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1957 Dual Ghia Convertible: Rare Italian-American Jet Age Masterpiece



1957 Dual Ghia Convertible



This 1957 Dual Ghia Convertible represents an extremely rare and special piece of automotive history. One of approximately 100 built and known as the ultra-exclusive Jet Age masterpiece. A sleek Italian-American dream-car with hand-crafted coachwork by Carrozzeria Ghia. This particular example is highly original and is mechanically sound. It runs and drives but would benefit from servicing and cosmetics at this time. Burgundy with black interior and Dodge 315-cu.-in. Hemi V-8. Its nearly impossible to find one of these cars in unrestored condition, making this quite an exciting opportunity!



When a concept car’s time in the spotlight is done, its manufacturer typically adopts its design for production, or ushers it off the show stand and into storage…or the scrapyard. The Dual-Ghia Convertible is the result of an unlikely third outcome: A case where a visionary entrepreneur picked up a concept discarded by a major automaker and put it into production independently. When Chrysler decided against putting its striking Dodge Firearrow show cars into production, Detroit trucking magnate Eugene Casaroll purchased the rights to the design. By 1957, his company, Dual Motors, known for the twin-engine trucks it once produced, modified the Firearrow that was destined for production, and now called it the Dual-Ghia. This new, elegant convertible featured an unbeatable combination of reliable Detroit Motor City-bred Dodge V-8 power, clothed in a superb hand-formed bodywork by Italian coachbuilders Ghia, of Turin.



Casaroll always intended for his creation to be ultra-exclusive, and a startling price tag of nearly $7,500 ensured that it would be exactly that. A sleek Italian-American dream car with hand-crafted coachwork by Carrozzeria Ghia and a Dodge Hemi V-8 engine, the Dual-Ghia was among the grandest automobiles of its era. Priced higher than a Cadillac Biarritz and no less lavish, Dual-Ghia’s handpicked clientele was a who’s-who of the era’s Jet Set glitterati, including Rat Pack honchos Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.



Marque experts believe as few as 100 Dual-Ghia Convertibles were produced between 1956 and 1958. Americas most prestigious automobile in the 1950s, over half a century later, the Dual-Ghia remains one of the most elegant convertibles the automotive world has had the pleasure of viewing, but due to its limited manufacture, few have had the pleasure to own.



Sleek Italian-American dream car

Hand-crafted coachwork by Carrozzeria Ghia

One of as few as 100 examples believed to have been built

An ultra-exclusive Jet Age masterpiece

Dodge 315-cu.-in. Hemi V-8



Price: $187,500 Firm

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