In the early 1950s Volkswagen produced only the Beetle and Kombi, typical post-war cars: resistant, sober and cheap. The world, however, was already recovering from the Second World War, and the demand for more elegant and luxurious cars increased. Volkswagen had just left British control (1949), and in a way it had already tentatively ventured into this market, with the convertible version of the Beetle. However, Volkswagen management was still considering the possibility of offering a car that would raise the firm's image, fully serving this market.

The Ghia Studio and the Project

The initial project presented by Karmann did not please VW executives much. Seeking to satisfy such an important client, Karmann sought help from the most renowned design studio in the world: the Ghia Studio. According to unofficial reports, Luigi Segre, responsible for the renowned studio, reportedly presented to Wilhelm Karmann an unused design by Chrysler, the Chrysler Guia Special coupe. Designed by Virgil Exner and Mario Boano, the prototype appeared at the 1952 Paris show, and would have inspired the design of the VW coupe.

With or without adapting a previous design, Ghia bought a Beetle from the French importer Charles Laudoch, and on its chassis it finished the prototype in just five months. Then the car was taken from Turin to Neuilly, France, to Laudoch's garage. There Wilhelm Karmann could see the design for the first time, which made him very excited. The car was taken to Osnabrück, where he was presented on November 16 to Heinrich Nordhoff, then president of Volks. Despite his concern about the possible possible price of the car, Wilhelm Karmann's persuasion and the need to meet market demands guaranteed the go-ahead for the project.

According to the agreement reached between the companies, the car would be sold by Volkswagen but produced by Karmann on the Beetle / Beetle platform (enlarged by 30 cm, and in total the car would be 12 cm longer). After further tests and refinements to the project, the tooling was ordered, and in July 1955 the Volkswagen coupe was presented to the press. However, the car still had no name, just the code "Typ 14". After considering some Italian names for the car, the name Karmann-Ghia was chosen, reflecting the exoticism of the car and the participation of the various companies in its project.

In August 1955 the first Karmann-Ghia left the assembly line in Osnabrück, Germany. The public reaction to the curvaceous car was excellent, and more than 10,000 cars were sold in the first year alone, surprising even Volkswagen itself.