 Segre and Karmann encountered each other at international automobile shows, and after an initial discussion prompted by Wilhelm Karmann, Segre secretly began working, obtaining a Volkswagen Beetle to use as a basis for a prototype – The Type I's were difficult ot come by and Gian Paolo, Maoro Boano's son, purchased one in Paris and drove it back to Turin.Ghia customized its platform, designed the initial prototype and in five months constructed the model.Segre, again secretly, presented the model to Wilhelm Karmann one year after the initial discussion – late in 1953, in Paris, at the Societé France Motors factories (Volkswagen's dealership for France and the exclusive European dealer of Ghia-built Chrysler models).