stability, profitability, and growth. The Volkswagen Beetle provided transportation to the war-torn European community, and during its lifespan, over 21.5 million examples were built, earning it the title of being the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single platform ever made. With the success of its Beetle, Thing, and Microbus, and as postwar standards of living increased, Volkswagen embarked upon a new German-Italian joint project that was called the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. The body was produced by Karmann under contract for Volkswagen, with a design penned by Italian design firm, Ghia. Its success far surpassed its creator's expectations in both execution and profitability.

From Concept to Production
The creation of the Karmann Ghia began with Wilhelm Karmann and Luigi Segre, the former was the owner of the coachbuilding firm Karmann, and the latter was a designer and owner of Carrozzeria Ghia. A Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle was acquired in Paris (a difficult task considering its rarity) and driven to Turin where Ghia created the initial prototype. Styling ideas were solicited from Segre, Mario Boano, Giovanni Savonuzzi, and Sergio Coggiola. Inspiration was also sourced from Virgil Exner's Chrysler K-310 and d'Elegance concepts, both of which Ghia had been tasked with the prototype. Near the close of 1953, the unique coupe was shown to Wilhelm Karmann in Paris at the Societé France Motors factories. Impressed, Wilhelm agreed to produce the bodies. The final step was to get approval from Volkswagen, which was granted in November 1953.

The production version of the Karmann Ghia made its debut in 1955 at the Paris and Frankfurt Auto Shows and at the Kasino Hotel in Westfalia, Germany. Production was initially handled by Ghia before transferring to Osnabrück, Germany in August 1955.

Type 14 Mechanical Specification
The Karmann Ghia was based on the platform of the Beetle, but instead of its body being machine-welded with bolt-on fenders, its body panels were hand-shaped, smoothed with English pewter, and butt-welded. It had a 94.5-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 163 inches, and a width of 64.4 inches (wider than the Beetle). The suspension was comprised of kingpins with transverse torsion bars and trailing arms with the back receiving swing axles. Hydraulic drums provided the stopping power. The rear-mounted, horizontally opposed, overhead-valve, air-cooled four-cylinder engine had cast-iron cylinder liners and a light alloy block, heads and finned cylinders. Displacement initially measured 1,192cc with a 77mm bore and 64mm stroke. With a single Solex 28 PICT carburetor, output was rated at 34 PS at 3,600 RPM and 61 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 RPM. Power was sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission.

The engine displacement grew concurrently with the Type 1 (Beetle), eventually reaching 1,584cc with the Type 34. The 1,295cc version (77mm bore / 69.5mm stroke) had overhead valves, two Solex 32 PBIC carburetors, and produced 49 horsepower at 4,200 RPM and 70 lb-ft at 2,800 RPM.

The coupe body style was produced from 1955 to 1974 and the 2+2 convertible from 1975 to 1974. The Type 14 variant was built from 1955 to 1974, and the Type 34 variant was in production from 1962 to 1969.

The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Type 34
The Volkswagen 1500 Karmann Ghia (Type 34) arrived in September of 1961 and was built atop the new Type 3 platform with power supplied by Volkswagen's new flat 1,500cc engine. The Type 34 used an unmodified chassis and mechanical components from the Type 3, with styling by Ghia. Although the Type 34 retained several design cues of its Type 14 sibling, its overall appearance was much different. The standard 1500 pancake engine allowed room for trunk space (boot) at the front and rear. It had more interior and cargo room than the Type 14 Karmann Ghia, and an electrically operated sliding steel sunroof was optional in 1962. Amenities included an electric clock, built-in fog lights, upper and lower dash pads, door pads, padded armrests, and round tail lights.

The Type 34, assembled by the Wilhelm Karmann factory, was not sold in the United States.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2023