The Long Roof That Never Was

In an alternate 1969, a quiet proposal slipped across a drafting table in Osnabrück: What if the Karmann Ghia grew a long roof?

Karmann, ever the coachbuilder, sketched a lithe wagon — more shooting brake than family hauler — while Ghia ensured the curves remained unmistakably Italian. Built in small numbers, it was pitched as a gentleman’s coastal express: the elegance of a Ghia stretched without apology, with room for the golf bag and the dog.

Decades later, one survivor found its way to Palm Springs. In 2026, a local enthusiast reimagined it through a Cal-look lens — lowered just right, a canvas slideback sunroof, Porsche Fuchs wheels tucked beneath those familiar hips. The paint went deep black, the stance went serious, but the soul stayed pure.

It wasn’t a hot rod pretending to be a Ghia. It was a Ghia — confident enough to grow up, stretch out, and still look impossibly cool at sunset.