Volkswagen - Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was manufactured using the VW Beetle platform chassis by the coachbuilder Karmann based in Osnabruck in Germany. This was based on the prototype designed and manufactured at Carrozzeria Ghia, the Italian design and manufacturing company owned by Luigi Serge. This Ghia project was turned over to Wilhelm Karmann who got the approval from VW to proceed to production, late in 1953, after this stunning Ghia prototype had been shown, which many would later say was scaled down and altered version of the Ghia-Chrysler D'Excellence concept car clothed at Ghia for Virgil Exner.
The Type 14 VW Karmann Ghia was available from 1953, built to a very high quality, and sold in larger numbers than had been anticipated, over 40,000 per year. By 1957 a convertible version of The Karman Ghia Type 14 was introduced. As the years progressed so did the specification because the VW it was built on was changing. Initially a 1,192 cc and then 1,295cc, production carried on until 1974 when it was the VW 2600 Karmann Ghia Coupe or the more expensive cabriolet, still built on the Type 14 Volkswagen platform.
In 1961 a "Big Karmann" was built called the Type 34, also designed by Ghia, but built on the larger and unmodified Volkswagen Type 3 chassis. This was the best appointed, most expensive and fastest of any VW in the VW model range, until the Type 34 was replaced in 1969 by the VW Porsche 914, a model which was also assembled at the Karmann factory, although Karmann would continue with production of the T14 until 1974.
As a final note, Ghia also produced a design for the Brazil VW factory, who produced a VW coupe from 1972 to 1975 that they called the VW Karmann Ghia TC (Touring Coupe) which was for South American consumption.
VW Karmann Ghia tyre size was originally 5.60x15 , which is radial tyre equivalent 155R15 size. Blockley produces the perfect 155HR15 tyre in both standard and 155HR15 whitewall types. Sometimes people fit the later VW Karmann Ghia with the slightly larger 165R15 size, and Blockley produce this 165VR15 size also. See full details of these tyres suitable for the VW Karmann-Ghia below:
