1953 Chrysler GS-1 Ghia

Coupe by Ghia
Chassis number: 7231533
Engine number: C53-8-31901

In 1950, the Chrysler Corporation and the Italian coachbuilder Ghia began what would become a long and fruitful relationship, beginning with the launch of the Plymouth XX-500 show car. It was a four-door fastback built on the chassis of a Plymouth P20. Over the following decade, Ghia would produce more than two dozen 'idea cars' for Chrysler, the major of which were Italian executions of designs by the corporation's design chief, Virgil Exner.

The Ghia Carrozzeria was founded in Turin in 1916 by Giacinto Ghia. They built a solid reputation for the custom bodies they had designed and created on Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, Italia, and other chassis prior to World War II. Along with their touring-bodied creations, their lightweight aluminum alloy sports car bodies were some of the most exciting designs of the prewar era.

The Ghia factory was destroyed in an Allied bombing raid, and after the War, they worked to get back on their feet. They began to find their footing when they produced a bespoke Plymouth and shipped it over to Detroit as a calling card. They had the talent and were eager for work, plus they could produce Exner's designs at a tenth of the going price. When they produced the XX-500, Ghia was being run by stylist and manager Mario Felice Boano, who had hired Luigi Segre as his chief designer. (Boano would later leave Ghia for Fiat after a dispute with Segre about the degree of Chrysler's involvement in the company.)

In 1950, J.T. Keller moved from the president's office to the helm of the Chrysler board. He had brought Exner from Studebaker and was anxious to leave behind the three-bod designs that were tying the company to the past and leaving them back in the sales race. Exner's designs were exciting and had brought new life to the stolid South Bend brand with his acclaimed Studebaker Starlight Coupe of 1947. Keller was hopeful that Exner could do the same for Chrysler.

Exner was put in charge of Chrysler's advanced styling studios. He assembled a small team that included many skilled modelers, and several designers from the corporation's art and color section. He also relied on Paul Farago, who owned a specialty sports car shop near Detroit, and was fluent in Italian.

Along with the new talent and design direction, Chrysler had just introduced its new FirePower. The powerplant was a Hemi-head, high-compression V8 that was in need of equally exciting sheet metal that could do justice to its performance. Exner's response was the K-310 Coupe of 1952. It featured flush door handles, a spare tire outline on the trunk lid, a prominent vertical grille, recessed headlamps, fully radiused wheel openings that showed off the chromed wire wheels, and freestanding 'gunsight' tail lamps. The design details would later make their way onto production cars.

A 3/8-scale plaster model of the K-310 was sent to Ghia, where the craftsmen hammered out the bodywork. The bodies were mounted on a Chrysler Saratoga chassis. The K-310 came close to becoming a production car but corporate executives turned down the idea as too risky.

The K-310 was followed by the C-200, which was essentially a convertible version of the car it preceded. Exner labeled these Chrysler models as 'Styling Specials' or 'S.S'. They were not commissioned by Chrysler directly, but by the corporation's export manager, Cecil Beaton 'C.B.' Thomas.

The first of the two was a three-passenger fastback coupe built on the shortened 119-inch chassis of the New Yorker. It had a long hood and a short trunk, a trapezoidal grille, push-button door latches, a modest up kick in the rear fender line, and smoothly flowing sides. The front fenders were attributed to Exner's son, Virgil Exner Jr. The design featured a ridge that folded down into the bodywork just ahead of the front doors.

The coupe was put on display at the 1952 Paris Salon where it was well received by crowds and the press. The second S.S. arrived a year later. It was built for C.B. himself and had a two-piece windshield. Dubbed the Chrysler Thomas Special, it rode on a 125.5-inch New Yorker chassis. It had a notchback roofline and could accommodate five passengers. Unlike the fastback, the Thomas Special could accommodate their luggage as well. Of all the idea cars, this was an obvious choice to put into limited production.

With persuasion from Thomas, Chrysler commissioned six Chrysler Ghia Specials and permitted Ghia to build another 12 for its clients. With the exception of the one-piece windshields and slight changes in trim, the cars were identical to the Thomas Special. All were built for the European market.

Powering the Ghia Specials was the Firepower V8 engine offering 180 horsepower. They were equipped with either a four-speed semi-automatic with Fluid Torque Drive or the automatic two-speed PowerFlite that took its place late in the 1953 model year.

In total, 18 examples were built. One example is currently owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and once displayed at the now-closed Walter P. Chrysler Museum.

