The Volkswagen Type 3, also called the Volkswagen 1500 and later the Volkswagen 1600, was a range of small cars from German manufacturer Volkswagen (VW) introduced in 1961. They featured ponton (an enveloping coach with slightly protruding bulbous-like fenders) three-box styling (where the cars body pillar separate it into three compartments or boxes: engine, passenger and cargo) in a notchback (softened three-box look where the final “C’ pillar slopes to shorten the appearance of the protruding trunk space into what looks like a little notch). Type 3’s also featured the Karmann Ghia 1500 (also known as the Type 34 Karmann Ghia) with a coupé body and the Variant (known as the Squareback in the USA) with an estate body (the two box style that defines a station wagon or hatchback), which first followed in 1962. The Type 3s such as the Variant and the others mentioned helped diversify Volkswagen´s product range beyond its existing models, while retaining their engineering principles, notably the air-cooled engine and the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
-Part of the Mike Malamut Personal Collection
-Part of the Mike Malamut Personal Collection
The Brazilian-made Karmann Ghia is a slightly different car than its US and European counterparts. This significantly lesser-known, and radically different Karmann Ghia was produced exclusively in Brazil from 1972-1976 for the Brazilian market – the Karmann Ghia TC.
The Karmann Ghia TC was a “fastback” unique to the Brazilian market. The TC’s 65 HP engine came with dual carbs and disc brakes. More than 18,000 examples were built.
-Part of the Mike Malamut Personal Collection
Puma, is a Brazilian manufacturer of sports cars and small trucks that began its activities in 1963 as Lumimari.
Puma began on the tracks and a dream of the Italian designer and immigrant, naturalized in Brazil, Rino Malzoni. The dream was to design and manufacture a vehicle with a fiberglass body and mount this body on the platform of a passenger vehicle with a modified engine and suspension to perform better and add a finish compatible with a sports car. Puma used a Karmann-Ghia chassis from VW, with some modifications. They also used a 1500 cm³ rear mechanical set, also from Volkswagen.
In 1970, Puma launched its most successful car to date, the Puma GTE, (E for “Export”), a sports car to be distributed around the world. It was being sold to several countries in Europe, Asia , Africa and the American continent. The Puma GTE was an updated version of the Puma GT, having its design reformulated. Updates were made for compliance with the traffic laws of each country where it was ordered.
This particular car was the New York show car and one of 15 imported to the US in 1970.
-Part of the Mike Malamut personal collection
The 1979 Bianco S is a Series 2 coupe from the Brazilian carmaker’s final year. This car spent time in a Brazilian collection before it was brought to the US. The Volkswagen-sourced powertrain includes a 1.6L flat-four mated to a four-speed manual transaxle.
The Bianco S model was produced by Brazilian racecar designer Toni Bianco and introduced at the 1976 Sao Paulo Motor Show. It features reinforced plastic and fiberglass bodywork over Volkswagen running gear. Safety substructures include roll bars and sheet-metal reinforcements. The Series 2 model featured cosmetic revisions such as changes to engine ventilation, elimination of hood louvres, and improved sealing. Lighting includes low-set double-round headlights, side markers, and taillights that were sourced from Opel.
Equipment includes a wood-rimmed steering wheel, a wood gearshift knob, power windows, and a power antenna. A Motoradio cassette player is equipped above the shifter.
-Part of the Mike Malamut Personal Collection
-Part of the Mike Malamut Personal Colection
The concept for the Type 2 VW Bus is credited to Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon. Pon visited Wolfsburg in 1946, intending to purchase Type 1s for import to the Netherlands, where he saw an improvised parts-mover and realized something better was possible using the stock Type 1 pan. He first sketched the van in a doodle dated April 23, 1947, proposing a payload of (1,520 lb) and placing the driver at the very front. Production would have to wait, however, as the factory was at capacity producing the Type 1.
When capacity freed up, a prototype known internally as the Type 29 was produced in a short three months. The stock Type 1 pan proved to be too weak so the prototype used a ladder chassis with unit body construction. Coincidentally the wheelbase was the same as the Type 1’s. Engineers reused the reduction gear from the Type 81, enabling the 1.5 ton van to use a 25 hp flat four engine.
