VW Karmann Ghia

The humble Volkswagen Beetle had already hit it big in the States when the German manufacturer was approached by coachbuilders Karmann with a proposal to turn it into an attractive coupe. While a sporty Beetle variant was never on VW's agenda, the designs (by Ghia of Italy) were so pretty that it was decided to put the car into production.

The car's slippery shape lent itself well to the Beetle's wheelbase, but although it looked like a sports car the Karmann Ghia made do with the standard air-cooled mechanical layout of its sedan cousin. Even though the engine was uprated four times during its 19-year production cycle, the Karmann Ghia never went or handled like a sports car, but those sinewy looks and a reputation for being mechanically unburstable meant it was perennially a good seller. The Cabriolet remains the most sought-after model.