The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is designed as a 2+2 seater coupé with roots in the 1950s. But despite its sleek design, it was not a distinctly sports car.
Volkswagen Type 14
The beautifully designed Karmann Ghia was produced from 1955 until 1974. From 1958 a convertible variant was also launched. The Type 14 shared a platform and engines with the Type 1 – the original Volkswagen. A Type 34 was also made – in parallel with the Type 14. It was a variant based on the Type 3 (notchback) that was supposed to be more modern and offer more space – and eventually take over the baton from the original model. As the years passed, it became clear that the Type 34 did not achieve the same popularity as the original. The Type 34 was therefore only produced in the model years 1962 to 1969. In retrospect, it can safely be said that the original Karmann Ghia has a timeless elegance. Today, the Type 14 is a great classic.
Model history
Only a few visual changes were made to the cars over the years. In 1961, a change was made where the headlights were placed somewhat higher, so that the curvature at the top of the front fenders became less prominent. In subsequent years, changes can be seen to the taillights. They were changed in 1961, 1970 and 1972. From 1970, they became visible from the side. The front turn signals were also changed from being round to rectangular and visible from the side. In 1972, the cars got new bumper profiles in a sharper shape, similar to those of the Volkswagen 1300.
Engines
The motor program followed the public car bubbles. From 1955-1965 there were 1200 engines that produced between 30 and 34 HP. For the 1966 model year, it was the 1300 engine of 40 HP. In the model years 1967 to 1970, the cars were equipped with Volkswagen's 1500 engine of 44 HP - and the 1600 engine from 1971 - then with 50 HP. Seen with today's eyes, the motorization does not seem very powerful, but then the cars did not weigh more than 810 kg, either.
About the pictures
The red car in the main picture and the orange car with a white roof (two pictures) were photographed at a large Volkswagen meeting in Tossa de Mar outside Girona, Spain. The light brown, French-registered car was also photographed there. The blue car and the light blue car with a white roof were both photographed at a car meet outside Perpignan, France. The mint green one was photographed at the Porsche Festival 2019 at Rudskogen. The blue convertible parked together with a red MG MGB attended a car meet in Gunnarsbøparken, Tønsberg.
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