Back in the mid-1950s, Volkswagen wasn’t the empire that it is today, dominating the world’s automobile industry. Imagine that before 1955, the only “people’s car” was the Beetle, as VW didn’t produce any other model. Of course, there was the Type 2 van, but that was a commercial vehicle.
The Karmann Ghia changed that and paved the way for a series of different models from various segments for the German carmaker. In 1953, the Karmann Ghia prototype was shown internally, on the occasion of the Paris Motor Show. Two years later, production started at the Osnabrück plant.
Wilhelm Karmann was the man that came up with the idea of a sporty car based on the Beetle. He hired Luigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin to turn his vision into reality, and the first prototype was shown to Karmann in Paris in 1953. He was delighted with the result and decided to show it to VW’s boss Heinrich Nordhoff – although previously he had no intention of collaborating with Volkswagen on the project.
By that time, Karmann already had a close relationship with VW, as the Beetle Cabriolet had been built by the German coachbuilder since 1949. Much to the surprise of Karmann, Nordhoff loved the prototype and decided to build it. Although the basic shape of the car remained, some body detail changes and interior refinements were made.
Nicknamed the “Beetle in a sports coat”, the car proved to be a success: 450,000 Karmann Ghias (or Type 14 as VW called it internally) were made between 1955 and 1974, all based on the Beetle platform. 1957 saw the launch of the convertible version, also designed by Luigi Segre and his team. According to VW, 80,881 cabriolets were built, compared to 362,601 coupes.
The one-off 1953 prototype still survives and is part of the VW Osnabrück plant’s museum collection.
By Dan Mihalascu
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