1957 Dual Ghia Sports Car news, pictures, and information

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Convertible

Dual Motors only existed for eight years, but in that time, the marque was able to combine the essence of Virgil Exner's uniquely American design with Ghia's hand built Italian coachwork. These flamboyant cars were based on a modified Dodge chassis with a 315 cubic-inch V8. Unfortunately, the cost to build a Dual Ghia exceeded the selling price, and less than 200 were built. Many were owned by celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

In the early 1950's, Chrysler designer Virgil Exner had created a series of striking 'Firearrow' concept cars crafted by Italian coachbuilder Ghia. Eugene Casaroll - who owned Dual Motors Corporation - bought the rights to the Firearrow design. By 1956, Casaroll's first car, the Dual-Ghia, was in production. Casaroll built about 100 Dual-Ghias through 1958 priced at $7,646.

Perforamnce was excellent, especially in the cars powered by the high performance, Dodge Hemi D-500, a 315 cubic-inch V8. Out of the cars produced, only 32 are believed to still exist. Over 1,500 man-hours were said to have been lavished on each car before it left the factory. Reportedly, Ronald Regan owned one, which he lost in a high-stakes poker game with then-President Lyndon Johnson.

This car was originally a demonstrator for a Chrysler dealership, Sanders Motors of Long Island, NY. The Pomerantz family of Great Neck, Long Island NY, purchased it. Traded in 1962, the car was slightly used with 42,000 miles. It was driven for a short period of time and then put into storage for the next 32 years.

The current owner acquired it with 44,557 miles on the odometer, then and began a complete restoration project that has taken 12 years to complete. The 2007 Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance marked its inaugural concours debut. It was also shown at the 2008 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance.

Convertible

Dual-Ghia was a short-lived, rare automobile make, produced in the United States beginning in 1956. The venture was masterminded by Eugene Casaroll, who formed Dual Motors in Detroit, Michigan. The design was based on an earlier Chrysler show car named the Firearrow, which had been designed by Virgil Exner. After the first run of Dual-Ghia's, Casaroll's health began to fail, and his chief engineer, Paul Farago, spearheaded the development of a second model, the 6.4L, a coupe which was produced until 1963.

The design of the original Dual Ghia was fairly conservative with single headlamps and slab-sided features, avoiding fins and other styling gimmicks. A Dodge frame and drivetrain was transported to Italy, where the bodywork was fabricated by the coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia. Performance was excellent, due to the cars being powered by the 315 cid Dodge hemispherical-head short-stroke V8 engine. Out of the 117 cars produced, 32 still exist.

Most Dual Ghias were bought by American celebrities, such as Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden and Richard Nixon. Desi Amaz owned one, but wrecked it. Legend says that Ronald Regan owned one, but lost it in a high-stakes poker game with then-President Lyndon Johnson.

This Dual-Ghia is freshly restored and retains its original wire wheels.

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Convertible
Chassis Num: DUA12157

This 1957 Dual-Ghia Convertible Sportscar is finished in Ivory White and has been thoroughly restored. It rides on a set of period-correct wide whitewall tires and a set of chrome-plated Kelsey-Hayes 40-spoke wire wheels. The interior is trimmed in dark green leather upholstery and there is matching green carpeting. The ivory painted dash is topped with dark green padding. There are power brakes, power operated windows, and a Town and Country AM radio. The trunk is lined in gray carpeting. Power is from the 315 cubic-inch D-500 engine with its chrome valve covers and 230 BHP.

In 2008, this vehicle was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions where it had an estimated value of $200,000 - $300,000. It was sold for a high bid of $176,000 including buyer's premium.

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Convertible
Chassis Num: 132

Between 1956 and 1958, there were approximately 117 examples of the Dual-Ghia built. The majority of these cars wore the convertible body style. They were priced at a hefty $7,646 and were $1,000 more expensive than the ultra-luxurious Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible. The Dual-Ghia's were powered by a the Chrysler D-500 'Hemi' V8 engine and mated to a Powerflite transmission.

The origins of the Dual-Ghia date back to 1953. Chrysler had commissioned the Italian Carrozzeria Ghia to build several advanced show cars based on Virgil Exner's design for the Thomas Speical. Ghia produced four Dodge Firearrow Concepts that were warmly received by the public, resulting in a production version. Chrysler declined to expand on this opportunity but Eugene Casaroll negotiated for the acquiring the rights to build a car based on the design.

This 1957 Dual-Ghia Convertible has a D-500 V8 engine with single four-barrel carburetor and 230 horsepower. There are four-wheel drum brakes and an independent front suspension. There is charcoal exterior, a black convertible top and period correct Kelsey-Hayes 40-spoke chrome wire wheels and whitewall tires. The interior is upholstered in gray leather with matching gray carpeting.

In 2009, this Dual-Ghia Convertible was offered for sale at the Automobiles of Arizona auction presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $225,000 - $275,000. The lot was sold for a high bid of $176,000 including buyer's premium.

Eugene Casaroll, proprietor of Automobile Shippers Incorporated, was the individual responsible for the creation of the Dual-Ghia. The design was inspired by Virgini Exner's Dodge Firearrow, later called the Firebomb, show car. When Chrysler decided not to produce the car, Casaroll purchased the original Firebomb show car. It was re-engineered for public sale by designer Paul Farago. The interior room was increased, as was the luggage space. The chassis was from Chrysler, which was sent to Turin, Italy to have Ghia create the coachwork. Ghia had created the original Firebomb body, thus were the perfect craftsman to create the production vehicle. When the bodies were assembled, they were shipped to Detroit where Dual Motors fitted the drive-train and interior trim. The first series were equipped with Chryslers D500 and D500-1 engines. The D500 displaced 315 cubic-inches and produced 230 horsepower. The D500-1 had a larger, 325 cubic-inch displacement and 260 horsepower.

Production of this series lasted from 1956 through 1958 with a total of 117 examples constructed. There were two convertibles and the rest were coupes. The cars were competitively price considering they cost less than a Cadillac Eldorado and the Lincoln Continental. Just like many new automotive upstarts, the Dual Motors Company lost money on every car.

The concept was later revived in 1961. This time it was produced entirely in Italy in hopes of reducing the cost and expenses. This series is commonly known as the L6.4 as they were powered by Chrysler's 383 cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8 engine. The chassis was its own, as Chrysler now used a unitary construction method. The cars were offered in hardtop coupe form only. Casaroll doubled the price in hopes of turning a profit, or at least break even. Problems continued to escalate as overhead costs continued to soar. Production continued until 1963 with a total of 26 examples created.

The Dual Ghia was inspired by the Chrysler Fire-Arrow prototype and went on sale in 1956. It had been introduced at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in 1955. The body of the vehicle was built by carrozzeria Ghia, an Italian coachbuilder firm. Dual was a independent automaker based in Detroit Michigan. The name of the car, obviously, came from the forging of both companies name.

Powered by a 315 cubic-inch Dodge enter and featuring a Powerflite transmission, the vehicle cost a hefty $7600. It was produced in limited numbers with 117 examples being produced before Dual Motors went out of business. Around 32 examples exist in modern times.

It was America's first four passenger sports car and popular with American celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Richard Nixon, Desi Arnaz, Ronald Reagan, and Sterling Hayden. Reagan lost his car to Lyndon Johnson in a high-stakes poker game.