Opel Rekord C Coupe

Monday 10 May 2021

The Opel Rekord Series C is an executive car that was introduced in August 1966, by Opel as a replacement for the short-lived Opel Rekord Series B. It was slightly larger all round than its predecessor, from which it inherited most of its engines. It continued in production until replaced by the Opel Rekord Series D at the end of 1971.

The Rekord C's 4+1⁄2-year production run was longer than that of any previous generation of Opel Rekord, and during that period 1,276,681 were produced. This made it the first "middle-class" Opel to exceed the one million mark. Cars based on the Rekord C were also built at other General Motors plants both inside and beyond Europe, notably in South Africa and (with Chevrolet engines) Brazil.

After less than a year of production, in August 1966, the "stopgap" Opel Rekord B was replaced with the Opel Rekord C, featuring completely new bodywork. Hans Mersheimer, Opel's Technical Director and Chief Engineer, until his retirement in 1967, had set down the parameters for the new Rekord back in 1963.

The design of the Rekord C has been characterised by some enthusiasts as "erotic" on account of the "hip-curve" („Hüftschwung“ ) on the lower window-line ahead of the C-pillar, which reminded some observers of a Coca-Cola bottle and so gave rise to this becoming known as "Coke-Bottle line" Rekord "(Cola-Flaschen-Rekord)". The "Coke-Bottle line", which was also picked up by GM's English, subsidiary, with the Viva HB and seems to have originated in the United States with one or two mid-1960s "muscle-car" designs: it was also picked up for a sedan design by the 1968 Chevrolet Chevy II. There was a concern at Opel throughout this period that their designs might be rejected by European buyers as being simply "too American", and it was presumably a reflection of this that an alternative design without the "hip-curve" line on the back doors was also prepared by Opel designer Herbert Killmer. There was certainly a perception that Opel's great rival fell foul of the "too American" complaint with their Ford 17M launched in 1967 featuring a variation on the "hip-curve" which then had to be relaunched with a simplified form less than a year later because of poor sales which, rightly or wrongly, were attributed to an excessively American design. Ford's stumble with their 1967 17M model was Opel's gain in the market place, however, and there was no sign of market resistance the exceptionally well balanced overall design of the Opel Rekord C, hip-curve and all.

The new Rekord again offered a relatively extensive range of body types. Top seller was the saloon/sedan, available with either 2 or 4 doors. There was a 3-door "Kombi" station wagon, and now, for the first time, a Rekord station wagon with five doors. Opel also offered a three-door delivery van which was essentially identical to the station wagon except that the rear side windows were replaced with metal panels. In addition, from 1967 a factory built coupé was provided. This version had no fixed B pillar and excited positive reactions to the stylish "pillarless" profile on show when both side windows were fully opened.

A cabriolet version was also available. Based on the Rekord C coupé, this was a coach-built conversion produced by the body builders Karl Deutsch. The approach made them very much more expensive than other cars in the range: the cabriolet cost DM 4,000 more than the coupé on which it was based. Not many Rekord C cabriolets were sold, amid increasing concerns, during the later 1960s, that open topped cars (without roll-over bars) might be more dangerous in the event of a crash than cars with fixed roofs. An alternative cabriolet conversion, based on the Rekord C 2-door sedan, was developed by Karmann of Osnabrück. This never went into anything approaching volume production, although four pre-production examples are believed still to survive.

Opel had introduced a new generation of engines a year earlier with the Rekord B and these were the engines that reappeared in the Rekord C. The engine featured an unusual Camshaft in Head (CIH) engine configuration. The chain-driven camshaft was positioned directly above the cylinders but this was not a conventional ohc design. The camshaft operated the valves using rocker arms because the camshaft itself was positioned too low above the cylinders to permit direct action from the camshaft on the valves heads. One reason for this may have been cosmetic. Other automakers such as BMW with their 1500 launched in 1962 and Volkswagen with their NSU designed K70, which finally made it to the showrooms in 1970, squeezed vital centimeters off the height of the engine unit by canting it over at an eccentric angle in the engine bay. Opel's so-called (CIH) engine configuration similarly enabled the Rekord to incorporate the low bonnet/hood lines that style-conscious product development departments demanded.

