Tyne & Wear, England
1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia — German Engineering, Italian Elegance Some cars were built simply to get you somewhere. Others were built to make the journey matter. This 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is one of the latter. Hand-built by Karmann, with elegant Italian-influenced styling wrapped around Volkswagen’s famously dependable air-cooled engineering, the Karmann Ghia was never an ordinary Volkswagen — and this particular car is anything but ordinary. Finished in a striking Blood Orange with a contrasting gloss-black roof, its sweeping curves, chrome detailing and unmistakable low-slung silhouette capture everything that made the Karmann Ghia one of the most beautiful affordable coupés of its generation. Behind it sits the wonderfully characterful 1600cc air-cooled flat-four — an engine that doesn’t so much announce its arrival as provide the unmistakable soundtrack of classic Volkswagen motoring. More than half a century after it was built, this is a car that still makes people stop, look and smile. It isn’t fast by modern standards. It doesn’t need to be. Because driving a Karmann Ghia isn’t about arriving first, it’s about being admired on arrival