In the spring of 1953,
Wilhelm Karmann commissioned Luigi Segre, owner of the noble car body design and manufacturing smithy Ghia S.p.a., in Turin, to design a stylish Volkswagen sports car.
Already in October 1953, it is ready for off:
Karmann views the first prototype – a coupé with ravishing lines – based on the Beatle chassis, at Paris-Neuily.
The foundation stone for world success
Its sporty,
read moreIn the spring of 1953,
Wilhelm Karmann commissioned Luigi Segre, owner of the noble car body design and manufacturing smithy Ghia S.p.a., in Turin, to design a stylish Volkswagen sports car.
Already in October 1953, it is ready for off:
Karmann views the first prototype – a coupé with ravishing lines – based on the Beatle chassis, at Paris-Neuily.
The foundation stone for world success
Its sporty, elegant bodywork and sound Volkswagen technology make the Karmann Ghia, even today, a particularly attractive and coveted object. The Karmann Ghia celebrated its world premiere at the 39th International Automobile Fair at Frankfurt in 1955. Public enthusiasm knew no bounds, the trade press raved about „one of the most beautiful cars in the world“. Right from the start, production in Osnabrück was running at full revs. After only a short time, production was already coming up against the limits of its capacity. At the International Automobile Fair in 1957, the joyously acclaimed open-top convertible had its premiere. The coupes are usually supplied with the very popular two-tone paintwork. The first, large face-lift for the Karmann Ghia bodywork is carried out in the summer of 1959. In the August of 1960, the official performance upgrade to 34 b.h.p gives even more impetus. Since August 1960, the Karmann Ghia has also been under production in Brazil.
The great Karmann Ghia
is built in the coupé version from 1961 to 1969. It is based on the Type 3 chassis, the last version, 1600 L with 54 b.h.p., reaches a top speed of just over 90 mph. Overall, a total of 42505 units of Type 34 roll off the production lines in Osnabrück.
Keeping up with the times
Constantly updating the models ensures that technical and optical attractiveness is preserved over the years.
The last years
The last years were heralded by a comprehensive model update. A further enlargement of the rear lights – a completely new design for the dashboard – wide, one-piece bumper bars, as well as an upgrade of the engine performance to 50 b.h.p. from 1600 cc were the most striking modifications.
On 31st July, 1974
the last coupé rolls off the assembly line. After nearly 20 years and the production of 362601 coupes and open-top convertibles, an unparalleled chapter of German automobile history comes to an end. The extremely attractive speedometer design of the 1966 – 1971 Karmann Ghia is the heart of this unique Karmann Ghia wristwatch.
From the Bavarian Crono Technology watch factory
The exceptionally sophisticated design of the Karmann Ghia wristwatch, with its incomparable originality and faithfulness to detail, is a source of delight for all Karmann Ghia fans.