The four-cylinder water-cooled 1492 cc unit, known as the "1500", and which first featured the previous year in the Opel Rekord B was now carried over with few significant changes, although an in-house "Carter Licence" carburetter briefly returned (having, in the Rekord B, been replaced by a bought-in carburetter from Zenith or Solex). The "1500" was the entry-level engine in 1966 and came with a claimed maximum power output of 58 hp which in 1969 was raised to 60 hp (44 kW) when the old GM "Carter Licence" carburetter was replaced by a bought-in Solex carburetter. Acceleration figures for the 1498 cc cars were a little slower than on the predecessor model which presumably resulted from the increased weight of the Rekord C. Fuel consumption looks heavy by modern standards, but this was nonetheless the most fuel efficient model in the Rekord line-up, and published data indicate that it was also more fuel efficient than the contemporary Ford 17M and Volkswagen 411. Early in 1970 the 1492 cc unit was withdrawn. Presumably it had cost much the same to produce as the more powerful and more torquey but in most respects identical 1698 cc engine which now-became the entry-level power plant. More significantly, at the end of 1970 Opel would introduce the Opel Ascona, which, being slightly smaller and more modern than the Rekord, would compete more effectively in the 1500 cc class than the relatively underpowered base-level Rekord.

A four-cylinder water-cooled 1698 cc unit had also first appeared in the Rekord B, but only in high compression form. Launching the Rekord C in 1966 Opel introduced a 1698 cc unit with the same lower compression ratio of 8.2:1 as the 1492 cc engine: in this form the engine was known as the "1700". As with the "1500", Opel returned to the old home produced "Carter Licence" carburetter for the first year of production, giving rise to a claimed power output of just 60 hp (44 KW). As with the "1500", so with the "1700", Opel gave up on the self built carburetter after a year, and with a bought-in Solex carburetter, though still with the 8.2:1 compression ratio, claimed power with the "1700" unit was increased to 66 hp (48 kW) in 1967. The "1700" engine powered more Rekord Cs than any of the other engines available for the car. Also offered was a "1700 S" using the same engine block but with a Solex 35 PDSI carburetter and a compression ratio raised to 8,8:1. Powered by this unit, the Rekord came with a claimed maximum power output of 75 hp (65 kW). This, in effect, was the same unit that had been launched in 1965 in the Rekord B 1700S.

The four-cylinder water-cooled 1897 cc unit, providing a maximum 90 hp (66 kW) of power known as the "1900 S" had also first appeared in 1965 in the Rekord B. With a compression ratio of 9.0:1 and a Solex twin chamber 32 DIDTA carburetter it powered the fastest four-cylinder version of the Opel Rekord C at its 1966 launch. However, in November 1967 a new version of the 1897 cc engine appeared with a modified "high efficiency" cylinder head and with the compression ratio further raised - now to 9.5:1 - and, for the first time in a Rekord, two Italian twin chamber Weber 40 DFO carburetters. This engine version, known as the "1900 H", came with a claimed maximum power output of 106 hp (78 kW) which made the car that it powered the most powerful Rekord yet. This was branded as the Opel Rekord Sprint and was initially available as a sedan or a coupé. In January 1969 Opel reported that the Rekord Sprint Coupé had sold much better than the sedan/saloon version, and the sedan/saloon version was withdrawn.

In March 1964 Opel had introduced Rekord customers to the option of a six-cylinder engine, installing a well-tried unit that was already powering the larger Admiral and Kapitän models and could trace its origins back to 1937. The Rekord C range was broadened in December 1966 with the option of an entirely new six-cylinder engine, featuring the (CIH) valvegear and camshaft configuration of the new four-cylinder engines introduced in 1965. In fact the new six-cylinder engine shared its cylinder dimensions with the entry level Rekord's 1492 cc unit which will have reduced usefully the variety of components needed. However, the six-cylinder engine naturally had an engine capacity 1+1⁄2 the size or the four-cylinder unit, which gave rise to an engine size of 2239 cc. Claimed power of 95 hp (70 kW) was slightly higher than that of the (at launch) most powerful 4-cylinder Rekord C, the "1900 S" and the six-cylinder engine also provided a small dividend in terms of improved torque. Performance of the new "2200" Rekord was therefore ahead of that of the "1900 S", but the engine was also relatively heavy and there was a penalty in terms of fuel consumption. The 6-cylinder Rekord C sold only in small numbers, and in August 1968 it was withdrawn from sale. After this there were no more six-cylinder-engined Opel Rekords, although this is when the Rekord "Six" went on sale in South Africa and South-West Africa, as the Commodore nameplate was not offered there. In southern Africa the six-cylinder Rekords were available with four-door sedan or two-door coupé bodywork, and only in combination with an automatic transmission.

