But the Ghia had its moments. I once drove it round-trip from Sacramento to Las Vegas and managed to maneuver through heavy rain, strong winds and followed a snow plow over a mountain pass on Interstate 50.
A few years into ownership, the Ghia was heavily vandalized and I sold it cheap.
Turns out my father had good taste, similar to readers of The (London) Daily Telegraph.
In its recently released list of the “100 Most Beautiful Cars,” the VW Karmann Ghia was voted No. 32, finishing better than some Ferraris and eight positions shy of the unique Talbot Lago T150C SS.
The London Daily Telegraph’s comment on the Talbot Lago was great, succinct commentary: “Commonly known as the “Teardrop” — a reference to the elegant shape, rather than the eye-watering prices they fetch at auction today.”
40. Lancia Stratos 39. Ford GT40 38. Ferrari 365 37. Ferrari 275 GTB 36. Citroen Traction Avant 35. Citroen SM 34. Bentley Continental S2/S3 33. Auburn Speedster 32. VW Karmann Ghia 31. Morgan Plus 4/Plus 8 30. MG-T Series 29. Lotus Elite 28. Jensen Interceptor 27. Jaguar XJ6 26. Iso Grifo 25. Ferrari 330 P4 24. Talbot Lago T150C SS 23. Alfa Romeo 8C Competitor 22. Cord 810/812 Roadster 21. Alfa Romeo
Stay tuned for the top-20 and an expanded report on the newspaper readers’ selection of the Most Beautiful Car.
Article Last Updated: March 27, 2026.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
In the golden age of American muscle cars, what would be the appropriate first car for an anxious, desperate, American teenage boy? Mustang? Everybody’s ‘68 dream car, the GTO? Corvette? Yeah, keep dreaming. What I needed or, more importantly, wanted was something a little out of the ordinary, a little different, with a bit of cache and, well, cheap . . . Ah, the 1964 Karmann Ghia; the poor man’s Porsche, sports car, whatever. Four years old when I received it and looking older with an ugly turquoise paint; but the used-car dealer threw in a new dark green paint job for the $800 asking price. Now, I know we’re talking the same 41hp engine from the “bug,” but it sure seemed faster – and more fun.
Like you said, the Ghia had its’ moments. Like driving the winding, undulating roads through a forested watershed in Baltimore County on a painfully beautiful day; school and work a distant memory, if only for a moment – and this is before BMWs and learning how to drive a proper curve. I really liked the look and the lines of my old Ghia and the good memories of driving my beautiful first car.