This particular example was delivered by Société France Motors to Leon Coulibeuf. It was later shown by his wife at the Concours d'Elegance d'Enghien-les-Bains, as featured in the September 1953 issue of L'Action Automobile.

The car remained in France for many years. In 1990, it was restored by a previous owner of 30 years, a Chrysler dealer in Brittany. At the time, it was in poor condition, though it retained the red-and-white paintwork and the license plate of '4756-CC75' that it had worn while on display at the Enghien-les-Bains concours some four decades earlier.

The body was stripped to bare metal, new correct leather upholstery was installed, and the drivetrain was removed and checked completely. It was refinished in appropriate two-tone blue paintwork. The work was completed in the summer of 2001.

In 2001, it was shown at the Louis Vuitton Concours at Bagatelle. It captured the award for 'most exciting design' at the concours d'élégance of Zoute Grand Prix in Knokke, Belgium, in October 2014. It was also on display at the Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza in 2015.

This numbers-matching example was equipped with Fluid-Torque Drive, heavy-duty seat springs, heavy-duty suspension, and power steering. Power is from the overhead valve Chrysler Hemi V8 engine fitted with a single 2-barrel carburetor.

by Dan Vaughan

The Chrysler Thomas Special SWB Prototype was the answer to a lackluster styling problem that had plagued the Chrysler Corporation during the late 1940's and early 1950's. K. T. Keller was Chrysler's President from 1935 through 1950. Under his direction, the Company prospered but the designs of the vehicles were criticized for being too conservative. After World War II many maruqee's saw their production figures begin to rise while Chrysler's stayed stead but fell behind the rest of the pack. Chrysler looked to Europe for inspiration.

A war-torn Europe was recovering from years of battle. Many factories had been ruined and intellectual knowledge had been destroyed. Fiat invited Chrysler to Italy to aid in their rebuilding and to train their technicians in the latest methods and techniques of automotive production. This included teaching them modernized ways of constructing cars and the most effective means of assembly-line techniques. Not only was Chrysler imparting knowledge to a struggling economy, but they were also gaining knowledge on the art of carrozziere, Italian meaning custom coachbuilding. This was a dying art but had been very popular in the early 1900s. A manufacturer would supply a rolling chassis to a custom coachbuilder to complete. The coachbuilder often corresponded with the customer to determine the exact specifications, resulting in unique creations.

Chrysler began discussions with one of the most famous coachbuilders of all time, Pinin Farina. However, it would be Ghia in Turin who would be commissioned to build a series of cars inspired by the designs of Virgil Exner, Chrysler's chief stylist. Ghia and Chrysler continued working together for 15 years creating some of the most memorable Chryslers of all time. From 1951 through 1954 the Exner-designed Ghia Specials were produced. The mechanical components were provided by Chrysler including a 331 cubic-inch Hemi V8 capable of producing over 175 horsepower. The two-speed PowerFlite or Fluid Torque transmission was also courtesy of Chrysler but the exquisite bodies were the creation of Ghia with inspiration from Exner.

The Chrysler-Ghia relationship was beneficial to both parties. When Chrysler approached their own shops for a quote on how much it would cost to build such a creation, they were told around $125,000. When they posed the same question to Ghia, they were quoted $10,000 to $20,000.

The first fruits of this relationship were the Chrysler K-310 introduced in 1951. The 'K' represented K.T. Keller's initial in his name. While the 310 represented the horsepower produced by the engine. In 1952 the Chrysler Special was produced and made its debut to the public at the Paris Auto Show of that same year. It was built atop a shortened New York Chassis and powered by a 331 cubic-inch Hemi V8 engine producing 235 horsepower. It had power steering, brakes, windows, and a power antenna. There was only one SWB (short wheelbase) version produced in the series. The Thomas Special was specially commissioned by C.B. Thomas, who was president of the export division of Chrysler Corporation.

These 'idea cars' were meant to inspire Chrysler's design team while giving the general public a glimpse of things to come. They were showcased at auto shows where they always drew crowds. They were the perfect blend of American styling and power with coachwork by one of the greatest Italian coachbuilders.

In 1954, the limited-production Chrysler Ghia GS-1 coupe was introduced. They were sold exclusively in Europe by Societe France Motors. The vehicle was built atop a Chrysler 125.5-inch chassis, the same used on most Chrysler automobiles. Power was supplied by a 180-horsepower Chrysler Hemi V8 engine. The vehicles were equipped with either a Fluid Torque transmission or the newer PowerFlite two-speed automatic.

Other creations between Chrysler-Ghia were the Dodge Firebomb and the Chrysler Crown Imperial Ghia Limousines.

by Dan Vaughan