Most everyone knows the name Karmann. Many know Hebmüller. Some know Rometsch or Dannenhauser & Stauss. How about Ascort, Binz, Drews, Enzmann… ?

The Volkswagen platform, particularly that of the Beetle, was the basis of many coachbuilt cars. It was quite easy to place the new special body to that simple yet strong chassis. Large companies built some in great number; others were built by the request of Volkswagen. Some were one off productions built by or for wealthy individuals and many more out of practical necessity. Some coachbuilts were so successful that Volkswagen took them on themselves. The Binz Transporters are a great example of this. Anyone who loves the dual cab Kombi has Binz to thank.

Some of the coachbuilders became quite successful selling their largely hand-built cars. The Volkswagen platform, transmission and engine - the most produced ever - gave life to cars that Volkswagen could never have imagined. Many of the coachbuilders were supplying a market to which Volkswagen could never cater.

Colonel McEvoy had been apprenticed to Rolls Royce, later built racing motorcycles and cars, and worked for Mercedes Benz. He was given a job alongside Major Ivan Hirst to restart Beetle production after WW2. He wanted to beef up the Beetle to make a racecar. A one off roadster was in the works… although strictly a "factory" car it can be classed as a coachbuilt.

The Radclyffe Roadster came about from the endeavours of McEvoy and another early Volkswagen worker, head of the experimental shop, Rudolf Ringel. The two-seater roadster featured a modified bonnet over the engine bay to give a sweeping rearward appearance. The engine even sported twin carburetors - almost 25 years before they were introduced into a production Volkswagen. The chassis too was modified at some stage, starting rumours that two of the roadsters had been built.

The car became the regular summer transportation for Colonel Charles R. Radclyffe, head of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers who were appointed by the Military Government to bring the Volkswagen Werkes back from their post war decimation. The car disappeared, like many early Volkswagen experiments, but its spirit lives on in the Hebmüller, which was clearly inspired by McEvoy and Ringel's design.

Ringel also built a four-seat cabrio for his own use. Volkswagen farmed out the project of a cabrio due to Ringel's effort being too flimsy.

Commissioned by Volkswagen in 1948 to build a 2-seater convertible based on the Beetle the former horse-drawn carriage builder set about the task. Using three very old Beetles they began the process of hand forming the new panels for their prototypes. A design was approved and order was placed for 2000 of the VW Hebmüllers in June 1949.

On July 23 1949, just over a month after production began, a fire destroyed the paint shop and most of the production shop. Incredibly production recommenced within four weeks. Production rose and then declined. Several bodies were sent to Karmann for completion as financial problems dogged the company. They were bankrupted in 1952, having never really recovered from the 1949 fire.

Volkswagen put the production numbers at 696, but is more likely to have been around the 750 mark.

One Hebmüller was made into a hard top 2+2-seater coupe. It had a small back seat and rear windows that could pop out. Only one photograph survives of the car before it disappeared. The coupe was the inspiration for the later one off Stoll Coupe.

Hebmüller also produced an open topped Beetle for the West German Police between 1947 and 1949. These were the first Type 18As. A four-door cabrio in the loosest sense, there were simply four holes in the sides for access to the seats. A folding canvas rood was attached by a swing to the outside of the car. Some cars featured canvas doors and fewer still received proper metal doors.

Best known for their "Kabriolett" Beetles, Karmann is an independent supplier/manufacturer to many of the big names of the automotive industry. A long association with Volkswagen began in the 1948, when Wilhelm Karmann rebuilt his own Beetle. They were then commissioned by Volkswagen to build a convertible 4-seater. They have been responsible for the Karmann Ghia Coupe and Convertible, Scirocco, Corrado, Golf Convertibles and Beetle Convertibles.

Karmann also supplied specially adapted cabriolets to the German police after the collapse of Hebmüller, until 1960.

