Volkswagen
Karmann Ghia Type 34 Cabriolet prototypes

Why it matters

The Type 34 Cabriolet is a convertible version of the large Karmann Ghia that Volkswagen decided against building in series. The factory says the market chances looked insufficient and the torsional rigidity needed would have been complex and expensive to achieve.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Production of the Type 34 Coupé, built on the Type 3 (1500/1600), began in Osnabrück in 1961. A Type 34 Cabriolet with a fully retractable folding roof was introduced in the same year as an elegant, elongated vehicle, but the decision was made not to produce it in series.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The Type 34 Cabriolet prototype was an elongated open version of the Type 34 with a fully retractable folding roof. It shared the Type 34 coupe body shape from Ghia, with the front fog lights integrated into the nose and creases tapering into two bow folds. The Type 34 itself uses the Type 3 floor assembly and drivetrain. Only prototypes were built and the car never went into series production.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   The Other Karmann Ghia – eBay Motors Blog Level C

   • 17 prototype convertibles (included in the 42,505 Type 34 total)

   Accessed 2026-11-11