By the time they withdrew the six-cylinder Rekord, Opel had launched, in February 1967, the Opel Commodore. This shared the Rekord's body but provided more luxurious trimmings, and it came with a choice from three different sizes of six-cylinder engine. The "2200" engine first seen in the Rekord C in December 1966 was also offered in the new Commodore when it was launched in February 1967. However, most Commodore buyers chose other (larger) engines, leaving the "2200" version a slow seller in both the Commodore and the Rekord ranges.

Technical data:

- engine: S4

- capacity: 1897 cc

- horsepower: 75 HP

- gearbox: 4+1

- top speed: 150 km/h

Opel Kadett E Caravan

Saturday 28 December 2019
The Kadett E (Vauxhall Astra Mark 2 in the UK) was introduced in August 1984, and was voted 1985 European Car of the Year. The 1984 model was also developed into a more conventional three-box design with a boot (trunk), badged as the Vauxhall Belmont in the UK and the Opel Monza in South Africa, launched at Frankfurt 1985. This was awarded 1985 Semperit Irish Car of the Year in Ireland. There was a station wagon called the "Caravan" available, with either three or five doors.

A convertible version was also available, for the first time in 1987, built by Bertone of Torino/Italy, bringing it to line with competitors such as the Ford Escort and Volkswagen Golf. For the 1988 model, capacities were raised to from 1.3 to 1.4 litres. In the fall of 1986 a new 1,998 cc engine replaced the 1.8 hitherto used on the GSi and Vauxhall Astra GTE in many markets, although the 1.8 continued to be sold in some places. In
1988, a 16-valve twin-cam version was developed for a high-performance GSi/GTE model, yielding 156 PS (115 kW) in non-catalyzed form, six less horsepower with a catalytic converter fitted.

The Kadett E has been seen as a grey import in the UK, but it is quite rare compared to the Vauxhall Astra Mark 2. It was never officially sold in Britain, and by 1989 General Motors was only marketing the Vauxhall brand in the UK. There was also a van version The Kadett E was introduced in Brazil as the Chevrolet Kadett, but the three-door station wagon (later also five-door) was called the Chevrolet Ipanema. Brazilian production commenced in April 1989, with the Ipanema being added in October of the same year. From 1992 Brazilian Kadetts/Ipanemas received fuel injection. Brazilian cars received either 1.8 or 2.0-litre petrol fours.

In the early 1990s, South African Kadett GSi's were further upgraded based on their success in production car racing and initially 500 special units were built as road cars for homologation purposes. This was a minimum requirement for entry into the Stannic Group N races. They went against BMW's 325iS (A 2.7 litre homologation special from BMW). They featured more aggressive 276-degree camshafts made by Schrick with 2 different settings for timing overlap (110° and 107°), revised intake and exhaust modifications (4-in-1 branch manifold and freeflow exhaust), Irmscher spring kit, modified engine management system by Promotec, a limited slip differential developed by Andre Verwey and special Aluett 7Jx15-inch ET35 alloy wheels, they were nicknamed the "Superboss" and held the world record for the most torque per liter (114 Nm per liter) until recently beaten by the Ferrari 458 (117 Nm per liter). After the first 500 units were produced, many more were built to satisfy public demand.

