The Volkswagen Beetle is one of motoring history’s most significant cars, in terms of its impact, longevity and of course sales numbers. Officially known as the Type 1, it’s long been far better known by its nickname, from der Käfer in German, or the Bug as it was christened in the USA. It’s even starred in Hollywood with a mind of its own as the race-winning Herbie in a series of Disney films.
The People’s Car – literally Volkswagen in German – was famously designed by Ferdinand Porsche at the behest of Adolf Hitler, but the Beetle thankfully far exceeded the dictator’s lifetime and 21,529,464 examples were built in factories the world over between 1938 and 2003. Only the Toyota Corolla can lay claim to being a more successful car in terms of sales, although unlike the Beetle, it didn’t stay fundamentally unchanged for most of its lifetime. Our Prime Find this week is not, however, a Beetle, but it is very directly derived from it.
By 1955 the Beetle had already been in production for 17 years, and the Western world was emerging from the damage done to its economies during WW2.The Beetle was a huge success, and VW were considering adding a more glamorous “halo” model to their range.
Following collaboration between two other companies – German coachbuilders Karmann (who came up with the concept) and Italian design house Ghia – the VW Karmann Ghia was introduced to the world in 1955 at the Frankfurt and Paris Motor Shows to an enthusiastic reception and remained a part of the VW model range until 1974, almost unchanged except for engine capacity and minor external details.
Designated internally as the Type 14, the Karmann Ghia was a curvaceous 2+2 coupe built on the Beetle’s floorpan and utilising the same engines. As such, it was never intended to be a sports car – just as well considering its mundane mechanical basis, plus there was already a VW Beetle-based sports car on the market in the shape of the Porsche 356.
The Karmann Ghia’s engines were as per those in contemporary VW Beetles, starting with the 1192cc flat four, growing to 1295cc, 1493cc and finally 1584cc in its final evolution. All were air-cooled, of course, with power outputs of 36, 39, 43 and 61bhp respectively. These numbers alone tell us that the Karmann Ghia was much more about show than go – top speed of the earliest versions was a mere 75mph, and even in its most powerful form the car could only reach 86mph/138kmh; a sports car this most definitely wasn’t.
It was, however, a very cool and stylish way to get about, and in the same way that the Beetle had and still has a cult following, so does the Type 14, so survivor numbers are relatively high, as are prices of good examples – more on that later.
A convertible version was added to the range in 1958, and this looks just as cool as the coupé, at least with the roof down – as is often the case with soft-tops, they look less good with the hood up. It was a fairly popular choice, especially in the US, with 79,326 produced, roughly one in six of all Karmann Ghia’s built – 365,912 coupés were built in Germany, with another 41,869 manufactured in Brazil.
For those who wanted a Type 14 with a difference, there was also the Type 34 – or “razor’s edge”, designed by Sergio Sartorelli of Ghia and so-called because of its straight-edged waistline, a complete contrast to the curves of the Type 14. Based on the Type 3 saloon and sharing that model’s 1500cc engine, the Type 34 was introduced in 1961 and 42,505 were built until it was replaced by the equally linear VW Porsche 914 in 1969.
There was one other variant on the Karmann Ghia, the Type 145 or Karmann Ghia TC. Designed by Giugiaro, this was built in Brazil alongside the regular coupé and was only made available in South American markets between 1972 and 1975, and of the 18,119 produced, no more than a handful can be found in Europe. While Giugiaro was undoubtedly a genius with many superb designs in his portfolio, this one doesn’t quite work for me.
If none of these versions of the Karmann Ghia was cool enough for you, there were similar small rear-engined 2+2 coupé concepts available from a few other manufacturers, such as the Renault Caravelle/Floride, Simca’s super-stylish Bertone-designed 1000S/1200S and the FIAT 850 coupé and spider, all very pretty cars that looked much faster than they actually were.
Time to take a closer look at this week’s Prime Find, which is a mid-period – 1967 – Type 14 which goes on offer at Manor Park Classics’ auction on May 14th. This example has been subject to a body-off restoration – although the lot listing doesn’t specify when, the car comes complete with all the relevant invoices, with some £9,000 spent on parts alone, many of which are listed in the lot entry, so it should be easy to establish when the work was done.
Finished in a very lovely pale blue with a white roof to match the Toyo whitewalls and an interior of Stone Beige and brown, it looks fabulous inside and out, as it should as a fully restored car. The restoration has included a couple of mod cons in the form of electronic ignition and Bluetooth radio, but otherwise seems pretty faithful to the original. The auctioneers state that “the car wants for nothing” and that it “presents like new” – it certainly looks good in the photos that we’ve borrowed from their website.
The quoted mileage is a modest 72,000, though it doesn’t mention whether this is warranted or not. The car was originally sold to a Californian, and imported to The Netherlands eight years ago; it’s not stated when it came into the UK, though again the history file doubtless includes this information.
Our car comes with the 1.5-litre engine, so by Karmann Ghia standards, has relatively decent performance, but this isn’t a car to hurl around bends and blast down straights; it’s a machine for cruising and being seen in.
The enduring popularity of the Karmann Ghia is reflected in the numbers still on the road – here in the UK there are over 850 with another 400 SORN, and no doubt many of these will return to the roads as values increase. Numbers in Germany and the US – where the model was particularly popular – will surely be much higher.
The estimate range that the auctioneers have put on this Karmann Ghia is £18,000 to £22,000, and based on other examples currently for sale, seems about right. Whoever bids successfully for it would appear to be getting an almost perfect classic ready to enjoy. It goes under the hammer on May 14th – you can see the full lot entry here, and as always, we recommend arranging prior inspection before raising your bidding paddle, virtual or otherwise.
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk.