GHIA BLAST
PC takes our VW Karmann Ghia back to its birthplace… via the scenic route
It was a cold, grim January day at PC Towers. While the team was beavering away nailing the next issue of your favourite magazine together, I allowed myself the occasional daydream moment, thinking about warm weather still to come and looking forward to more adventures in our fleet of classics. I was jolted from my reverie by David Brown (a fellow VW enthusiast) of PC sister title Classic Car Weekly, who plonked a press release down on my desk. ‘Seen this?’ he said. ‘Bremen Classic Motorshow – have a look at what the main exhibition is this year.’ Leafing through the
pages, I found the following statement: the model of success from Osnabrück, the VW Karmann Ghia, cannot be missed in the ‘Schatzkammer von Karmann’ (Karmann Treasure Trove). ‘You should take your Ghia,’ continued David. It did sound like a great idea – why wait until summer when you can get out and really enjoy
your classic
all year round. I was sold, and luckily so was editor Hopkins, who gave a green light to the trip.
After a bit of online research, I discovered that the Karmann factory where the Ghia was built wasn’t too far from Bremen, either. Suddenly the homecoming tour was coming together nicely. I quickly arranged ferries and hotels before Danny could change his mind. The day of departure dawned in early February and the weather hadn’t got much better. Cold. It was very cold, so I was very glad that the Ghia’s heat exchangers were in good nick, allowing plenty of scalding hot air to be piped forward and into the cabin. I collected my snapper for the trip, Theo Ford-sagers, from his home in Morborne on the Thursday evening ahead of our night crossing out of Harwich. So it was dark, cold (did I mention that already) and wet conditions that faced us as we hit the road. Conditions were very greasy, leading Theo to exclaim: ‘I’m really glad that you told me you’d fitted new brake discs and pads ready for this trip.’
We kept our noses clean and made it to the port at Harwich in good time for our 11pm departure. The DFDS Harwich-hook of Holland overnight service is great as it allows you to get a good night’s sleep on the boat before getting an early start for the onward journey into Europe the following day. Particularly time-effective and thoroughly recommended.
Of course, in true PC style, we didn’t exactly travel ‘as the crow flies’ so to speak once we were safely on foreign soil. Having consulted a map during the crossing, I’d worked out that going via Amsterdam only added an extra 15 miles or so to the total journey distance and Theo seemed up for it, so that’s what we did! And why not – after a whistle-stop tour we then made an even better decision and decided to continue north from Amsterdam rather than heading immediately east for Bremen. ‘I’ve found something that looks interesting,’ Theo said, ‘it might be nothing but could be worth checking out.’ He wasn’t wrong – we’d inadvertently wound our way to the Afsluitdijk, an astonishing causeway running from Den Oever on Wieringen in North Holland province, to the village of Zurich in Friesland province. Built between 1927 and 1932 over a length of 20 miles and a width of 90 metres, it sits at an initial height of 7.25m above sea level. The Afsluitdijk is a fundamental part of the larger Zuiderzee Works, damming off the Zuiderzee,
ABOVE Wilhelm Karmann’s 1953 design study that spawned the Ghia in 1955.
BELOW Road as far as the eye can see across the mighty Afsluitdijk.
a salt water inlet of the North Sea, and turning it into the fresh water lake of the Ijsselmeer, with dykes at both ends.
The entire construction is spectacular and certainly makes for a memorable drive. Half way across there is a cafe and visitor centre, complete with a monument in the form of a watchtower designed by architect Willem Dudok. Quite the place to stop for a quick cup of tea. Once fed and watered we were ready for the final run into Bremen and, after battling gamely with the Friday evening rush hour traffic, eventually reached our hotel for the weekend.
It’s showtime
After a quiet Friday night out in downtown Bremen (a couple of beers and then home to bed, honest…) Theo and I arrived at the Messe Bremen bright and early on Saturday morning, ready to see what the show had to offer. As you’d expect for a show in Germany, the exhibits did lean heavily towards local marques, though not exclusively. If you’ve never been to a show in Europe then Bremen is, to my mind, just as good as the popular Essen Techno-classica, although it is on a slightly smaller scale. I liked that though and we managed to get round the whole thing in a solid day without feeling like we’d missed out on anything.
Of course, the Karmann ‘Treasure Trove’ was what we’d really come for, so that was the first port of call. Centrepiece of the large stand packed with Karmann offerings from every decade was the machine I was most keen to see – the prototype that became the Karmann Ghia as we know it today. Wolfsburg native Wilhelm Karmann created the svelte two-door in 1953 without the knowledge of the famed Turin chassis builder, Ghia. It was resplendent in a coat of creamy off-white paint, with lean lines and an exquisite leather interior – the coupé with a Beetle engine captivated the head of Volkswagen at the time, Heinrich Nordhoff. Karmann received the order for series development and it got standing ovations at the 1955 premiere. The rest is history.
My own Ghia might not have been in such fabulous condition (particularly given that it was currently wearing a dirty, salty coat after almost 500 miles on the road) but you could still very much see the family resemblance to the earlier model. Sadly, some of the original details like the attractive and completely pillarless construction didn’t make it through the development process and onto the production model, but the delicate lights worked well aesthetically and the flowing lines and side strakes remained pretty much untouched.
