1967 Ghia 450 SS Convertible

The 1960s brought about a number of efforts that sought to create a marriage of strong and reliable American powertrains to drive unique new and exciting body designs from the famous styling houses of Europe. Somewhat like the Shelby Cobra, and the Milt Brown Apollo, a movie producer by the name of Burt Sugarman, approached the famed styling house, Ghia, in Turin, Italy to produce a 2+2 roadster utilizing the powertrain from the Plymouth Barracuda.

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, by this time famous for such designs as the Maserati Ghibli, the car exhibited an exciting roadster profile, perhaps a bit at the expense of the rear seat space.

Power comes from the Plymouth 273 cubic-inch 4-barrel V8 engine which measures 4.5 liters, hence the designation 450 SS. This engine produces 235 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. Produced for only two years, 1966 and 1967, a total of only fifty-two were built before production ceased.

The Ghia 450SS was first displayed at the 1966 Turin International Auto Show. This is the 22nd of a total of 52 built. With such limited production, the cars were essentially hand-built. The base price of the 450 SS was $11,800, which was more than double the price of a new Corvette of the time. Some of the early owners included celebrities, Johnny Carson and Wilt Chamberlain. Given that the tooling was low volume, finding parts to repair or restore such a vehicle has generated a very close-knit owners group.