Although the aerodynamics of the first prototypes were poor, engineers used the wind tunnel at the Technical University of Braunschweig to optimize the design. Simple changes such as splitting the windshield and roofline into a “vee” helped the production Type 2 achieve Cd=0.44, exceeding the Type 1’s.
Volkswagen’s new chief executive officer Heinz Nordhoff approved the van for production on 19 May 1949 and the first production model, now designated Type 2, rolled off the assembly line to debut 12 November. Only two models were offered: the Kombi (with two side windows and middle and rear seats that were easily removable by one person), and the Commercial. The Microbus was added in May 1950, joined by the Deluxe Microbus in June 1951. In all 9,541 Type 2s were produced in their first year of production.
An ambulance model was added in December 1951 which repositioned the fuel tank in front of the transaxle, put the spare tire behind the front seat, and added a “tailgate”-style rear door. These features became standard on the Type 2 from 1955 to 1967. 11,805 Type 2s were built in the 1951 model year. These were joined by a single-cab pickup in August 1952.
Unlike other rear engine Volkswagens, which evolved constantly over time but never saw the introduction of all-new models, the Transporter not only evolved, but was completely revised periodically.
The Volkswagen Samba, in the United States also known as Sunroof Deluxe, was the most luxurious version of the T1. Volkswagen started producing Sambas in 1951.
In the USA Volkswagen vans were informally classified according to the number of windows they had. This particular model has 23 windows. These include eight panoramic windows in the roof and additional curved windows in the rear corners. To distinguish it from the normal Volkswagen van the name Samba was coined.
Other features of the 23 window Samba include:
23 individual windows in total (5 windows on each side, 4 skylights each side, 2 front and 1 rear (openable) safari windows, 2 rear pillar windows.
The central rear window in the Deluxe was also larger than in other models in the bus range.
All windows were made from regular cast glass (as opposed to the previous barn-door model where plexiglas rear corner and skylight windows were applied throughout most years).
Vinyl “Golde” sunroof. This was standard on the Deluxe (optional on other models).
Polished aluminium ornamental band with central red stripe runs around the body from the front of the vehicle, under the window line and around the back. A separate band of the same style runs along the rocker panel (lower sill panel), and polished bands with black rubber bumper strips were applied to the bumper bars. These features were unique to the Deluxe Microbus.
Prior to August 1958, the Deluxe Microbus was only available in one color combination. Alternative colurs to this combination were not offered until after August 1958. The colors available on the Deluxe from 1955 – July 1958 included:
Upper paint color: Chestnut Brown (Code: L73)
Lower paint color: Sealing Wax Red (Code: L53)
Seen here is the Deluxe version, often seen as being the ultimate VW. It was the subject of an 8 year restoration. It features many rare options including a period antenna, safari window windshield, ambulance foot step, radio, very rare removable portable radio, and overhead fans. Out back, the motor features a rare period correct Abarth muffler, hotter cam, dual carbs, and reworked heads.
The need for a people’s car (“Volkswagen” in German), its concept and its functional objectives, was formulated by the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap, simple car to be mass-produced for his country’s new road network. Lead engineer Ferdinand Porsche and his team took until 1938 to finalize the design. The influence on Porsche’s design of other contemporary cars, such as the Tatra V570, and the work of Josef Ganz remains a subject of dispute. The result was the first Volkswagen, and one of the first rear-engined cars since the Brass Era. With 21,529,464 produced, the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single platform ever made.
Although designed in the 1930s, the Beetle was only produced in significant numbers from 1945 on (mass production had been put on hold during the Second World War) when the model was internally designated the Volkswagen Type 1, and marketed simply as the Volkswagen (or “People’s Car”). Later models were designated Volkswagen 1200, 1300, 1500, 1302 or 1303, the former three indicating engine displacement, the latter two derived from the type number. The model became widely known in its home country as the Käfer (German for “beetle”) and was later marketed as such in Germany, and as the Volkswagen in other countries.
As VW said in their advertisements, “First we paint the car, then we paint the paint.” Volkswagen’s paint finish process used Glassurit Single-Stage paint applied in two complete applications. The result is the heavy “orange peel,” customary on brand new VW’s, the main reason so many original paint Volkswagens have survived. This Beetle retains its original paint and interior.