Production Figures
Beetle Convertible 1949-1980: 331,847
Hebmüller Convertible 1952: 12
Karmann Ghia Coupe 1955-1974: 362,601
Karmann Ghia Convertible 1957-1974: 80,877
Karmann Ghia Type 34 1961-1969: 42,505
VW-Porsche 914 1969-1975: 118,949
Scirocco I 1974-1981: 504,153
www.karmann.com - Karmann GmbH

SP2 1974: 11,123
Golf A1 Convertible 1978-1993: 388,522
Scirocco II 1980-1992: 291,497
Corrado 1988-1995: 97,521
Golf A3 Convertible 1993-1997: 139,578
Golf A3 Kombi 1997-1999: 80,928
Golf A4 Convertible 1998-: 57,786(Dec 2000)

Drews was one of the best-known firms to build VW based sports cars. In 1948 they began production of one of the best-looking Beetle based cars. Only 150 hand-built Drews cabriolets were made by the end of production in 1951.

The Drews cabriolet was longer and wider than the Beetle but still used the stock rolling chassis. The body was made from totally hand-built aluminum panels and sported a metal frame. The steering wheel was an odd kidney shape on many examples. It also featured a split windscreen.

Only one Drews cabriolet is known to survive.

In addition to the tuning kit, even better than the Okrasa of Oettinger, and distributed by EMPI, Wolfgang Denzel created coachbuilt vehicles based on the Kubelwagen and Beetle chassis and drive train. The first Denzel, built on a Kubelwagen chassis had a wooden body and a 25HP engine. The car was used in and won the 1949 Austrian Alpine Rally. Denzel then began working on a tubular framed, aluminum bodied car using Volkswagen engine, transaxle and suspension.

When the Denzel went into production around 1953 it featured a tuned engine. Denzel created several versions of his tuned flat four: the "Seriensuper" a 1281cc 52HP; the Super International at 1290cc and 64HP; and, the Sport International at 1500cc with 80HP.

The interior sported a bucket seat for the driver and beside it a narrow, double passenger seat. The convertible body was not unlike an early Porsche and many of the bodies were constructed by Karosseriefabrik F K Gesellschaft, maker of many of the early Porsche 935 bodies.

Tempo Werke, a German motor works in Hamburg began production of the Matador in 1949. By the end of production in May 1952 1,362 Matadors had been built. Very few survive today, surprisingly, a number of those can be found in Australia. The Matador was the only coachbuilt European vehicle that Volkswagen sanctioned other than those it commissioned. Until the volume being exported to Australia prompted Volkswagen to put the Kombi into production. The Matador was built in pickup, microbus and station wagon versions.

The design consisted of a separate chassis made from two steel tubes joined at each end by a cross-member. On the front were leaf-springs and wishbones with forged spindles and VW brake drums. Two coil springs on each side are mounted at the rear with trailing arms. A stock second hand 25HP VW engine was mounted near the front of the chassis with a VW transmission driving the front wheels.

The cab features suicide doors and the seat folds forward to provide access to the engine. The fuel filler is accessed via a small hatch on the hood just in front of the windscreen.

All the Volkswagen parts used in construction were second hand. Despite Volkswagen's sanctioning of the vehicle their rapidly approaching release of the Type 2 stayed them from providing parts.

An interesting Australian Tempo Matador existed with two rear axles. It was used for towing cars and is pictured here with a Beetle on the tray.

Beutler was founded in 1946 in Switzerland hand-building coupes based on both Volkswagens and Porsches.

In 1950 Beutler made a tiltable sunroof model from a 1948 Beetle. The early 1950s saw the first major redesign of the Beetle, a utility model. The Beetle was cut behind the b-pillars and a flat pickup bed installed. The model sold well and a few survive today.

Following the relative success of the pick up, two station wagon/panel van models were built. One had glass side windows and the other canvas sides. The body was extended back at roof height and the interior featured seats that folded flat enabling the use of a slide in wooden floor to create an even cargo space.