The Kadett E formed the basis of the Daewoo LeMans (later known as the Daewoo Cielo, Racer and Nexia) in South Korea, Nexia being the hatchback version), which was sold in the United States and New Zealand as the Pontiac LeMans, and in Canada (initially) as the Passport Optima. LeMans sales ended in 1993. The Nexia is still being produced at UzDaewoo plant in Asaka, Uzbekistan. The Cielo was last being produced at Automobile Craiova, a semi-independent (from GM) plant in Craiova, Romania. Their license expired in the fall of 2006.

















Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 1196 cc
- horsepower: 83 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 168 km/h

Mercedes Benz C111

Saturday 18 November 2017
The Mercedes-Benz C111 was a series of experimental automobiles produced by Mercedes-Benz in the 1960s and 1970s. The company was experimenting with new engine technologies, including Wankel engines, diesel engines, and turbochargers, and used the basic C111 platform as a testbed. Other experimental features included multi-link rear suspension, gull-wing doors and a luxurious interior with leather trim and air conditioning.
The first version of the C111 was completed in 1969. The car used a fiberglass body shell and with a mid-mounted three-rotor direct fuel injected Wankel engine (code named M950F). The next C111 appeared in 1970. It used a four-rotor engine producing 257 kW (350 hp). The car reportedly could reach a speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).
The company decided not to adopt the Wankel engine and turned to Diesel experiments for the second and third C111s. The C111-IID produced 140 kW (190 hp) and was based on the 240D 3.0 W115 model OM617 engine. The C111-III was powered by a 170 kW (230 hp) at 4,500 rpm straight-five OM617 turbocharged Diesel that broke nine Diesel and gasoline speed records. With more aerodynamic bodywork that gave it an air drag coefficient of .191, the C111 eventually reached 200 mph (322 km/h) at the Nardò Ring in 1978, and averaged 16.0 liters/100 km at 316 km/h (14.7 mpg at 195.4 mph) over a 12-hour cruise. A later 372 kW (500 hp) 4.8 L twin KKK-turbocharged V8 version set another record, with an average lap-speed of 403.78 km/h (250.958 mph). This was achieved by Hans Leibold in 1 minute, 56.67 seconds on May 5, 1979. Total production was 16 cars: 13 first and second generation Wankel engined cars, 2 diesel engined third generation cars used in the Nardo record attempt, and a single V8 engined fourth generation car.
Mercedes-Benz introduced the C112 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1991 as a proposed production sports car. The car used a mid-mounted 6.0 L V12 engine. After accepting 700 deposits, the company decided not to proceed with production.

Technical data:
- engine: V6
- capacity: 2400 cc
- horsepower: 190 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 310 km/h

Maserati Indy

Saturday 18 November 2017
The Maserati Indy (Tipo AM 116) is a four-seater fastback grand tourer produced by Italian car manufacturer Maserati from 1969 to 1975.
The Indy was conceived as an alternative to the Ghibli offering a V8 engine and room for four people; it effectively replaced both the ageing six-cylinder 2+2 Maserati Sebring—which descended from the 1957 3500 GT— and the first generation Quattroporte. Two coachbuilders showed their proposals at the November 1968 Salone dell'automobile di Torino, both based on a Maserati 4.2-litre chassis. On Ghia's stand there was the Simùn, a 2+2 berlinetta designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro; on Carrozzeria Vignale's, a sleek 4-seater fastback penned by Giovanni Michelotti. Both coachbuilders had already an established relationship with Maserati, as Vignale had been responsible for the 3500 GT Spyder, Mexico and Sebring, while Giugiaro had recently penned the Ghibli at Ghia.
Vignale's prototype was preferred, and the production model was launched by Maserati at the Geneva Motor Show the following March. The car was christened Indy in honour of Maserati's two victories at the Indy 500.
At its launch in 1969 the Indy was offered with a 4.2-litre V8 engine. From 1970 a 4.7-litre Indy 4700 was offered alongside the 4200; the same year some interior updates were introduced, including seats with retractable headrests and a new dashboard. In 1972, Maserati added the Indy 4900 to the range, equipped with the new 4.9-litre V8.
Production of the Indy ended in 1975. In total 1,104 were produced, 440 of them Indy 4.2s, 364 Indy 4.7s and 300 Indy 4.9s.
The Indy used unibody construction. The suspension layout was shared with the Ghibli. At the front there were double wishbones, with coaxial hydraulic dampers and coil springs, and an anti-roll bar. At the rear there was a live axle with semi-elliptic springs, a single longitudinal torque arm, hydraulic dampers and an anti-roll bar. Brakes were vented and servo-assisted discs on all four wheels. The engines were Maserati's own all-aluminium, four overhead cam Tipo 107 V8 family, and were fed by four Weber 42 DCNF twin-choke carburettors; they had a wet sump, and were thus related but different from the higher output, dry sump Tipo 115 units of the flagship Ghibli.

