1955 VW Karmann Ghia Launches
Volkswagen introduced the Karmann-Ghia coupe the Kasino Hotel in Westphalia, Germany. As the European automobile market has finally recovered from the war, Volkswagen found it necessary to release an “image car” to accompany its simple but reliable “Bugs and buses.”
Volkswagen was not the only automotive company looking for a flagship car at the time. Chevrolet Corvette released and the Ford Thunderbird. The Chrysler Corporation had a contract with the Italian design firm Ghia create models of Chrysler a dream car, but no models have borne fruit.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen had a contract with German coach Karmann-builder for their own image car, and Karmann, in turn, had subcontracted to Ghia tenders for the design. Finally, Karmann Ghia provided Chrysler with a version of their design, modifications to the plan of the Volkswagen Beetle.
The Karmann-Ghia was released in 1956 a model of Volkswagen. The car lines and crafts hand drawn attention Volkswagen had hoped. However, as the sport as a Karmann-Ghia considered, he suffered from his four dishes 36hp engine in the field of power. However, the Karmann-Ghia 10000 units sold in its first year of production, and with the release of convertible in 1958, production reached 18000 units for a year.
Sales have increased steadily during 1960, reaching a peak of 33000 cars per year. While General Motors and Ford on their Corvette and Thunderbird, respectively, Volkswagen found that the virus has gained in popularity, especially in the U.S. market. Managers decided to concentrate their efforts on the Bug, the abandonment of the Karmann-Ghia, which was last in 1974.
Source: classiccar.com