A Short History Of The VW Karmann Ghia (cont.)

In 1957 VW released a convertible version of the Ghia, under the code Type 141, the car was now strictly a two-seater, with one of Karmann's trademarked 4 layer insulated hoods which had made the Beetle Cabrio so popular.

1959 signaled the end of production for the first generation Ghia, now known as the “Lowlight” due to the position of the headlamps and turn signals, and a new look Ghia was on the market, in reality the new Ghia was not much more than a facelift, with the new rear lights which flowed into the rear wings, and a slightly redesigned front end which had new nostrils, and the position of the headlights and turn signals had been raised around 2”.

The engine had gained another 4bhp, not a lot but over a 10% increase on the preceding model. August 1960, so the 1961 model year, the Ghia got another power increase, this time up to 40bhp, in part due to the new carburetor, now fitted with an electronic choke. The fuel tank was made slightly flatter to increase luggage capacity.