Technical data:
- engine: V8
- capacity: 4700 cc
- horsepower: 320 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 250 km/h

Audi A6 Avant

Monday 13 November 2017
The Audi A6 is an executive car made by the German automaker Audi AG, now in its fourth generation. As the successor to the Audi 100, the A6 is manufactured in Neckarsulm, Germany – and is available in sedan and wagon configurations, the latter marketed by Audi as the Avant. Audi's internal numbering treats the A6 as a continuation of the Audi 100 lineage, with the initial A6 designated as a member of the C4-series, followed by the C5, C6, and the C7. The related Audi A7 is essentially a coupé-hatchback version of the C7-series A6, but is marketed under its own separate identity and model designation.
All generations of the A6 have offered either front-wheel drive or Torsen-based four-wheel drive – marketed by Audi as their quattro system. Second- and third- generation A6 models have shared their platform with the company's Allroad models.
The modern A6 engine is an alloy of power, low fuel consumption, high technology and excellent dynamics. Both petrol and diesel versions of the A6 are officially supplied. A wide range of engines make power units with a capacity of 190 to 333 horsepower. These are inline 4-cylinder 16-valve turbocharged engines and more powerful 3-liter units in a V6 configuration with a mechanical compressor.
The fourth generation C7 series Audi A6 (internally designated Typ 4G) was launched in early 2011 for the European market and in other markets soon after. It is heavily influenced by the Audi A8 (D4), pulling elements from its exterior details. The A6 shares its interior, platform, and powertrain (Modular Longitudinal Platform) with the Audi A7 four door sedan, which had been released shortly before also in 2011. Compared to the A8 and A7, the A6 has the most aggressive front fascia and LED headlights (optional full LED headlamps). Design work began in 2006, with Jurgen Loffler's exterior design being chosen in 2008.
The new A6 increased its wheelbase by nearly 3 inches (76 mm) and its width by 2.7 inches (69 mm). The redesign also decreased the car's drag coefficient to 0.25 Cd.
European engine choices for the C7 include two petrol engines – a 2.8-litre FSI V6 with 204 horsepower (152 kW) and a 300 horsepower (224 kW), 3.0-litre supercharged FSI engine – and three diesel engines – a 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder and a 3.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine in three states of tune. The European A6 3.0 TFSI will have optional a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and an air suspension, two features that will not be available on the United States model.
For North America, the Audi A6 3.0 TFSI quattro will be powered by a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 putting out 310 PS (228 kW; 306 hp) 325 lb·ft (441 N·m), the same engine carried over from the previous-generation A6 3.0 TFSI, but in a higher state of tune and mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. For the United States but not the Canadian market, there will be an entry-level Audi A6 2.0 TFSI FrontTrak (front-wheel drive) with a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four, the same engine in the Audi A4 and Q5, but mated to the Multitronic CVT (continuous variable transmission).
The 2012 model year A6 features all the driver assistance systems from the A8, plus it adds automotive head-up display, active lane assist. Full LED headlamps with Automatic high beam switching or Audi adaptive light (Xenon) with variable headlight range control.

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 2000 cc
- horsepower: 190 HP
- gearbox: 7+1
- top speed: 225 km/h

Audi 100

Monday 13 November 2017
The Audi 100 Coupé S is a sports fastback coupe Grand tourer class car manufactured by the German automaker Audi AG. The car was first presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1969. Originally 30,687 units were produced.
In 1973, Audi, together with Porsche, also developed a prototype based on the Audi 100 Coupé S named the "100 Coupé S V3". This model was equipped with a V8 engine with a power of 350 hp.