-On loan from the Mike Malamut personal collection
The Beetle, conceived by Ferdinand Porsche in 1932, was developed as a mass-produced, low-priced vehicle that was available and affordable for all Germans, and the phenomenal success of the now-beloved “people’s car” stands among one of the most remarkable automobile stories of the 20th century. The charming Beetle was just hitting its stride in 1955 when, by year-end, the Wolfsburg Works had produced a total of 279,988 cars in one year alone. Annual production increased by 50,000 or so, until the million-car mark was achieved in 1965.
Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, following WWII, after the Fallersleben plant was partially destroyed, the Volkswagen project was offered to Henry Ford II, who felt the car wasn’t “worth a damn.” The American public’s strong anti-German sentiment aligned with Ford’s, and no one wanted the Volkswagen.
But one man did. Ben Pon, a Dutchman who brought the car to the United States, partnered with foreign car importer Max Hoffman, and helped fill America’s great demand for affordable transportation in the immediate post-war years. By 1952, at a time when Americans were demanding hefty V-8 engines in chrome-laden land yachts, Volkswagen produced and managed to sell over 100,000 of the funny-looking little air-cooled cars, in a choice of five models, which included the Standard, the Deluxe, the Deluxe with Sunshine Roof, the Type 2 Microbus, and the top-of-the-line Cabriolet.
This 1955 Volkswagen Cabriolet has been faithfully restored to the last esoteric detail. It was heavily optioned from the factory when new, and its sparkling silvery blue Mittelblau Metallic paintwork showcases the original and proper fender skirts, the gleaming whitewall tires with chrome hubcaps and trim rings, the chrome wing mirrors and rare, optional two-into-one chrome exhaust tip, the twin fog lamps, the illuminated semaphore turn indicators, the European “Heart” tail lamps, and the City Arms (Wolfsburg crest) badge.
The immaculate interior features seating that has been upholstered in pale blue leather, and it offers the driver and passenger every amenity available in 1955, including a mid-century porcelain blumenvasen (a panel-mounted bud vase), translucent plastic sun visors, twin door panel pockets, an original Blaupunkt “Frankfurt” pushbutton LMUK radio, and twin leather-upholstered bolster pillows to the rear. An extremely rare factory-option feature, the “Deluxe Panel” dashboard clock, is located in the center of the dash.(text from RM Auctions)
-Part of the Mike Malamut personal collection
In 1952, German coachbuilder Wilhelm Karmann went to Volkswagen with an idea: Build a halo car around the existing Beetle to attract the burgeoning postwar middle class. The West Germans were doing pretty well for themselves, snapping up new BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, and there was a hint that the American market was going to be the next big thing. Karmann was smitten with the idea of an elegant coupe he could build alongside the Beetle convertibles his Osnabrueck factory was producing. Karmann went to Luigi Segre the idea. Segre was the commercial director for Carrozzeria Ghia. Karmann accepted Ghia’s proposal in secret, and unveiled the styling design to Volkswagen executives in a back room at the 1953 Paris Auto Salon. The concept was tucked away for a couple of years until the engineering could be sorted out.
What would become the Karmann Ghia made its public debut on July 14, 1955. Public response was overwhelming. Within the Volkswagen range itself, the Karmann Ghia cost $700 more than a similarly equipped Beetle. But that wasn’t a problem: In the first year of production, Volkswagen sold 10,000 Karmann Ghias, doubling production expectations. -text edit from Motortrend classic.
The entire front nose and fenders were one solid piece, to minimize the seams. Body panels were welded, not bolted on. No more than five small, individual panels made up the nose, and each was hand-shaped and leaded with English pewter, much like a custom car. Doors were lightweight, but also complicated by their free-standing frameless design. Despite the car being labor intensive to build, production far exceeded Volkswagen’s expectations. Originally, the factory was to produce between 300 and 400 cars per month, a blistering pace, considering the amount of handwork. In the end, the factory was churning out 1000 examples per month.
Okrasa was a supplier of speed equipment for the Volkswagen engine very soon after it inception. Through the years there were lots of various “kits” offered, all of which were intended to be installed using the customer supplied engine. In the early years, VW used a short crankcase in its 25hp and later 35hp engines. Then in 1960, the “40hp” engine was introduced. With it came a new, longer crankcase, thus making obsolete the older designed parts. Okrasa followed suit with “40hp” versions of their parts, but by that time, other vendors such as Gene Berg were beginning to take market share from Okrasa, and they ceased development of new products for this engine.
