1958 Dual Ghia Convertible

Chrysler commissioned a series of show cars during the early-to-mid-1950s which were known as the Dodge Firearrow Concepts. Built by the Italian Carrozzeria Ghia, they were futuristic and daring, but when talks of advancing towards production ended, Detroit trucking magnate Eugene Casaroll bought the design and built the Dual-Ghia, a limited-production luxury convertible aimed at Hollywood's elite. Approximately 117 examples were built and at $7,646, they exceeded the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible price tag by several hundred dollars. Each customer was selected by Casaroll and the list of owners included movie stars Glenn Ford, Sterling Hayden, and future President Ronald Reagan – who reputedly lost his car to Lyndon B. Johnson in a poker game. They were popular with Frank Sinatra and his 'Rat Pack' friends of Dean Martin and Peter Lawford, who incorporated them into their 1950s Las Vegas image.

Dual Motors' existence was brief, lasting just eight years, but during that time they successfully combined the essence of Virgil Exner's flamboyant design with Ghia's hand-built Italian coachwork. Based on a modified Dodge chassis, the wheelbase measured 115 inches, was 203.5 inches in length and was 79 inches wide. The D-500 315 cubic-inch (5.2-liter) V8 engine with a hemispherical head, short stroke, and a single four-barrel carburetor produced 260 horsepower. A few examples received the 361 cubic-inch Chrysler 'B' V8 powerplant. The mechanical specification included a two-speed PowerFlite automatic transmission, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, an independent front suspension, Kelsey-Hayes 40-spoke chrome wire wheels, and whitewall tires. The styling incorporated single headlamps and slab-sided features, yet restrained from using fins, excessive amounts of chrome trim, and other gimmicks prevalent at the time. A four-place convertible was the only offering (on the 'first series' Dual Ghia) and every example took over 1,500 man-hours to build.

Dual Motors, based in Michigan, shipped modified Dodge chassis to Italy upon which Ghia fitted handmade bodies that were hammered out over aluminum bucks. Upon completion, they were returned to the company's facility in Detroit where they received the V8 engines and Powerflite transmission. The styling remained true to the original Firearrow and was only mildly changed during the initial production run. Casaroll's designer Paul Farago enlarged the passenger and luggage space in order to improve user comfort, and the original Ghia-built Firearrow did not have tailfins. 'First-series' production lasted from 1956 to 1958 and 'second series' from 1961 to 1963. The second-series Dual-Ghia L6.4 employed its own bespoke chassis and Chrysler's 383 cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8 engine - hence the 'L6.4' model designation. Twenty-six examples were built and offered only in hardtop coupe form.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2022