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 1871 cc
- horsepower: 115 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 180 km/h

Ford Taunus 12M Coupe

Tuesday 5 July 2016
The Ford Taunus is a family car that was sold by Ford Germany throughout Europe. Models from 1970 onward were similar to the Ford Cortina in the United Kingdom. The model line was named after the Taunus mountain range in Germany and was first made in 1939 and continued through several versions until 1994.
The Ford Taunus P1 is a small family car which was produced by Ford Germany from 1952 until 1962. It was marketed as the Ford Taunus 12M, and, between 1955 and 1959, as the larger-engined Ford Taunus 15M. The company produced a succession of Ford Taunus 12M models until 1970, as the name was applied to a succession of similarly sized cars, but the first Taunus 12M models, based on the company’s Taunus Project 1 (P1), remained in production only until 1962. In that year the Taunus P1 series was replaced by the Taunus P4 series.Planning for Ford Germany’s new ponton bodied passenger car began in 1949. Several aspects of the car’s development reflected the advantages and the disadvantages of running a business with management decisions necessarily split between two continents at a time when even international telephone calls needed to be pre-booked.
The original plan for the strikingly modern design came from Ford in the USA who drew up a proposal based on the ponton format Champion model introduced to the US auto-market a few years earlier by Studebaker. The Studebaker design had already proved highly influential on the domestic programs of mainstream US auto-makers. Cologne based production engineers adapted the US proposal for the German market. The Studebaker featured a large roundel directly above the front grill on which was displayed the propeller of an airplane. The Ford Project 1 also featured a prominent roundel at the front of the car, but in place of the Studebaker’s propeller design, the Ford roundel featured a hemispherical depiction of half a globe. This bold and unusual decoration led to the new car becoming known as the „Weltkugeltaunus“ (Globe Taunus).
The proposal from Ford in America called for a monocoque construction, following the lead (in Germany) of the 1937 Opel Olympia. Ford of Germany had no experience of this construction method, having spent most of the 1940s concentrating on building light trucks. Project 1’s predecessor, the Ford Taunus designed in the 1930s, had had its body built by an independent specialist pressed steel body builder in Berlin until 1948, and after the Berlin firm had its surviving plant crated up and shipped to the Soviet Union, Ford had in 1948 been driven to having Ford Taunus bodies produced by competitors and specialists from northern Germany, Volkswagen and Karmann. Ford’s Cologne management sought cooperation from other German auto-makers with developing the processes necessary for producing the monocoque Project 1 model, but the other German auto-makers had priorities of their own, and in the end it was with support from Ford of France that the production lines for German Ford’s project 1 were set up at the company’s Cologne plant. In due course, and not before a certain amount of confusion concerning the naming of the car, Ford’s Project 1 was released to the market as the Ford Taunus 12M. It proved a success. By the time the half globe was removed from the car’s nose, 247,174 of the 12M version had been sold along with 127,942 of the subsequently introduced Ford Taunus 15Ms.
At its launch, the car placed Ford ahead of the pack, being unusually modern in terms of the bits that showed. It was one of the first new cars to appear in Germany since before the war, and featured a radical ponton format “three box” body as pioneered (at least in Germany) by the 1949 Borgward. The three-box car body format would soon become mainstream, but when the Ford Taunus 12M appeared in 1952 competitor manufacturers including Opel, Volkswagen and Auto Union were still competing with models based closely on designs originating in the 1930s.
The two-door modern slab sided Ford Taunus that appeared in January 1952 with an old fashioned engine married to a stylish new body was connected with the road using fashionably small 13“ wheels which will have saved on cost and maximised the space available for passengers and their luggage. Individually suspended front wheels marked a contrast with the approach taken with the original Taunus, but in 1952 the rigid rear axle was all too familiar to Ford’s existing German customers. The old Taunus had acquired the option of a four-speed gear box in 1950, but the new model at its 1952 launch came only with the older three-speed box, controlled using a column-mounted lever. (Until the 1960s European cars in this class never offered the option of an automatic gear change.) In the early years all the cars, regardless of equipment level, and whether saloon/sedan, or cabriolet bodied, came with a single bench seat across the full width of the car in place of the individual front seats fitted by most European manufacturers: this was a matter in respect of which the Taunus 12M was seen to reflect it’s manufacturer’s North American parentage and thereby conferred a certain glamour at a time when the USA was a widely accepted role model across much of Europe and especially in West Germany.
A maximum 38 PS/hp (28 kW) of power was delivered to the rear wheels. This was a useful increase on the 34 PS (25 kW; 34 hp) claimed for the previous model, and may have reflected a higher compression ratio and increases starting to come through across Europe in respect of available fuel octane levels.
In May 1953 the Taunus P1 finally became available with a four-speed gear box, though only as an optional extra. It was also at this point that a 3-door kombi/estate version joined the range. A cabriolet version had been offered since December 1952, being the result of a conversion by a coach building specialist based, like Ford, in the Cologne area and called Karl Deutsch

