Volkswagen was a catalyst of sorts for German production
cars and remains deeply ingrained in Germany’s automobile history. Volkswagen
was aptly named the ‘peoples car’, after being commissioned to produce Germany’s
first economy car that was accessible to all people- the Beetle. Car ownership
was rare in this era due to a limping economy and a market primarily dominated
by sports cars, then the war ended and the standard of living was increased
alongside the economy, which prompted Volkswagen executives to add a halo car
to their lineup. They commissioned Wilhelm Karmann for the design, a
coachbuilder, who in turn contracted the famous Italian firm Ghia.
The Karmann-Ghia initially cost $2,245, which was $900 more
than the Beetle and quite expensive for the time. This was the result of
craftsmanship on tier with high end manufacturers. In contrast to the Beetles
machine-welded body with bolted-on fenders, the Karmann-Ghia’s body paneling
was butt-welded, hand shaped, and smoothed with English pewter in a time
consuming process. The cabin featured a sportier dashboard and was furbished
with high quality seats that rendered the new halo visually incomparable to
VW’s old economy car.
The Karmann-Ghia was introduced to America in the early
1950’s. The Beetle was still relatively new here, but the Karmann-Ghia offered
a welcomed image refresh for Volkswagen. Sumptuous Italian styling, quality
workmanship, and durable mechanisms were evolved from the ever reliable Beetle
and gave the Karmann-Ghia significant value and appeal.
This special Volkswagen was easy to buy and service, unlike
most foreign sports cars, because many areas of the country had a conveniently
located VW dealer. Many of these
Karmann-Ghias have survived to this day, but mostly in warmer climates without
salty, rust-inducing roads.
Karmann-Ghias have been steadily gaining notoriety as
collectible classics. The average cost of one in good shape has nearly doubled
in recent years, but good deals are still bound to be had. Now would be an
excellent time to capitalize on the rise in popularity of this classic before
the price becomes legendary.
