VW Karmann-Ghia - the 'people's Ferrari' turns 50

By Reino Gevers Jul 6, 2005, 3:17 GMT

Osnabrueck, Germany - The legendary Karmann-Ghia, often dubbed the "people's Ferrari", celebrated this month its 50th birthday in this northern German city where the first Volkswagen sports car was presented to the world press in 1955.

The Karmann-Ghia was symbolic of the 1950s economic miracle years in Germany. Some 100 vintage Karmann-Ghia of all the model ranges could be seen on display around the Osnabrueck Schlosspark, or castle park, where some 95,000 fans had gathered.

"This car is bound to Osnabrueck in a special way," said Oliver Mix of the city's Marketing and Tourism Association.

In 1951 the then Volkswagen boss Heinrich Nordhoff and Wilhelm Karmann exchanged the first ideas of a sports car. Karmann presented the first coupe on July 14, 1955 and in August of the same year serial production began with the blessings of the VW concern.

The principle of this "people's Ferrari" was simple: Take the technology and chassis of the VW Beetle and fit it with an elegant Italian-designed bodywork.

The sporty lines suggested extravagant performance but it was fitted with nothing less than the basic 30 hp VW Beetle engine of the time, weighing some 50 kilogrammes more than the Beetle. Enthusiasts, and there were many women among them, bought the car for its looks.

Despite the steep price of some 7,500 German marks at the time (4,553 dollars) it soon found many its fans. In 1956 it had sold 11,500 units.

With such success the manufacturer presented in 1957 the first convertible at the Frankfurt Motor Show, stirring immediate positive reaction.

But by the end of the 1950s there were considerations for a successor model. Eventually a second Karmann-Ghia was introduced, equipped with the more powerful 54 hp Beetle engine that nevertheless reached a top speed of 145 km/h.

This Coupe, introduced in 1961, sold for a steep price of 9,000 marks which was about the price of a Mercedes. It found only moderate interest. Production was ceased in 1969 after 42,500 units had been sold.

The classic Karmann-Ghia continued production with minimal changes in the coming years like larger bumpers, different taillights and more powerful engines.

Production finally ended in 1974 after 19 years when the factory had to make space for the VW Scirocco. By then some 363,602 coupes and 80,881 convertibles had been produced.