VW Beetle Cabriolet and Karmann Ghia: Books - History

Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet - The Full Story of the Convertible Beetle

Karmann Ghia built the majority of VW Beetle Cabriolets between 1948 and 1980. Today, these convertible Beetles are much sought after as practical, durable and very attractive classics. Altogether, over 330,000 Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolets were built and the quality of their engineering has ensured a very high survival rate.

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Volkswagen Karmann Ghias and Cabriolets - 1949-1980

This book reveals the full story of the Karmann Ghia from initial concepts to the production of the Coupe, the addition of a Cabriolet, and the model's ongoing progress until its eventual sad demise in 1974.
It traces the background story of the firms and key individuals involved - and the development of the Beetle Cabriolet, the original model that brought VW and Karmann together.

Covered are the history of the Karmann Ghia and VW Beetle Cabriolet from prototype to production, the coupe, cabriolet and Type 34 variants of the Karmann Ghia, as well as special models and one-off model variants. Model specifications and year-by-year evolution of design and production are also included.

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Karmann Ghia Coupe & Cabriolet

The story of the wonderfully stylish Karmann Ghia, built on the ultra-dependable VW Beetle chassis and running gear. The cars were available from Volkswagen dealers between 1955 and 1974, and these timeless models are now quite rightly considered classics.
This is THE essential guide to these curvy and collectible Karmann Ghia Volkswagens.

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VW Karmann Ghia (1955-1974) - Brooklands Portfolio

Brooklands Portfolio book about the VW Karmann Ghia models from the years 1955-1974. Describes the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupé, Cabriolet, 1200, 1300, 1500, 1600 and Okrasa.

• The 53 articles, taken from contemporary British and American car magazines, provide much information about history, model changes and technology.
• Also driving impressions, tests, comparison tests, technical specifications, etc.

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More information on the Brooklands Portfolio books

Karmann Ghia, Combi, 181, Buggy... - Les dérivés de la VW Coccinelle

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Designed by Ferdinand Porsche, the Volkswagen Type 1 established itself as an almost perfect technical base. Simple, efficient and robust, the most famous of German popular cars would give birth to many other models.
These are the derivatives of the Beetle, within the official Volkswagen range, but also, later with models from independent manufacturers. Whether it is the magnificent Karmann Ghia sports coupe (Type 14 and 34) or the very endearing Type 2 Combi: the soul of the Beetle is always present.

This book highlights models derived from the Beetle such as the Combi, the Buggy, the 181 and the Type 3 series. Not forgetting the Beetle itself, a true icon of automotive history. Exoticism is also on the agenda with the Brasilia and other replicas of the Speedster 356.

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Durchgeboxt - Die grosse Enzyklopädie der Kleinserien und Eigenbauten auf VW-Käfer- und Bus-Basis

Since 1945, hundreds of companies, hobbyists and designers worldwide have produced countless special vehicles based on the chassis of the VW Beetle or the VW Transporter, and initially also on the Kübelwagen chassis.
Some of the creations were adventurous, some were breathtakingly beautiful - coupes, convertibles, pickups or even buggies. In addition to Germany and the GDR(!), the focus was on the USA, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Austria, Poland and Switzerland.

These special vehicles were often equipped with Porsche engines, some of them based on the design of the legendary Porsche 356, the 550 Spyder or the 904, sometimes even with the blessing of the Stuttgart parent company, as in the case of the Lindner Porsche, which was built in the GDR.
The renowned companies that used VW technology included Apal, Beutler, Rometsch, Hebmüller, Karmann and many others. Among the manufacturers were also exotics such as Espenlaub, Dingo and Feix. The Kaiserslautern master school was also known for its enormous creativity.
Today, specialists such as Wittera and Replicar Hellas are continuing the tradition. And Memminger has reinvented the Beetle convertible.

The Austrian historian Dr. Thomas Braun has spent years researching and collecting everything that has been designed and produced around the world in the form of special vehicles based on VW and Porsche.
"Durchgeboxt" is a mammoth work with 448 pages, over 1750 mostly colored photographs and over 2000 models from 470 manufacturers. The volume is the first major encyclopedia on the subject of special vehicles with VW and - in part - Porsche technology.

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