1963 Porsche 356B 1600 Coupe by Karmann

1963 Porsche 356B 1600 Coupe by Karmann

From the time that Porsche returned from Austria to Germany in 1950, most of their bodies had been built by Reutter, with whom they had had a long relationship. In the 1960s, however, Karmann, better known as a supplier to Volkswagen, built a number of coupe styles. Wilhelm Karmann acquired the coachbuilding enterprise of Klages in Osnabrück, Germany, in 1901. Already a volume producer, he could supply orders of 100 bodies a month, and became the major source for Adler in Frankfurt. Never a builder of one-off creations, Karmann began supplying convertible bodies to Volkswagen in 1949, and continued for the life of the Beetle model. From 1955 to 1974, Karmann also built two-seat Karmann-Ghia coupes and cabriolets in great numbers. Among work for a myriad of European manufacturers, including BMW, Opel and Renault, was the construction of coupe bodies for Porsche from 1961 to 1965.

1963 Porsche 356B 1600 Coupe by Karmann