Beutler also made original coupe bodies for the VW platform. Small in number but very popular they were styled much like contemporary European two-door coupes.

The Beutler conversions became less popular as the Volkswagen made Kombi became available.

The Rometsch Karosserie was established in Berlin in the 1920s and produced taxi conversions from current model Opels. During WW2 they switched to mobile field kitchens. After the war, Volkswagen became the basis for their work.

The Rometsch taxi, a four door Beetle was designed in 1951 by Johannes Beeskow (later worked for Karmann). The Beetle was stretched by seven inches as well as getting the extra two doors. Sadly few of these remain today.

Rometsch are, however, better known for their stylish sports cars. The first Rometsch sports car was constructed by hand, using the Volkswagen chassis and drive train. It's frame was constructed from wood and it's skin, hand formed aluminum. The car was often called the "banana" due to its profile and was available as a coupe or cabrio.

From the mid '50s Rometsch vehicles were fitted with the Okrasa engine, giving much more power than the stock VW unit.

A new model emerged in 1957. The Rometsch lost its suicide doors, got a more curved windscreen. The styling became much more "American" and died out. In 1961 the construction of the Berlin Wall prevented more than half of the skilled workforce entering West Berlin. Rometsch soon closed its doors.

Shortly after the WW2 Dannenhauer & Stauss set up their car karosserie in Stuttgart. Dannenhauer had work for Reuters and had worked on the bodies for the 1937 Volkswagen prototypes. Using the Beetle's floorpan chassis a hand-built wooden-framed metal-bodied car was constructed. The doors, engine lid and bonnet were the only pressed panels.

In streamlining the body the door hinges were hidden and also arranged in the suicide fashion. Trim was minimal to reduce air resistance. The early cars had a split windscreen but this was replaced by 1953 with a single windscreen along with the car being made longer at both ends.

The seating position was much lower than the Beetle and required custom seats and runners to be fabricated. The rear seat, as in most 2+2's was simply a padded board. The folding roof was of top quality, padded and well lined and also featured a plastic rear window.

The Dannenhauer & Strauss used the standard Beetle engine so many owners added the Okrasa kits or supercharged the engine to match its performance to its sporty design.

Three coupes were built between 1953 and 1954, the last of which featured Porsche engine and braking.

Around 80 to 135 cars were built between 1951 and 1957, less than 20 survive today.

German coachworks Binz built their first dual cab from a single cab Kombi in the early 50s. It went into production in 1953. By the mid-1950s Volkswagen had requested they build a number of these dual cab conversions for their own use. Volkswagen later refined and marketed the dual cab Kombi, based on the Binz design, themselves. Unfortunately, Volkswagen chose not to retain the full-width suicide rear door.

Binz are now best known for building luxury stretched limousines, emergency and military vehicles.

After Hebmüller's demise Papler took over construction of the 4-door police cabriolets. Over 200 were made from converted Beetles - Wolfsburg did not supply them as they had with Karmann and Hebmüller. The cars all features metal doors and in fact had a much superior folding top than that of the Hebmüller. The roof was also now fitted to the inside of the car.

The Austrian firm Austro-Tatra also built over 200 Type 18As. The design was based on those from Porsche but was still executed with Beetle parts. Like the Papler versions, they all featured steel doors and the hood was fixed either inside or outside the body on different models.

Another one off, and surviving coachbuilt Beetle. The car was built between 1952 and 1954 for a Herr Bernard. He was trying to purchase one of the sought after Hebmüller cabrios, but after their collapse in 1952 decided to build his own car. Using the lost Hebmüller coupe prototype as a model he had the rear of the roof modified and a custom decklid and cowling produced.

The Stoll has been restored and is now kept in the Volkswagen Museum at Wolfsburg.

The Swiss coachbuilder Werner Maier was commissioned to make three convertibles in 1952 after the closure of the Hebmüller factory. The Maier design was strikingly similar to the Hebmüller.

