Beschreibung
Colossally expensive when new, the Ghia 450SS is an extremely rare car that combines the elegant styling of Giorgetto Giugiaro with reliable and robust mechanicals from Chrysler. Burt Sugarman, a famous Hollywood producer, was so taken by a Giugiaro penned Ghia concept car (on a Fiat 2300 chassis) that he had seen at the 1960 Turin Motor Show, that he convinced Ghia to hand build a limited run of similar but open cars with Chrysler mechanicals. The car was displayed at the 1966 Turin Motor Show, and in 1966 and 1967, just 52 examples were built. All were sold new in the United States via a dealer in Beverly Hills, with a price tag that exceeded $11, 000, or about the same as a new Lamborghini 400GT. Hand built and luxuriously finished with completely bespoke interiors, the cars embody the now lost art of the coachbuilt car, and are among the last of their type.
Approximately half of the cars built are thought to remain today, and this particular example is a beautifully restored car in a stunning color combination. The restoration was first rate, and is surely one of the finest examples in existence. It has had a recent service including completely rebuilt transmission, new carburetor, and compression check, and is in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition. The engine was rebuilt during the restoration and fitted with a hotter camshaft.