Technical data:
- engine: V4
- capacity: 1498 cc
- horsepower: 55 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 140 km/h

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Typ 14

Thursday 8 October 2015
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a sports car marketed in 2+2 coupe (1955–1974) and convertible (1957–1974) body styles by Volkswagen. The Karmann Ghia combined the chassis and mechanicals of the Type 1 (Beetle) with styling by Luigi Segre of the Italian carrozzeria Ghia and hand-built bodywork by the German coach-builder Karmann.
The Karmann Ghia was internally designated the Typ 14. In 1961, Volkswagen introduced the Typ 34, a variant based on the newly introduced Type 3 platform and featuring angular bodywork.
Production doubled soon after its introduction, becoming the car most imported into the U.S. More than 445,000 Karmann Ghias were produced in Germany over the car's production life, not including the Type 34 variant. Karmann Brazil produced 41,600 cars locally for South America between 1962 and 1975.
American industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague included the Karmann Ghia in his list of the world's most beautifully designed products.
The Type 14 debuted at the October 1953 Paris Auto Show as a styling concept created for Ghia by Luigi Segre.
In the early 1950s, Volkswagen was producing its economy car, the Type 1 (Beetle). With an increase in post-war standards of living, executives at Volkswagen proposed adding a halo car to its model range, contracting with German coachbuilder Karmann for its manufacture. Karmann in turn contracted the Italian firm Ghia, who adapted styling themes previously explored for Chrysler and Studebaker to a Beetle floorpan widened by 12 in (300 mm). Virgil Exner claimed that the design was his, based on the 1953 Chrysler D'Elegance.
In contrast to the Beetle's machine-welded body with bolt-on fenders, the Karmann Ghia's body panels were butt-welded, hand-shaped, and smoothed with English pewter in a time-consuming process commensurate with higher-end manufacturers, resulting in the Karmann Ghia's higher price.
The design and prototype were well received by Volkswagen executives, and in August 1955 the first Type 14 was manufactured in Osnabrück, Germany. Public reaction to the Type 14 exceeded expectations, and more than 10,000 were sold in the first year.
The Type 14 was marketed as a practical and stylish 2+2 rather than as a true sports car. As they shared engines, the Type 14's engine displacement grew concurrently with the Type 1 (Beetle), ultimately arriving at a displacement of 1584 cc, producing 60 hp (45 kW).
In August 1957, Volkswagen introduced a convertible version of the Karmann Ghia. Exterior changes in 1961 included wider and finned front grilles, taller and more rounded rear taillights and headlights relocated to a higher position – with previous models and their lower headlight placement called lowlights. The Italian designer Sergio Sartorelli, designer of Type 34, oversaw the various restylings of Type 14.
In 1970, larger taillights integrated the reversing lights and larger wrap-around turn signals. Still larger and wider taillights increased side visibility. In 1972, large square-section bumpers replaced the smooth round originals. For the USA model only, 1973 modifications mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) included energy-absorbing bumpers. A carpeted package shelf replaced the rear seat.
In late 1974 the car was superseded by the Porsche 914 and the Golf/Rabbit based Scirocco.

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 1285 cc
- horsepower: 40 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 128 km/h