The coachbuilding work was farmed out to Karl Rusterholz whose karosserie was near Zurich. Each of the three conversions took 6 weeks after delivery of the original Beetles. Had their price not been so high and had more support from Volkswagen (the price of the original Beetle was added to the cost of the conversion) they may well have continued where Hebmüller left off.

Unlike the Hebmüller, the Maier retained semaphores and featured a short decklid within the sweeping rear bodywork. Only one Maier survives to this day.

Designed by Emil Enzmann around 1953. The Enzmann family owned a Fiat and Citroen workshop in Switzerland and had an intense interest in sports cars. The Enzmann 506 was launched at the 1957 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The original design was built on the Beetle chassis from steel. For better performance further designs were of fibreglass. Enzmann was one of the first designers to use an all glass body. Using a single piece fibreglass shell without doors he was able to design a strong, rigid body that was also very light with a low centre of gravity. The car also featured safety devices not common in the '50s such as padding and seatbelts.

Most cars left the factory fitted with the Okrasa 1300cc. Even thought over 100 Enzmann 506s were built, most left the factory with different specifications as each was made to order. Very few survive today. Kari Enzmann has rebirthed the Enzmann 506 now making new bodies from the original mould.

German Benno Kleinau introduced a prototype based on Volkswagen chassis in 1954. It is unlikely that it ever went into production.

Wendler started their Volkswagen coachbuilding with "Woody" station wagons using either Kubelwagen or Kommanderwagon floorpans. The roof and front end were constructed from steel and rear from timber. Only one photo survives and all the cars lost despite at least one being used up until the 1960s.

Wendler also produced a very Porsche-like 2-seat coupe on the Beetle chassis. Building a frame from timber and dressing it with aluminum panels, the car featured a fabric roof and suicide doors. The majority of the cars were likely shipped with standard Volkswagen engines, though some did feature the Okrasa twin carburetion kit. The later models were sold with Porsche engines.

Another larger "continental" model was designed and built in 1957. Still built on the Beetle chassis and drive train the body was longer and lower. However only a few were built.

The Turin based Moto-Torino gave the Beetle Italian styling producing several models during the late 1950s. Only one survives and most resembles the contemporary UK Wizard Roadster. Unlike the Wizard the Italian body was constructed from steel. All the conversions carried the original 30HP Beetle engine.

A Victorian Czech immigrant with an early Karmann Ghia decided he could make an Australian built sports car from the Beetle chassis. Using his Ghia as the basis of his design he built a light steel tubular frame and around it built a body of fibreglass, epoxy resin and foam rubber for insulation. The 2-door car featured 4 seats, a roll bar and reinforced dash. He also added a stronger, stiffer anti-roll bar to the front to provide better stability. Standard brakes were left to pull up the Okrasa powered car.

The rear armrests housed the fuel tanks leaving the front vacant for increased luggage space - something the Ghia lacked in abundance. The two tanks gave a combined volume of over 40 litres. The spare was also mounted forward of the torsion bars in a horizontal position.

Only 19 Ascorts were made and few remain today.

There were of course many, many more coachbuilt cars based on the Volkswagen, the list above by no means being conclusive. For example Auwärter built tour buses from early Type 2s, Kemperink a camper much larger than that offered by Westfalia/VW. Meisen made ambulances from Beetles, Kubelwagens and Kombis - and when it was too late for an ambulance, hearses. Frickinger and others also made hearses. Karmann Ghia tried their hand at a bus, thankfully rejected. Auto-Drews, Gebrüder Vergo, Günter Schenk, Herman Spohn and Steyr were others. There are too many to list.

However, this article cannot close without mention of the numerous "Tax Savers" that were built with Beetle components, chasses, and engines. Usually three wheeled to avoid taxes levied by different countries they appeared in Switzerland and Greece in significant numbers.