The 1955 Chrysler Falcon

Much like the Hudson Italia, Chrysler also had a stunning factory two-seater meant to compete with the Corvette and the Thunderbird. This sweet roadster, like the Italia, had an American designer, Virgil Exner (the Falcon was often referred to as Virgil’s Viper), and an Italian coach builder (Ghia, in this case, which had a long-standing relationship with Chrysler on their high end and prototype cars). Where the Falcon really rose above as a concept car, was that this baby probably would have sold well… If the Highland Park boys would have green-lit the car for production.

Just look at these specs: 170 HP DeSoto Hemi motor backed by a floor shift PowerFlite transmission, power brakes and windows, and a well-handling rigid chassis with unit construction. The Falcon had some smart styling cues like the chromed side pipes, egg crate grille, slotted tail lights, and recessed headlights. Even the aggressively chopped convertible top folded up stealthily behind the seat. The Falcon made the rounds at car shows in 1955 and 56, and its believed that three of them actually got built by the factory with slight variations. Another sad story of a “coulda been” car…