1961 Ghia L6.4 Hardtop Coupe

The L 6.4 fastback coupe was hand-built entirely by Ghia around a custom chassis with a Chrysler Mopar 383 cubic-inch 'Wedge' V8 engine. These were among the finest-finished automobiles in the world and commanded an astonishing $13,500 base price. The cost of production and the complications that came with building a car in Italy and selling in the United States resulted in just 26 examples being built and sold.

This particular example is chassis number 0302, the first production L 6.4 built and the second after the original prototype. It has several unique features including a special gauge cluster, as well as factory-installed air conditioning. It is also one of between four and six to have received custom modifications by George Barris, most prominently Cibie headlights.

This example was first owned, from 1960 to 1963, by Peter Lawford. It was subsequently owned for several years by David Lawrence, then by a Hollywood actor and car enthusiast. The current owner acquired it in 2006, at which point it had been driven fewer than 40,000 miles, and was given a complete three-year restoration. The exterior was finished in black with a Bentley-specification leather interior.

The car has won Best of France & Italy at the Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance and was featured in the Hall of Customs at the most 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2017