Karmann Ghia
|
|
|
Missing image Karmann_Ghia_front.jpg Missing image Karmann_Ghia_back.jpg |
The Karmann Ghia is a two-seater sports car marketed by Volkswagen, designed by the Italian firm Ghia, and built by German coach builder Karmann. Over 445,000 Karmann Ghias were produced between 1955 and 1974.
History
In the early 1950s Volkswagen was producing small, fuel efficient, reliable automobiles (Like the Volkswagen Beetle); but as the world recovered from World War II, consumers began to demand more stylish and elegant vehicles.
In the early 1950s executives at Volkswagen decided that it was necessary to produce an "image" car to satisfy the needs of demanding post-war automobile buyers.
Volkswagen contracted with German coach builder Karmann to build this car. Karmann in turn contacted the Italian firm Ghia for a sports car design. Ghia took an already made, but unused design (originally made for Chrysler) and modified it to fit on a slightly modified Beetle floorpan.
The body and nose of this elegant two door unibody coupe were hand crafted and significantly more expensive to produce than the strictly assembly line produced Beetle; this was reflected in the Karmann Ghia's higher price tag.
The design and prototype were well received by Volkswagen executives, and in August, 1955 the first Karmann Ghia was created in Osnabrück, Germany. Public reaction to the curvy Karmann Ghia was excellent, and over 10,000 were sold in the first year, exceeding Volkswagen's expectations.
Since the first Karmann Ghia's used the same 36hp engine as the Beetle, the car was not suitable as a true sports car; however the car's beautiful looks and "Beetle reliable" parts made up for this shortfall.
In 1958 a convertible version was introduced.
The car was slightly redesigned for the 1960 model year. The most notable exterior changes were the car's front "nostril" grills (which were replaced with a wider design), the headlights (which were moved up the fender), and the rear tail-light lenses (which became taller and more rounded, sometimes referred to as "cats-eye" lenses). Cars made from 1955-1959 are referred to as "lowlights," due to the lower placement of the headlights, and are much sought-after by Ghia purists and collectors.
1970 saw larger taillights with integrated reverse lights, as well as squarish wrap-around turn signals, versus the "bullet" style used on earlier cars. The taillights were revised again in 1972, becoming taller and adding integrated turn signals.
In 1974 the car was discontinued due mainly to increasing safety regulations and sluggish sales.
Type 34 Ghia
In 1962, Volkswagen introduced the Type 34 Karmann Ghia, based on their new Type 3 platform. The styling was much more squared-off, versus the curved appearance of the original Type 14 Ghia. It was not a success, and production ceased in 1969.
External link
Volkswagen Group
| ||
| Volkswagen | Audi | SEAT | Škoda | Bentley | Bugatti | Lamborghini
| ||
| Apollo | Lupo | Polo | Gol | Citi/CitiGolf | Golf | Jetta/Vento/Bora | Fox/Gacel | Scirocco | Corrado | Beetle/Bug | TL/Varient | Touran | K70 | Passat | Santana | Sharan | Phaeton | Pointer | Quantum | Touareg | Caddy | Eurovan/Transporter | LT | ||
| Beetle (Type 1) | Bus/Transporter (Type 2) | 1500/1600 (Type 3) | 411/412 (Type 4) | Karmann Ghia | Kübelwagen | Schwimmwagen | 1-litre concept | ||
| Edit this template (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Template:VW&action=edit) | ||