1953 Chrysler Special by Ghia
The 1953 Chrysler Special by Ghia endures as automotive sculpture – an amalgam of American brawn draped sensuously by Italianate artistry. One initially sketched by Chrysler’s design chief Virgil Exner before Turin traditionalists translated his dreams into handformed metal.
Though scarcely seen beyond auto show turntables, its flowing lines augured mighty tailfins soon to follow.
Riding atop a shortened New Yorker chassis beating with Hemi heartbeat, the Special was among the first collaborations between Detroit and Carrozzeria Ghia. It’s been said that only 19 examples would emerge from Ghia’s workshops, each subtly distinct as befitting custom creations.
Yet all shared common genetics of long hoods presaging potent V8 motivation while generous glasswear ensured unbroken sightlines to seductively tapered sterns.
Exner’s concepts embraced rounded enclosures front and rear while directing the eye through subtly curved flanks. Bespoke wheel arches lent sporting pretension, closely embracing the Special’s haute profile as fenders peaked just below the shoulder line.
From trailing ends of bumpers that followed the body’s gentle contours, no feature interrupted organic silhouettes that rivaled the contemporary Italian elite.
Inside the hand-trimmed cabin comfort aligned to exclusivity, magnifying interior themes soon evident across Chrysler’s catalogue. If longer-serving models became ambassadors abroad, these ideas cars previewed the decade’s bolder face at home – one this Special literally embodied.
Ghia’s imaginations granted flight to Exner’s visions through meticulous Old-World construction – marrying the brash confidence of postwar America to Continental sophistication. The few Specials completed grew more exclusive still over time as their brilliance was recognized at concours gatherings worldwide.
Today surviving examples rank among mid-century automotive apexes thanks to their pioneering role in joining disparate cultures. Six decades on, that 1953 Chrysler Special by Ghia still evokes an optimistic era hoping to steer style’s leading edge just as its elegant shape bent metal to its will.
Credit: RM Sotheby’s
