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Trylon
Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2019
Posts: 4953
Location: Connecticut
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 Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 7:12 am Post subject: The Karmann Ghia’s predecessors and successors |
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Ok, I’ve heard of Ghia’s Lincoln d'elegance and its relationship to the Karmann Ghia—
but Ghia’s Plymouth Explorer?!
Last edited by Trylon on Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
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John Moxon 
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Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 14151
Location: Southampton U.K.
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 9:49 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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You'll find Ghia like a lot of the other Italian design studios had a distinctive "House Style" where a lot of the styling accents were repeated through designs for other marques.
The Volvo P1800 was a Ghia design built in the same Karmann factory as our beauty. Note the P1800's roofline...
also the '52 Lancia Aurelia Ghia was also sporting the distinctive roofline before the arrival of the Chrysler d'Elegance...
...the 1952 Fiat 8V Ghia Coupe...
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Last edited by John Moxon on Tue Sep 03, 2019 9:59 am; edited 1 time in total |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 13286
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 9:56 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| John Moxon wrote: |
You'll find Ghia like a lot of the other Italian design studios had a distinctive "House Style" where a lot of the styling accents were repeated through designs for other marques.
The Volvo P1800 was a Ghia design built in the same Karmann factory as our beauty. Note the P1800's roofline...
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Actually, Volvo wanted Karmann to build the cars but Volkswagen, threatened threatened to cancel their contract for the Karmann Ghia if they did.
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John Moxon
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Joined: March 07, 2004
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Location: Southampton U.K.
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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
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Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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Trylon
Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2019
Posts: 4953
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:25 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| How interesting! Didn't realize there was such a family resemblance across Ghia automobiles. |
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art_lessing
Samba Member
Joined: February 20, 2014
Posts: 156
Location: Sacramento
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 11:05 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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this too...never forget!!!
The side scoop indent makes the rear fender shape that most Ghia designs share... |
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John Moxon
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Braukuche
Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004
Posts: 11162
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 11:40 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| John Moxon wrote: |
| djkeev wrote: |
If I recall Fords top trim line was known as Ghia for many years.
Dave |
Yes Ford bought the Ghia design studio in the mid '60s and simply used the name for top of the range interiors and wood-grained dash facings. Bit of come-down for the name of Ghia.  |
Ford destroys everything it touches. Look what they did to the Jaguar.
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 13286
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 11:46 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| Braukuche wrote: |
| John Moxon wrote: |
| djkeev wrote: |
If I recall Fords top trim line was known as Ghia for many years.
Dave |
Yes Ford bought the Ghia design studio in the mid '60s and simply used the name for top of the range interiors and wood-grained dash facings. Bit of come-down for the name of Ghia. |
Ford destroys everything it touches. Look what they did to the Jaguar. |
Jaguar was a screaming POS before Ford acquired them, but they certainly did nothing to improve upon them.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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KMW
Samba Member
Joined: May 15, 2009
Posts: 35
Location: Sweden
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 11:48 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| John Moxon wrote: |
The Volvo P1800 was a Ghia design built in the same Karmann factory as our beauty. Note the P1800's roofline...
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Actually neither Ghia nor Karmann.
Design was by Swedish designer Pelle Pettersson and the first years it was built in England.
Later Volvo moved production to Sweden, the 1800S models. |
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iowegian
Samba Curmudgeon
Joined: February 16, 2005
Posts: 9931
Location: Somewhere between Dubuque and Keokuk
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 11:52 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| John Moxon wrote: |
...the 1952 Fiat 8V Ghia Coupe...
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Looks more like a Nash Healey than anything.
Now, just photoshop Ivanka Lloyd-Wright in there and you'd have a winner.  |
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John Moxon
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Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 14151
Location: Southampton U.K.
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 11:53 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| KMW wrote: |
| John Moxon wrote: |
The Volvo P1800 was a Ghia design built in the same Karmann factory as our beauty. Note the P1800's roofline...