ABOVE Matt’s first trip to Amsterdam was an, ahem, educational experience.
ABOVE RIGHT Baha-spec Beetle meant for rougher terrain than Bremen hall!
All too soon our time in Bremen had come to a close, but not before we had impressed/ amused the locals with our choice of vehicle. Upon seeing Theo and I fold ourselves and our not unsubstantial amount of both luggage and camera gear into the Ghia, the question was put to us: ‘You drove all the way here… in that?’ Well yes, yes we did – this is Practical Classics after all.
Back to the beginning
The Ghia had proved itself to be a competent (if a little cramped) touring car already on the trip. So, after the bright lights of Bremen, come Sunday morning it was time to head south-west and pick up the E37 motorway that took us all the way to the city of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony. The Town Hall is where the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia was negotiated, bringing the 30 Years’ War to an end. Osnabrück’s role in the peace process later led it to adopt the title Friedensstadt (‘city of peace’).
More recently, Osnabrück became known for industry. Among numerous manufacturing plants in Osnabrück, Wilhelm Karmann Gmbh, commonly known as Karmann, was until 2009 the largest independent motor vehicle manufacturing company in Germany. After opening its doors in 1901 the firm fulfilled roles from design to production and assembly of components for many manufacturers. Sadly, on April 8, 2009, Karmann filed for bankruptcy protection due to the sharp decline in demand for cars, and the firm’s financial obligations. Volkswagen revealed on October 24, 2009, that it had offered to buy out its long-time partner. On November 20, 2009, the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition of Karmann’s assets, and planned to restart vehicle production at the Osnabrück plant in 2012. Today the site produces the VW Tiguan plus the Porsche Cayenne and Cayman models.
History on wheels
Thankfully VW hasn’t forgotten the heritage it shares with Karmann in Osnabrück. Tucked up within the enormous factory complex is a building crammed with classic delights. My own Ghia rolled out of the factory gates here in 1971, bound for a new life in the United States. It was imported into the UK in 2001 and was now making a return to its place of birth for the first time in almost half a century. The man we were there to meet was Klaus Ulrich. Klaus had worked for Karmann in Osnabrück since 1973 and had been looking after the heritage fleet since 2007. He told me: ‘There are 140 cars in the museum, obviously Volkswagens, then Audis, DKWS and Porsches. Basically anything that Karmann had
‘The alternatebodied Ghias in the collection were all most interesting’
a hand in designing or building, including Fords, BMWS and Chryslers.’ It was fascinating to hear of the kind of works Karmann took on over the years – engineering the retractable hard-top roof for the Renault Megane CC for example.
As a TR owner I was aware of the crafty front/ rear restyle that Karmann’s designers effected on the TR5 body tub in 1968 to create the TR6, when regular Triumph partner-in-crime Giovanni Michelotti’s pen was otherwise engaged, but I didn’t know of the Porsche connection. ‘The Porsche 912 was built here in the Karmann works from 1966, then from 1968 Karmann also built standard USA market 911 coupés and 911T coupés, plus the 912. This was down to the fact that Porsche was selling more cars than it could make at its own factory at the time. The body and paint were completed in Osnabrück, before the cars went elsewhere for their engine and axle.’
Sharing the wealth
The Heritage collection is regularly opened up for school visits and the like, plus workshops and presentations for groups of up to 30 people – on the day we had the place all to ourselves. As I worked my way from car to car, the VW connection was undeniable: the alternate-bodied Karmann Ghias were particularly interesting. ‘The 1968 Ghia Type 14 coupé produced by Karmann Ghia do Brasil features a few notable variations from the common Osnabrück model. The Brazilian version uses the smaller lights from the Type 3, helping to give the car its unique character. Other changes are more subtle: the
‘Many generations of families worked for Karmann right here in Osnabrück’
export bumpers, the different emblems and the finer differences in the chrome trim.’
After so many years of service, it was no surprise that Klaus had all things Karmann in his blood. But things don’t stay the same forever: ‘Many generations of families worked here… however, it is different since the change of ownership from Karmann to Volkswagen. Everything used to be built by hand, now there are lots of robots instead. It’s not quite the same.’ All too soon, our time in the treasure trove had come to an end. While we were preparing to hit the road, Klaus nodded his approval for our choice of transport and clearly had no qualms about the mileage we were about to cover: ‘Oh, it’ll get you there, no need to worry about that.’ At 62, and having been an apprentice learning his trade at a VW dealer for three years before joining Karmann in 1973, Klaus was preparing for retirement later this year: the organisation will be all the poorer without him. ‘After working for 45 years, I can go at 63. I’ve always been very happy here.’
Homeward bound
With the comforting words of our host ringing in my ears, I set course for the Hook of Holland and our return ferry. And Klaus was right – we did the 190-mile journey without incident, apart from stopping to restrain an errant window seal by applying a line of Gaffa tape. That simple air-cooled motor just kept on chugging all the way to the port. As we relaxed over a meal and a celebratory glass of wine, we reflected on the past four days and ultimately on a job well done, for both man and machine. The fact that an audacious design study from 1953 could inspire two men to drive half way across Europe some 64 years later was remarkable, while the sheer volume of history seeping out of the Karmann collection at Osnabrück defied belief. It was a privilege to learn about the company from a man so ingrained in it… and that is something worth celebrating.