1973 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

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

The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was first introduced in 1955. It featured the Volkswagen Beetle's running gear and a similar design to the Porsche 356. Ghia of Turin, Italy was contracted to create the design while the coachwork was hand built by the German firm of Karmann. Nearly half-a-million examples were manufactured during the next 18 years. Production came to an end in 1974.

Subtle changes, modifications and improvements were made to update the outward and inward appearance of the little Ghia, as well as running gear improvements. 1973 was the first year for the redesigned bumpers, marker lights and rear taillights.

This particular example has a metallic paintjob, new leatherette upholstery and new wide whitewall tires. It has been driven 15,000 miles since new and it has the optional sportamatic transmission.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2017