1956 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia

The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was introduced in 1956 and built on the ubiquitous Beetle floorplan and drivetrain. It was a joint venture between the highly regarded design talents of Italian styling company Ghia and the renowned German Karmann body works. Initially offered solely as a coupe, a convertible body style followed two years later.

The coachbuilding firm of Dr. Wilhelm Karmann was busy building the early, limited-production Volkswagen cabriolets near the close of the 1940s and early 1950s when they submitted design proposals to Volkswagen for a sporty new coupe, but those were rejected. Around the same time, Mario Boano and Luigi Segre of Italy's Carrozzeria Ghia had also proposed some styling enhancements to Volkswagen management, but those too were rejected. Undeterred, Karmann approached Ghia directly concerning a joint venture for a unique, high-style Volkswagen. To avoid raising suspicion at Volkswagen, the duo used a new Beetle that Boano's son had purchased from France, upon which Ghia developed a new body. Upon completion, the Ghia prototype was shipped to Karmann in late 1953 and impressed Volkswagen chief Heinz Nordhoff.

The new coupe was vastly different than the utilitarian Type 1 Sedan, being both wider and lower with a lowered roofline, thin rear roof pillars, an extended lower-body crease, a smoothly extended nose, and slightly bulged rear fenders. The intricate nose section was formed of numerous individual pieces that were joined and then seam-filled with lead. The bodies were dipped in zinc-phosphate primer, wet-sanded, and then painted and hand-sanded four times. The result was an elegant, unique, upscale, and Avant-grade product that was an immediate hit when it was first shown to the public in July of 1955. Internally designated VW Type 14, the demand for the Karmann-Ghia quickly surpassed its creators' own expectations. Sales in the United States commenced shortly thereafter in 1956, with sales spurred on by cheeky and provocative ads produced by New York agency Doyle, Dane, and Bernbach. Production continued at Karmann's Osnabrück, Germany plant through July of 1974, with a total of 283,501 coupes and 80,897 convertibles produced.

The Karmann-Ghia design evolved with the relentless and rapid development applied to the Volkswagen chassis and powertrain. The practical and stylish 2+2 shared its engines with the Type 1 Beetle, and its displacement grew concurrently, ultimately arriving at a displacement of 1584cc, producing 60 hp. In 1956, the 1192cc horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine developed 36 horsepower and was backed by a four-speed manual transmission. The suspension was independent with a torsion bar at the front and a swing axle with shock absorbers at the rear. Hydraulic drum brakes at all four corners provided the stopping power.

In late 1974 the car was superseded by the Golf-based Scirocco.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2021