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Actually neither Ghia nor Karmann.
Design was by Swedish designer Pelle Pettersson and the first years it was built in England.
Later Volvo moved production to Sweden, the 1800S models. |
Perhaps a proxy Ghia... 
| Wiki wrote: |
| Styling was by Pelle Petterson under the tutelage of Pietro Frua when Frua's studio was a subsidiary of the prestigious Italian carrozzeria Ghia, |
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KMW
Samba Member
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Posts: 35
Location: Sweden
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 11:56 am Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| djkeev wrote: |
I was surprised when Audi brought out the TT model that VW didn't seize the unit, make a fee cosmetic tweaks and badge it as a new Karmann Ghia. |
Easy, VW owns neither of the names Karmann Ghia.
Karmann still exists as builder of mobile homes even though VW bought the Osnabrück factory after that part of Karmann went bankrupt.
Ghia was bought by Ford in the 70s thus Ford would object to the use of that name. |
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Trylon
Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2019
Posts: 4953
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:10 pm Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| art_lessing wrote: |
this too...never forget!!!
The side scoop indent makes the rear fender shape that most Ghia designs share... |
Yes! I think I know this subliminally but its never been a conscious fact until now. |
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bobbyblack
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 4585
Location: United States, Iowa
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:19 pm Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| djkeev wrote: |
A lot of Ghia is interesting, they had their fingers all over the place! If I recall Fords top trim line was known as Ghia for many years.
I was surprised when Audi brought out the TT model that VW didn't seize the unit, make a few cosmetic tweaks and badge it as a new Karmann Ghia.
Dave |
The design is nearly as classic. I find the TT to be my #1 recent design choice. Too bad the quirks are so many. My Brother in Law's 02 had a transmission issue that ended up costing $7,000 to 'fix' (replace). My sister's was in the shop more than on the street. I still want one, heck, maybe two! Just the MK1 tho, the newer ones lost something I can't quite put my finger on. And, the coup, not the roadster, those are pretty ugly IMHO.
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Trylon
Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2019
Posts: 4953
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:23 pm Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| bobbyblack wrote: |
| djkeev wrote: |
A lot of Ghia is interesting, they had their fingers all over the place! If I recall Fords top trim line was known as Ghia for many years.
I was surprised when Audi brought out the TT model that VW didn't seize the unit, make a few cosmetic tweaks and badge it as a new Karmann Ghia.
Dave |
The design is nearly as classic. I find the TT to be my #1 modern design choice. Too bad the quirks are so many. My Brother in Law's 02 had a transmission issue that ended up costing $7,000 to 'fix' (replace). My sister's was in the shop more than on the street. I still want one, heck, maybe two! Just the MK1 tho, the newer ones lost something I can't quite put my finger on. And, the coup, not the roadster, those are pretty ugly IMHO. |
Had my 2013 TTS coupe since new— never a single issue! I tend to agree that the first model was more the dream car— became more plebeian in the later incarnation. Every car I see seems to have the same scooping side and the corporate front doesn’t quite work on it as it does the other models.
But don’t tell anyone— trying to finance my Karmann Ghia Fever with it! |
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
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Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 2:35 pm Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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| iowegian wrote: |
| John Moxon wrote: |
...the 1952 Fiat 8V Ghia Coupe...
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Looks more like a Nash Healey than anything.
Now, just photoshop Ivanka Lloyd-Wright in there and you'd have a winner. |
The entire roof of that Fiat 8V Ghia Coupe could be replaced with a VW Karmann Ghia roof and nobody would ever be able to tell the difference.  |
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jeffrey8164
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Posts: 4071
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| Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 3:33 pm Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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I’ll agree.
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kurt912
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| Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 10:30 pm Post subject: Re: 1954 Ghia Plymouth Explorer |
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Here's an interesting one:Renault Fregate Ondine cabriolet, designed by Ghia and dating approx. 2 years before the production Karmann Ghia coupe.
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