Vehicle Description
Starting at the turn of the 20th Century Wilhelm Karmann Sr. began
manufacturing lavish custom automobile bodies in Osnabruck,
Germany. In 1946 Wilhelm Jr. designed a body for VW, a cabriolet,
and by 1952 he was assembling 25 per day. Being an opportunist,
Karmann proposed a deluxe body for the Beetle chassis and
Volkswagen was enthusiastic about the idea. Karmann knew Luigi
Segre, managing director at Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin and Segre
managed to obtain a VW Beetle on which to design and fabricate a
prototype. Within a year, Segre had a running prototype to show
Karmann assemble and late in 1953, he presented it to Volkswagen.
They approved the project - with design by four of Ghia's best
stylists and assembly by Karmann. Internally the project was
designated the VW Typ 14. (At the time, Ghia also was fabricating
show car bodies from Chrysler's ideas.) The car made a surprise
debut at the September 1955 Frankfurt Auto Show (the IAA) and the
October Paris Salon de l'Automobile with VW's basic 34 horsepower
1,192 cubic centimeters opposed four-cylinder engine. Its stylish
lines sold more than 10,000 the first year and nearly half a
million in all. A convertible version appeared in 1957. The car
bodies were hand-welded and mostly hand-formed. As Volkswagen
upgraded the engines in its Beetles, it did the same with these
Ghias and this model's 1,285 cubic-centimeter four developed 39
horsepower, enough to get the 1,830-pound car to top 80 miles per
hour.
David Solinger purchased this car brand new. Solinger, a lawyer and
renowned art collector, was also the first president of the Whitney
Museum who was not named Whitney. He went into his Porsche dealer
intending to buy a 356 and drove his Ghia home to Greenwich,
Connecticut, where he owned the car for most of its life. The
occasional drive from home to his local country club the reason for
the low mileage. Mr. Solinger died in 1996 at which time his
Karmann Ghia ended up in the north shore of Long Island with its
second owner. Our client had seen this K-G at a show and set out on
a mission, completed successfully after having an afternoon visit
with Solinger's widow in NYC. The way she lit up relating the fond
memories she had from the time she and John enjoyed the VW, he had
to have John's Ghia. Finally getting in touch with the second
owner, a Mr. Karaban, our client acquired VW K-G and, like the
Solingers, he enjoyed the Ghia sparingly over the past 10 years in
the Hamptons.
Having one paint re-spray during Solinger's ownership, this Karmann
Ghia is very much an unmolested example. It has been cared for in a
way that John would appreciate and to this day it presents very
well. It is fully serviced and ready for it's fourth owner to
continue the enjoyment, preservation, and maintenance of this
glorious Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.