Most Okrasa engines are identified by their dual carbs on a 36 hp engine case. The dual carbs are connected by special manifolds that Y out into twin intake ports (one for each cylinder). When you pop off the valve pan cover you can seed the words Okrasa cast into their special heads. Okrasa did make larger cranks for the the 36 hp engine. This is harder to discern from an assembled engine. Other accessories include tach drives, oil filers, distributors, and oil coolers.
This particular car features many rare options including: the Okrasa motor, working tach, european headlights, 2 band telefunken radio, VDO gauges, windshield washer, hood lock, trim rings, under dash tray, deckled rack, heater on knob, and locking shift.
-Part of the Mike Malamut personal collection
The VW Type 128 Schwimmwagen (literally Floating/Swimming Car) were amphibious four-wheel drive off-roaders, used extensively by German ground forces during the Second World War. VW Schwimmwagens were produced by the Volkswagen factory at Fallersleben / Wolfsburg and Porsche’s facilities in Stuttgart; with the bodies (or rather hulls) produced by Ambi Budd in Berlin. 15,584 Type 166 Schwimmwagen cars were produced from 1941 through 1944; 14,276 at Fallersleben and 1,308 by Porsche. Given these numbers, the VW 166 is the most mass-produced amphibious car in history. Only 189 are known by the Schwimmwagen Registry to remain today, and only 13 have survived without restoration work.
All Schwimmwagen were four wheel drive only on first gear (and reverse gears with some models) and had ZF self-locking differentials on both front and rear axles. Just like the Kübelwagen, the Schwimmwagen had portal gear rear hubs that gave better ground clearance, while at the same time reducing drive-line torque stresses with their gear reduction at the wheels.
When crossing water a screw propeller could be lowered down from the rear deck engine cover. When in place a simple coupling provided drive straight from an extension of the engine’s crankshaft. This meant that screw propulsion was only available going forward. For reversing in the water there was the choice of using the standard equipment paddle or running the land drive in reverse, allowing the wheel-rotation to slowly take the vehicle back. The front wheels doubled up as rudders, so steering was done with the steering wheel both on land and on water.
The Volkswagen Kübelwagen was a light military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II for use by the German military (both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS). Based heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, it was prototyped as the Type 62, but eventually became known internally as the Type 82.
Kübelwagen is an abbreviation of Kübelsitzwagen, meaning “bucket-seat car” because all German light military vehicles that had no doors were fitted with bucket seats to prevent passengers from falling out. The first VW test vehicles had no doors and were therefore fitted with bucket seats, so acquiring the name VW Kübelsitzwagen that was later shortened to Kübelwagen.
Full-scale production of the Type 82 Kübelwagen started in February 1940, as soon as the VW factories had become operational. No major changes took place before production ended in 1945, only small modifications were implemented, mostly eliminating unnecessary parts and reinforcing some, which had proved unequal to the task. Prototype versions were assembled with four-wheel-drive (Type 86) and different engines, but none offered a significant increase in performance or capability over the existing Type 82 and the designs were never implemented. As of March 1943, the car received a revised dash and the bigger 1,131 cc engine, developed for the Schwimmwagen, that produced more torque and power than the original 985 cc unit. When Volkswagen production ceased at the end of the war, 50,435 Kübelwagen vehicles had been produced, and the vehicle had proven itself to be surprisingly useful, reliable, and durable.
Among the design features that contributed to the Kübelwagen‘s performance were:
Apart from that, the air-cooled engine proved highly tolerant of hot and cold climates, and less vulnerable to bullets, due to the absence of a radiator. For starting under winter conditions, a specially volatile starting fuel was required, contained in a small auxiliary fuel tank.
As the body was not a load-bearing part of the structure of the vehicle, it could easily be modified to special purposes.
The Kübelwagen could reach a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).
