1971 Volkswagen Karmann Cheetah (ItalDesign)

The cooperation with Karmann comes up with the design of a roadster with low production costs, based on 1600 Beetle mechanics.

Cooperation with coachbuilder Karmann began in 1969 for a project that will become the Volkswagen Scirocco in 1974.

For the 1971 Geneva Motor Show the project is for an economic roadster to be mass produced.

It is based on the 1600 Beetle mechanics and platform, and after the Tapiro, it represents another step into squared shapes. Cheetah's birth is contemporary to the Alfasud Caimano's, that will be premiered a few weeks later during the Turin Motor Show.

Both prototypes share the same formal layout. The front of the car is characterised by the soft-nose and overhang lights, while the roll-bar has been substituted by two strong pillars that simplifies hard top mechanisms.

The engine is a 1,6 litres with 50 hp.

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In the early 1970s, German coachbuilder Wilhelm Karmann GmbH was already responsible for building the slinky Karmann Ghia and drop-top Beetles for Volkswagen — but it also helped build a small, conceptual sports car for VW and Italdesign.

As was the case with the Karmann Ghia, the coachbuilder had virtually no say in the Cheetah project. The sleek, angular lines — fitted over a modified Beetle floorpan — were entirely the product of Giugiaro's imagination. Karmann did, however, have a part when it came time to design the roof. A soft top, which sported a translucent sunroof panel over the cockpit, slid down the length of the car's sidebows and could be neatly tucked between the seats.

Obviously, the Cheetah never made it into production — a pity, for Fiat found a fair amount of success with its Bertone-styled X1/9 facsimile, which came to market a year after the Cheetah premiered at the 1971 Geneva motor show.

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