This is a 1964 Karmann Ghia Type 34 that now benefits from a major engine swap – the original 1.5 liter VW flat-four was removed and replaced with the far more powerful 2.7 liter flat-six from the Porsche 911.
This new engine increases power from ~50 bhp all the way up to 150+ bhp – completely transforming the car’s performance off the line, bringing it inline with mid-1970s 911s. The Type 34 is the oft-forgotten sibling to the more famous Karmann Ghia Type 14, and it was based on the more modern Volkswagen Type 3 platform.
Fast Facts: A 911-Powered Karmann Ghia Type 34
- This 1964 Karmann Ghia Type 34 underwent a significant transformation in the 1980s, swapping out its original 1.5 liter VW flat-four engine (~50 bhp) for a much more powerful 2.7 liter Porsche 911 flat-six, increasing output to over 150 bhp. This upgrade dramatically improves performance, aligning it with mid-1970s Porsche 911s.
- Initially overshadowed by its more popular Type 14 sibling, the Type 34 Karmann Ghia featured a sharper, more contemporary design by Sergio Sartorelli. It was built on the Volkswagen Type 3 platform, offering more power, improved interior space, and superior front trunk capacity, it was Volkswagen’s fastest production vehicle at the time.
- Development of the original Karmann Ghia began in the early 1950s, inspired significantly by Chrysler designer Virgil Exner’s Chrysler D’Elegance concept. The collaboration between German coachbuilder Wilhelm Karmann and Italian Luigi Segre of Ghia resulted in a stylish Volkswagen Beetle-based sports car that sold nearly half a million units between 1955 and 1974.
- Today, Type 34 models, also known as “Der Große Karmann” or “Razor Edge Ghia,” are especially rare and collectible, with fewer than 42,000 produced and less than 10% of that number thought to have survived to the modern day. This specific Porsche-powered Type 34, finished in Anthracite with a custom interior, and detailed engineering records is now being offered for sale on Collecting Cars.
The Karmann Ghia Type 34
The first Karmann Ghia, the Type 14, made its debut in 1955 with impossibly beautiful styling that has been credited to American designer Virgil Exner. He was the designer of a number of Chrysler concept cars built in Italy by the coachbuilders at Ghia, and he formed strong personal friendships with many of them – perhaps none more so than Ghia owner Luigi Segre.
The first Karmann Ghia, the Type 14, made its debut in 1955 with impossibly beautiful styling that has been credited to American designer Virgil Exner. Image courtesy of Volkswagen.
Exner, working as Director of Advanced Styling at Chrysler, had designed the beautiful Chrysler D’Elegance concept car which debuted in 1953 to much fanfare both in Europe and the United States. The body had been built in Italy at Ghia, and it would have a very clear influence on the design of the smaller Karmann Ghia prototype which would make its appearance a year or so later – also built by Ghia.
The design of the Karmann Ghia, from about the front axle line back, is remarkably close to the Chrysler D’Elegance. Exner is said to have taken it as a compliment, and years later would say that he was happy to see one of his concept cars reach mass-production. When the first Karmann Ghia was imported into Michigan, it was sent to Exner as a gift out of respect by Luigi Segre.
The front of the Karmann Ghia is a unique design, it’s been credited to a number of stylists who were working at Ghia at the time including Luigi Segre, Sergio Coggiola, Giovanni Savonuzzi, and Mario Boano.
The project to build the Karmann Ghia started at Ghia after a conversation between Wilhelm Karmann of German coachbuilding firm Karmann, and Luigi Segre of Ghia. The two men had known each other for some time, having moved in similar circles, and Wilhelm Karmann made his desire for a new Volkswagen-based design clear.
At this time, Karmann were already building VW Beetle convertibles which were enjoying no small amount of success. Wilhelm had recently taken the reins of his family firm, and he wanted to make his own mark.
Segre secretly bought a VW Beetle in Paris through Gian Paolo Boano, Mario Boano’s son, and then drove it back to Turin, Italy to begin work. After five months, the rebodied car was ready – the very first Karmann Ghia – and showed it to Wilhelm for approval.
Pictured above we see front and rear shots of the Chrysler D Elegance concept car – the influence on the influence on the Karmann Ghia Type 34 is very clear, starting from the front axle line and running to the rear. Images courtesy of the Chrysler Archives.
Fortunately, Wilhelm loved it – he’s said to have exclaimed “I’d like to build that!” Wilhelm would then present the design to Volkswagen for approval – which was soon granted, and by 1955 the production versions were being built and shown to the world at major motor shows in Paris and Frankfurt.
Over the course of its 1955 to 1974 production run, the Type 14 would be built in vast numbers – 445,238 were made in total including both coupe and convertible variants.
The Karmann Ghia Type 34
The Karmann Ghia Type 34 is the often forgotten stablemate of the earlier Type 14. It was designed by Italian engineer Sergio Sartorelli and based not on the Beetle but on the then-new Volkswagen Type 3 1500 model.
The Type 34 offered more power, more interior space (as well as more trunk space), and quite a bit more speed than its forebear – in fact it was the fastest Volkswagen-badged car in series production when it was released. The design was much more modern and very much inline with the style of the 1960s.
The power increase from 34 bhp on early models of the Type 14 to the 50+ bhp of the Type 34 was a key part of the new models success but it came at a price – costing almost twice as much as a new Beetle at the time.
The car you see here is undoubtedly the quickest Karmann Ghia we’ve ever featured thanks to the fitment of a 2.7 liter Porsche 911 flat-six in the rear.
In Germany the model was called “Der Große Karmann” (“the big Karmann”) and it had other names in other regions including the “Razor Edge Ghia” in the United Kingdom, and the “European Ghia” in the United States.
This model would be built both in West Germany and in Brazil where it still enjoys a cult-like following today. In total, 41,689 examples were built and today they’re far more rare than their Type 14 siblings.
The Porsche 911-Swapped Karmann Ghia Type 34 Shown Here
The car you see here is undoubtedly the quickest Karmann Ghia we’ve ever featured thanks to the fitment of a 2.7 liter Porsche 911 flat-six in the rear. This triples the power output, and with some additional performance mods it could climb to four times the power of the original 1.5 liter VW mill.
It’s finished in Anthracite, over a black leatherette-trimmed interior with contrasting white door card sections, a wood veneer dashboard inlay, and chrome trim highlights. It now rides on 15-inch Fuchs alloy wheels – a Porsche 911 staple – and inside you’ll find a period correct wood-rimmed Moto Lita steering wheel.
The engine benefits from a Fireball Performance ignition system, Weber downdraft carburetors, and custom air filter housings. The air filters do carry some “Maleficent” decals which the new owner may decide to remove.
The engine benefits from a Fireball Performance ignition system, Weber downdraft carburetors, and custom air filter housings. The car was featured in Flat 4 magazine in the 1990s and it comes with two keys, and a history of the engine conversion completed in the 1980s.
It’s now being offered for sale out of New South Wales, Australia on Collecting Cars with full engineering documentation. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