-Part of the Mike Malamut Auto Collection
Rumor is that in the early 1950’s a florist went to BINZ a German coachbuilder that was synonymous for special purpose vehicles, requesting a vehicle that he could use for transporting materials, workers and plants in, but also had an area that was safe from the weather. Apparently, the single cab, which VW had in production in 1952, didn’t fit his needs. Binz’s solution was to take the Volkswagen Single cab and modify it into what is now known as the Binz double cab. Binz realized that they had a good idea in there hands and began to produce and market the double cab. They would make the conversion, upholster a rear seat that they made, and then paint the new double cab (the single cab came from Volkswagen primed). Because of its success Volkswagen contracted Binz to start making the VW double cab. Although Binz Started making the double cab Type 2s in 1953 for Volkswagen, by 1958 VW took the production of the double cab in house started making the vehicles at their own facilities. They sold for about $1800 that was about $300 more than the single cab.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
A one-owner car, this vehicle has been driven only 73,000 miles. It sports original paint, original interior, original motor, and has won several first place awards for its pristine condition. The car’s history is an interesting one: A favorite of the owner, his biggest joy was to drive the car into town (he was from Merced, California) after waxing and polishing his Ghia. He would frequently get stopped as individuals would plead wth him to sell the car. However, his love for his car stopped him from accepting any and all offers.
After the original owner passed away, his grandchildren realized how important the car was to him and became concerned about driving the car as they would feel terrible if it was damaged. After garaging it, they decided they would put the vehicle up for sale.
When advertising it, they found there was an extreme amount of interest. However, their biggest concern was that it be sold to the right party that would appreciate it.
When Mr. Malamut traveled to Merced to meet with them and view the vehicle, he brought with him pictures of his musuem and Volkswagen collection, accumulated over 25 years. Deciding they had found the next owner, they sold the car to the Malamut Museum, the perfect home for their grandfather’s cherished Karmenn Ghia.
Since its acquisition, the vehicle was detailed and freshened up, and has won many first place awards in All-Volkswagen shows as well as being featured in a multi-spread article in Hot VWs Magazine.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
With 22,000 original miles, this car remains in good shape, thanks in part to being a California car.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
With only 36,000 original miles, this van has special significance to Mr. Malamut as it’s identical to many of those he worked on in his early days as a mechanic.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Complete with a 1964 Eriba Puck trailer, this tailing piece weighs only 500 lbs., designed for small horsepower units. The aluminum side and fiberglass top were painted to match the 23-window van.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Painted in “ceiling wax red” and chestnut, note the rare blade bumper (no overrides) on this van that was originally owned by Jim Cacorus. Inside, the interior is original, as is the engine.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Unbelievable but true, this van has an original 8,000 miles on it and remains unrestored, yet almost in mint condition. Originally from Pennsylvania, the car’s only owner purchased it for family outings, which happened about one time per year. He then serviced the vehicle, and placed it in the garage for use the following year. It’s a once-in-a-life find that is completely documented.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
This rare “flip seat” model has only 46,000 miles. Drivers can charm passer-bys with a rare “ding dong” heel horn.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
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Restored by Robert Davis of Santa Barbara, this $50,000 project was finished in 2003. With an original wood interior and painted in “mango green,” it has won “best camper” in every Volkswagen show in which it has been shown. |
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Manufactured in late 1965, this model comes with a big back window, making it a rare car. Inside, note the original wood cabinet options, while overhead, find the flip top (as opposed to the pop top of later models). Velvet green in color, it has enjoyed a partial restoration that includes an exterior painted “velvet green.”
A symbol of the hippy and surf culture that became popular in the mid to late sixties, this popular “bus” became an icon in British and American culture. Certainly, the utilitarian functioning of this vehicle makes it suited for a trip to the beach, a picnic outting, and, of course, a good night’s sleep.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
As they said in their advertisements, “First we paint the car, then we paint the paint.” This Volkswagen’s finish was restored to exact factory standards, with Glassurit Single-Stage Polar Silver Metallic applied in two complete applications. The result is the heavy “orange peel,” customary on brand new VW’s, the main reason so many original paint Volkswagens have survived.
This 36-horse motor has been blueprinted with N.O.S. pistons and cylinders, and fully detailed with correct carburetor, fuel pump, distributor, and all fitments. The split-case transmission has been completely rebuilt with new first through fourth gears and ring and pinion, and is detailed to the same level as the motor. The suspension has been built with all N.O.S. parts, including backing plates, spindles, torsion springs, along with all new brake components.
