Volkswagen’s Karmann Ghia is one of the forgotten sports cars, developed across three models from the 1950s to the 1970s. Its design bore some resemblance to the Alpine A110 of the time, but unlike the Alpine it has never had a modern revival. That is until our hugely talented renderer Rostislav Prokop got his digital pen art and designed this new Karmann Ghia for 2023, one that would make good use of the Volkswagen R powertrain.

Not only that, but Prokop’s rendering would also give the Alpine A110 of the 21st century a good run for its money. With it based on the A110, the Karmann Ghia render has a sleek, curvy shape and some incredibly pleasing proportions.

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Prokop Has Taken Inspiration From The Modern Alpine A110

The lines and shape of the A110 are clear from the off with Prokop’s rendering. While the front loses the charismatic headlights of the Alpine, the same sleek, curvy shape of the front-end with its swooping curves over the fenders are present. The general proportions are there, and the headlights are now replaced by thin, strip lights that run from left to right and through the center of the fascia. Prokop has also tidied the grille area up, slimming it down to create a cleaner front-end design.

Two nostril grille openings are a design feature that forms a link between this new rendering, and the original Karmann Ghia of the 1950s. Equally, the new and revised headlight design is a hint towards the future with its modern LEDs. The front sees more aggressive bodywork compared to the Alpine, with a larger front lip and splitter adding extra sportiness to the design. This aggression extends to the wheel fenders at the front which are dramatically flared out, adding a touch of widebody to Prokop’s render. Neither the Alpine or original Karmann Ghia had wheel fenders that flared out this much.

The aggression doesn’t end there, with the multi-spoke wheel design in gold a dramatic departure from conventional wheel designs. The spokes point out at all angles while we can see the brake discs and calipers themselves through them, which contrast great with the gold in their silver and black colors respectively. The side of the Karmann Ghia reveals the wide and bulging side skirts, which mesh great with the flared fenders at the front. The back of the Karmann Ghia however sees even more pronounced fenders, arching right over the rear wheels and integrated into a very wide rear quarter section of the sports car.

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A Rear Engine Vent Suggests A Rear-Wheel Drive Karmann Ghia

Alpine A110 Engine Specs

At the back, the extended waistline is prominent with it incorporated into the rear-end design, and the taillights are inside that extended rear quarter. The back of the Karmann Ghia also reveals a few interesting details, most notably the engine vent incorporated into the sleek, fastback lines of the sports car. This is a very similar design to what the Alpine A110 features, and hints that it would inherit a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. A twin rear exhaust setup is also incorporated into the design, with the tips mounted centrally below the tailgate.

While not quite as prominent, the Karmann Ghia has a reasonably big diffuser at the rear which arches gracefully around the exhausts. The back also shows us more throwbacks to the original Karmann Ghias, such as the badging on the tailgate and the vertical layout of the new taillights. It's little throwbacks like this that tell us where the origins of this sports car really lie. Prokop has presented the Karmann Ghia in various colors, but the most dramatic is the bronze finished example, which really allows the lines of the sports car to pop out at us.

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What Would Power A New Karmann Ghia?

Volkswagen Golf R Engine Specs

The exhaust tips reveal that Prokop has not envisioned an electric Karmann Ghia, although the sleek lines and minimalist grille would look great on an EV version. However, what might power it is an interesting subject. A possibility for Volkswagen should they wish to create this sports car would be to take the Golf R platform, and rebody it much like VW did with the Scirocco on the Golf of the time. This would make the Karmann Ghia a front-engine and rear-wheel drive sports car, but this would be in-keeping with the original Karmann Ghia and more faithful to its routes.

The modern Alpine A110 has a 1.8-liter TCe M5P turbocharged inline-four under the hood which produces 249 hp in the base version, and 288 hp in the A110S version of the sports car. Should the Golf R engine end up in any new Karmann Ghia, the current 2.0-liter turbocharged iteration has 315 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. All-wheel drive thanks to the 4Motion drivetrain would certainly give the Karmann Ghia a bit of an edge over its French rival when it comes to traction off the line and out of the corners.

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The Original Karmann Ghia Was A Family Of Three Volkswagen Spots Cars

The original Karmann Ghia first appeared in 1955, as the Type 14 Karmann Ghia, and remarkably it was only the second VW passenger car made, after the Beetle. The models got their name from the styling by Italy’s Carrozzeria Ghia and the hand-built bodywork. This was all crafted by German coachbuilding house Karmann. Throughout its lifespan, the Karmann Ghia had a variety of engines under the hood. These were the 1200 cc, 1300 cc, 1500 cc or the 1600 cc VW flat-four engine.

Earlier versions of the Karmann Ghia were very sleek and streamlined, while later versions in the 1960s would feature more modern, new and angular bodywork that was also roomier for the passengers. VW also created a luxury interior for the Karmann Ghia, elevating it to become the most expensive Volkswagen passenger vehicle of its era. The later model, the Type 34, was never offered in the United States, which was ironically the Karmann Ghia’s most important market. Combined with high prices elsewhere, Type 34 sales were low and production ended in 1969 of the Type 34. This was also due to the Type 14 receiving the bigger 1500 cc engine. VW of Brazil however commissioned a third, South American market model, the Karmann Ghia Touring Coupe which had a stylish and rakish fastback design.

How Much The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Is Worth In 2023

As classic cars go, the original Karmann Ghia is actually relatively affordable. Classic.com lists the average sale at $24,520 while the highest ever sale of a Karmann Ghia is $123,200. The lowest sold at an extremely affordable $19,750. The highest sale example a restored, 1959 Karmann Ghia convertible sold at Gooding & Company. A new, reincarnated Karmann Ghia might be a fanciful dream right now, but Prokop’s rendering shows us what would be possible were VW to be bold and bring back one of its more forgotten and overshadowed models.

Source: Classic.com