When Mr. Regular talks, it’d be best to listen. But calling the Karmann Ghia “the most beautiful car I’ve seen to date” is an overstatement considering the likes of the Jaguar E-Type, Mercedes-Benz 300SL, Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, and Aston Martin DB5. But all in all, beauty interweaves with subjectivity, and the Karmann Ghia is arguably the sexiest Volkswagen of its period.
The origin of the Karmann Ghia is, dare I say it, humble. Following the end of WWII, people in the western hemisphere started thriving. This meant that VeeDub was left behind with the Beetle and Bus, two not-exactly-pretty models that didn’t resonate with the steadily demanding public.
Long story short, Volkswagen found itself in need of an “image” car, a halo of sorts. Enter Karmann, a coach builder that was approached by VW to create the Beetle-based sportster. In need of a timeless design, the company approached Ghia and decided on… wait for it… an old Chrysler design that was modified to fit the Beetle’s floorpan. Fast-forward to August 1955, and the first production-ready Karmann Ghia rolls off the line in Osnabruck.
Much prettier than the Beetle, the Karmann Ghia went on to sell hundreds of thousands, mostly coupe. That is not a lot when compared to the Beetle on which it’s based, but then again, don’t forget what sort of bits and pieces hide under the prepossessing body shell. I’m afraid yes, it’s an air-cooled OHV flat-four that takes ages to get up to speed. And as hilarious as this might sound, the Karmann Ghia was the fastest production VW of its day.
There’s also the matter of handling, something the Karmann Ghia woefully lacked. Be that as it may, just look at it! It’s love at first sight, and it’s a reminder that things were simpler back in the day. No wonder dad-like figures love the Karmann Ghia at car shows and whenever they see one in traffic.
On the flip side, the most recent highlight of the Karmann works, which is now owned by Volkswagen, is the XL1 diesel-powered plug-in hybrid.
Long story short, Volkswagen found itself in need of an “image” car, a halo of sorts. Enter Karmann, a coach builder that was approached by VW to create the Beetle-based sportster. In need of a timeless design, the company approached Ghia and decided on… wait for it… an old Chrysler design that was modified to fit the Beetle’s floorpan. Fast-forward to August 1955, and the first production-ready Karmann Ghia rolls off the line in Osnabruck.
Much prettier than the Beetle, the Karmann Ghia went on to sell hundreds of thousands, mostly coupe. That is not a lot when compared to the Beetle on which it’s based, but then again, don’t forget what sort of bits and pieces hide under the prepossessing body shell. I’m afraid yes, it’s an air-cooled OHV flat-four that takes ages to get up to speed. And as hilarious as this might sound, the Karmann Ghia was the fastest production VW of its day.
There’s also the matter of handling, something the Karmann Ghia woefully lacked. Be that as it may, just look at it! It’s love at first sight, and it’s a reminder that things were simpler back in the day. No wonder dad-like figures love the Karmann Ghia at car shows and whenever they see one in traffic.
On the flip side, the most recent highlight of the Karmann works, which is now owned by Volkswagen, is the XL1 diesel-powered plug-in hybrid.