In the early 1950s, the world began to move past the horrors of World War 2. Around the world, the standards of living began to increase, and people wanted to spend their increased wealth. Around this time, Volkswagen was selling cars like the Beetle and the Type 2 Van/Bus. These were utilitarian cars that were mass- produced at low cost and built to get the job done. However, VW executives wanted something better. They wanted a halo car.
In order to design their halo car, Volkswagen reached out to Carrozzeria Ghia, a popular design firm in Italy, to design them a car that was attractive but compact and wouldn’t cost too much money. The car that was designed was a beautiful combination of curves and design features that were extremely popular in the ‘50s. The designs were then sent over to Karmann, a German coachbuilding company. Karmann hand- built the bodywork, and the cars were then assembled at VW’s factories. When it came to naming the car, not a lot of imagination was used as the car simply named the KarmannGhia, to honour the companies that built these cars.
The beautiful KarmannGhia was a sales success, with over 500,000 sold over its 19 years of production. Although the car was extremely slow (It still had the Beetle’s engine), people were willing to look past this as the car was extremely beautiful and good to drive. Even as the car began to get older, sales numbers stayed strong, so it was kept in production until much later than planned. However, VW Brazil did build a new sportscar in 1972, a few years before the KarmannGhia ended production (You can read about the SP2 on our website, too). However, by 1974, the car was considered old, so production was ended in Europe and the very next year, in Brazil.
So, why was the KarmannGhia so popular? And why did sales eventually stagnate? The popularity of the KarmannGhia can be put down to price. It cost much less than its closest rival, the similar Porsche 356. This led to many customers choosing the KarmannGhia instead of the 356. However, the 1960s saw the rise of car companies like Lotus and TVR in the UK, and muscle cars like the Mustang and Charger in the USA. These were more powerful cars that appealed to the younger audience more, so the KarmannGhia was pushed out of the sports car segment.
Nowadays, the KarmannGhia is one of the most sought-after Volkswagens in the world. The story of the KarmannGhia has a happy ending, as the design was updated and carried over into the Porsche 914, a more economical alternative to the 911. The legacy of the 914 is carried on today by the 718 Cayman, which remains one of the best sports cars on the market today.
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