$12,599
Penned by the Italian design firm Carrozzeria Ghia and sporting hand-built bodywork by the German coachbuilders at Karmann, the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a sports car produced from 1955 to 1974. Referred to internally as the Type 14, the Karmann Ghia was offered in both coupe and convertible styles.
Penned by the Italian design firm Carrozzeria Ghia and sporting hand-built bodywork by the German coachbuilders at Karmann, the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a sports car produced from 1955 to 1974. Referred to internally as the Type 14, the Karmann Ghia was offered in both coupe and convertible styles.
By 1950, Luigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia was bent on expanding Carrozzeria’s international reputation, and Wilhelm Karmann had recently inherited the business from his parents and was eager for more Volkswagen contracts to build convertibles. Segre often saw Karmann at International Auto Shows, and the two eventually became friends. Segre found a Type 1 Beetle in Paris and drove it all the way back to Turin, Italy where they spent 5 months gutting the vehicle and turning it into a new prototype. In 1953, Segre showed the prototype to Karmann and Karmann agreed that he wanted to aid in building the car. Segre presented the build to Karmann, who in turn presented the car to Volkswagen. VW approved the design in 1953 and the car went into full production two years later. By the end of a very healthy, 19-year production run, Volkswagen had manufactured roughly 445,000 units of the vehicle.
The burgundy exterior to this Ghia is in decent shape. Front to back, the paint has been smoothly applied. Unfortunately, it is the driver’s side of the car that has received most of the damage. The driver’s side is loaded with scratches from the top of the door all the way down to the side skirts. The front sports a handful of rock chips, but the passenger side and the rear of the car appear clean. Chrome around the car is decent. The front bumper appears to be slightly bent in symmetrical fashion, and the rear bumper is in better shape yet still possesses some wrinkles. A piece of chrome trim is missing from the driver’s side, but the trims on both sides still line up with themselves nicely. Glass around the car is clean and free of both chips and cracks, and the hubcaps look decently clean. Overall, this Karmann Ghia is nice, but the driver’s side makes the exterior below-driver quality at best.
The Karmann Ghia possesses a sparse interior. The burgundy metal dash is much cleaner than the exterior of the car though it still has some scrapes, and all of the gauges mounted within it are clean and easily readable. The white Bakelite steering wheel has been excellently preserved over the years and shows minimal damage. The two-tone leather seats are relatively clean but look out of place. As far as condition goes, they don’t appear to be sporting any major holes or tears. A rear bench has been installed on this model and looks particularly clean while also showing no major holes or tears. Up top, the white headliner shows some stains and a hole that seems to have been patched up, but nevertheless it hangs tightly in place along with both sunshades. Red floormats have been thrown in the car and while they show no major damage, a deep clean here would also benefit the interior as a whole. The gray carpeting beneath the added mats also appears to be in nice condition. Viewers with a keen eye will notice that some aftermarket speakers seem to have been installed as well. Overall, the interior of this Ghia is nice, but some deep cleaning could really take the interior to another level.
Lifting the lid at the back of the car reveals the teeny tiny beating heart of the cruiser. The engine, as well as the rest of the bay, is a little bit dusty, but nothing appears to be majorly damaged. Underneath the car, we see a dirty frame and floorboards, suspension components all in their proper locations, and an exhaust that does sport some surface corrosion.
This Karmann Ghia comes to us as part of the Volkswagen Collection, curated by an avid Volkswagen enthusiast operating out of Santa Barbara, California. The collector has been the long-term owner of this vehicle for a number of years. Our team here at The Market by Bonhams were able to start the car on the day of the photoshoot, but we still highly recommend that the winning bidder have a professional inspection done on the car post-auction.
The Karmann Ghia was just one of a number of sales homeruns for Volkswagen in the 1950s and onwards. Internationally designed by multiple style-powerhouses that still exist today, the Karmann Ghia is a shining example of great minds coming together for collaboration. Today's example has an exterior in need of some attention and an interior that is just steps away from greatness. We believe an accurate price for this Ghia lies somewhere between $13,000 and $20,000.
