How the Karmann Ghia was Born | The Bad Blonde Car History
History of the beloved Volkswagen Karmann Ghia – A delightful combination of Italian design with German engineering produced 1955-1974
So we have three names going on here, Volkswagen Karmann ghia.. Volkswagen which many of you are familiar, Karmann who was/is an auto manufacturer (and contract auto manufacturer, side note: AMX3, Volvo p1800) in Germany, and Ghia who is a coach builder in famed Turin.
Let’s talk about the genesis of the Karmann ghia, It all started with the head of Ghia, Luigi Segre singularly directed and incubated the project through conception and prototyping, delivering a feasible project that Willhelm Karmann both wanted to and could practically build — the project Willhelm Karmann would in turn present to Volkswagen.
Now were exactly did Ghia get this inspiration? They stole it. Heavily borrowed it? Swiped it? You could also say heavily inspired by the Chrysler d’Elegance. You see Ghia had been employed to create the Chrysler concept from a sketch done by Virgil Exner.
You can see they look damn near identical..
Exner Jr. is further quoted as saying that the Karmann Ghia “was a direct, intentional swipe off the Chrysler d’Elegance. Givanni Savonuzzi was the engineer and designer who downsized the d’Elegance and made the Karmann Ghia out of it. Nobody minded it. It was wonderful.”
It is said that when Exner in 1955 eventually saw the Karmann Ghia, which cribbed heavily from his Chrysler d'Elegance, "he was pleased with the outcome and glad that one of his designs had made it into large-scale production.” That Exner considered the Karmann Ghia the ultimate form of flattery.
Volkswagen decided times are good, let branch away from our utilitarian beetle and they decided to create a 'halo model” it its production.
What is a Halo Model? In automobile marketing a halo model or vehicle is “one designed and marketed to showcase the talents and resources of the manufacturers and to promote sales of other vehicles within a marque.”
This 2+2 sports car is comprised of many of the mechanicals of the Volkswagen type 1 beetle but with bold styling leap from Carrozzeria Ghia and handmade craftwork by Karmann… Hence the Karmann Ghia.
Now the body was not done like the prior VWs or like most cars of the day, the Karmann Ghia's body panels were butt-welded, hand-shaped, and smoothed with English pewter in a time-consuming process commensurate with higher-end manufacturers, resulting in the Karmann Ghia's higher price.
Which also meant it was/is very difficult to repair after a collision or incident.
The Karmann Ghia’s engine displacement grew concurrently with the Type 1 (Beetle).. Now this car was not intended on being a real sports car… it was more about comfort and styling. It had a flat four
And the car was a hit, Production doubled soon after the Karmann Ghia's introduction, making it the car most imported into the U.S.
The Karmann Ghia would be produced basically unchanged for 19 years nearly hitting 500k units produced.
They would also produce the typ34, known as the European Ghia which and along with the Karmann Ghia TC aka touring coupe in 1961,

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