The interior was hand crafted by VW So-Cal legend Dave Lumeda. Using factory patterns, he built the door panels, seats, square weave carpets, Stay-fast sunroof top, and wool headliner to match the exact factory fit and finish. Correct color red vinyl and black piping was sourced and all padding and stitching replicates the factory appearance. The gray German square weave carpets have specially dyed welting.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
This very rare vehicle, originally restored by Dr. Richard Christiansen, has won first in class at every show it has attended. Once owned by “Shakey Jake” Babbit, it was purchased from an Arizona collector Bob Everts. The 18-month restoration included an imron black and cream paint combo, leather upholstery, Telefunker Radio, locking glove box doors, 16″ wheels, and comes with the original tool kit.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Restored in 1985, this ranked as the most expensive restoration of its time at $20,000 (as per Hot VW Magazine).
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
Founded in 1924 by Friedrich Rometsch, the company took advantage of the German custom of their buying a chassis complete with an engine and then employing a coachbuilder to add a custom-built body to it. By the late 1930s it was more usual to buy the complete vehicle.
Friedrich Rometsch and his son Fritz Rometsch earned their experience while working for the coachbuilder, Erdmann & Rossi.
Johannes Beeskow, a Rometsch designer, built the first prototype of a four door sedan in 1950; the donor vehicle being a Volkswagen Beetle in scrap condition. Rometsch took this concept into the production of a taxicab. The wheelbase had been stretched by about 11 in. Access to the backseats was made more accessible by adding suicide doors. Thereafter, original doors were modified.
The Beeskow was twice the price of its platform and parts donor, the Volkswagen Beetle. The Beeskow became “the Beetle for the high society”. The design of falling lines on head and tail of the pontoon body caused it to be nicknamed “the banana”. A third seat was installed behind the driver seat, turned by 90 degrees, facing the nearside. The actor Viktor de Kowa bought the first Beeskow at the Geneva Automotive Show. As Friedrich Rometsch had not thought of a price, he took a look at the Porsche exhibition booth next-door where the Porsche 356 was offered for 10,000 DEM and Rometsch offered the car for 9,800 DEM, which was accepted. Today that price would equal 47050 EUR. Both Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn also bought Beeskows. In the late middle 1950s, the design engineer Johannes Beeskow moved to the Karmann company in Osnabrück as their department manager of technical research. Some of the design elements from the Beeskow were found later in other vehicles such as the so-called “wheelbrows” on the bumpers of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and also the roof of the Audi TT.
When sales declined, mainly due the competition from the mass production of the Type 14 Karmann Ghia, which was 1,500 DM cheaper and also built on the Beetle chassis, the general director of Volkswagen, Heinrich Nordhoff, stopped the supply to Rometsch. He also prohibited dealers from selling either chassis or vehicles to Rometsch. When Rometsch realised they were selling the Lawrence at a loss, he was forced to cut wages to piece rate.
A further blow hit Rometsch in the summer of 1961 when the construction of the Berlin Wall separated them from nearly half of their 90 employees overnight. The production of the sports car ended later that year.
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection
In September 1961, Volkswagen introduced the VW 1500 Karmann Ghia, or Type 34, based on its new Type 3 platform. It featured Volkswagen’s new flat 1500cc engine design and styling by Italian engineer Sergio Sartorelli.
Due to model confusion with the Type 14 1500 introduced in 1967, the Type 34 was known variously as the “Der Große Karmann” (“the big Karmann”) in Germany, “Razor Edge Ghia” in the United Kingdom, or “European Ghia” (or “Type 3 Ghia” among enthusiasts) in the United States. Today the name Type 34 is recognized as the worldwide naming convention.
An electrically operated sliding steel sunroof was optional in 1962, the second automobile model in the world to have this option. The styling offered more interior and cargo room than the original Karmann Ghia. It featured an electric clock, three luggage spaces, built-in fog lights, round tail lights, upper and lower dash pads, door pads, and long padded armrests. It was the fastest production VW model of its day.
Until it was replaced by the VW-Porsche 914, it was the most expensive and luxurious passenger car VW manufactured in the 1960s — at the time costing twice as much as a Beetle in many markets. 42,505 (plus 17 prototype convertibles) were manufactured from 1962-1969.
Although the Type 34 was available in most countries, it was not offered officially in the U.S. – VW’s largest and most important export market. This was another reason for its low sales numbers. Many still made their way to the USA (most via Canada). The USA has the largest number of known Type 34s left in the world (400 of the total 1,500 to 2,000 or so remaining).
-On loan from The Mike Malamut personal collection