Karmann Ghia Kini Berusia 65 Tahun

Dengan menggunakan casis dan mekanikal Volkswagen Beetle Jenis 1 dari tahun 1938, kereta kecil yang berpendingin udara melengkung ini menyambut ulang tahun ke-65 tahun ini. Enam puluh lima tahun yang lalu, Karmann Ghia pertama siap keluar barisan pemasangannya di kilang Osnabruck.

Hasil idea Wilhelm Karmann, pengeluar kereta kontrak, Ghia menggabungkan kejuruteraan Jerman, kerana ia dibina di casis Volkswagen Beetle, dengan reka bentuk Itali yang ditandatangani oleh Carrozzeria Ghia.

Pembina gerabak mencipta konsep yang ditunjukkan oleh Karmann kepada Heinrich Nordhoff, Pengarah Urusan Volkswagen pada masa itu, dan kedua-duanya memutuskan untuk memasangnya pada bulan Ogos 1955, satu bulan setelah pengungkapan rasminya.

Walaupun dengan reka bentuk kereta sport, ia menghasilkan hanya 34 tenaga kuda pada 3600rpm dari enjin Flat-4 berkapasiti 1.2 kubik dan 68 kg lebih berat daripada Beetle. Masih boleh mencapai 120km / j yang pantas untuk waktunya.

Walaupun begitu, generasi pertama Karmann Ghia seronok dipandu, dengan perubahan pada suspensi yang merangkumi bar goyang depan dan spring yang berbeza berbanding dengan Beetle. Ia juga duduk 7 inci (18 cm) lebih dekat ke tanah.

Seiring tahun berlalu, Karmanm Ghia ditambahbaiki dengan enjin baharu, pengendalian yang lebih baik dan tentu saja ciri kabin. Pengeluarannya berakhir pada tahun 1974 dengan Porsche memperkenalkan 914. Hari ini Karmann Ghia dijual dengan harga antara RM80,000 hingga RM150,000 untuk unit yang kelihatan yang dari bilik pameran.

Ramai rakan-rakan kami pada tahun 80an dan 90an memilikinya tetapi sayang, semua sudah dijual mereka.

KENYATAAN MEDIA:

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Birthday

Turin design on a Beetle base

At the start of the 1950s, Wilhelm Karmann, head of the car manufacturer of Osnabrück, dreamt of an open-top spider on the basis of the Volkswagen Beetle. In the spring of 1953, he commissioned his friend Luigi Segre, owner of Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin, to design a convertible sports car. That October, Karmann inspected the result in a garage in Paris, and was delighted – although what he saw was actually a closed coupé. The elegant prototype also impressed Volkswagen’s Managing Director at the time, Heinrich Nordhoff, and the decision was taken to develop a production model of a 2+2 coupé.

This car saw Karmann combine the reliable technology of the Volkswagen Beetle with a body full of Italian elegance. A larger front seating area, two beautiful round dials, and a top speed of 116 km/h gave the car a look that radiated driving pleasure. After minor changes to the bodywork – including the addition of those characteristic air vents in the front of the car – the fully-developed coupé was presented to the media on 14 July 1955 at the Casino Hotel in Georgsmarienhütte. The new, elegant Karmann Ghia Coupé (Type 14), based on the Volkswagen Type 1, was an immediate hit there, just as it was at the car’s official launch at the IAA in September 1955.

Production started in August 1955, and what followed was an unparalleled success story: the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia won the hearts of men and women all over the world.

Open-top dream: Karmann Ghia Type 14 Cabriolet

Two years later, in November 1957, the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Type 14 Cabriolet began rolling off the assembly line. “The dream car for fastidious motorists who love to drive fast, even with the roof down,” claimed the sales brochure in 1958. The convertible top set benchmarks in terms of workmanship, material and low noise.

Production draws to an end after almost two decades

After 19 successful years and the production of 362,601 coupés and 80,881 convertible Karmann Ghia Type 14, the elegant model from Osnabrück went into retirement in 1974. Volkswagen heralded a new era: the Scirocco was ready to take its place.

Today, Karmann Ghias are collectors’ items and crowd-pleasers at any car show. Their easy parts availability and graceful lines have made them among the more valuable Volkswagen classics. And the idea of taking a basic platform and modifying it with a unique exterior top-hat is shared with the upcoming ID. electric vehicle family – meaning the electric future could have some of the styling freedom of the past.

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