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Italian Body, American Bones.

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Jive-Bomber, Feb 18, 2011.

  1. Jive-Bomber
    Joined: Aug 21, 2001
    Posts: 3,754

    Jive-Bomber
    MODERATOR

  2. hugh m
    Joined: Jul 18, 2007
    Posts: 2,143

    hugh m
    Member
    from ct.

    Always thought those international combinations offered the best of both worlds...
     
  3. Harms Way
    Joined: Nov 27, 2005
    Posts: 6,894

    Harms Way
    Member

    I guess I'm just a old fuddy-duddy,.... but this is just not my cup of tea,... not a fan of Foreign cars in almost any configuration,....
     
  4. Fuel to burn
    Joined: Jul 17, 2009
    Posts: 285

    Fuel to burn
    Member

    There's one for only $375K on Hemming's.
     

  5. JeffreyJames
    Joined: Jun 13, 2007
    Posts: 16,628

    JeffreyJames
    Member
    from SUGAR CITY

    I agree. This Pininfarina '54 Cadillac has really caught my attention after seeing it on HD Theater. I love everything about it and definitely shows the old world craftsmanship on the body while still keeping it very much Cadillac. That front end is wild...
    [​IMG]
     
  6. BeatnikPirate
    Joined: May 21, 2006
    Posts: 1,416

    BeatnikPirate
    Member
    from Media, Pa.

    Interesting car, I had never heard of before.
    Imagine what it would have been like to be a man of means back then and having to choose between buying something like this vs. a Muntz Jet, Cunningham,Allard, or other American V-8-powered exotic cars of that time....or maybe even an XK120, Ferrari, Aston,etc.:confused:
     
  7. froghawk
    Joined: May 9, 2008
    Posts: 857

    froghawk
    Member

    Interesting car for sure. Never heard of it. The convertible's kinda overdone but the coupe in pic 5 is great.

    One question; In the opening photo of the green coupe, is that a fin that runs thru the middle of the rear window and down the decklid? Or what?
     
  8. hugh m
    Joined: Jul 18, 2007
    Posts: 2,143

    hugh m
    Member
    from ct.

    Or a Kurtis!
     
  9. I like it, I like the coupe more than the convertible, but from the side the visual weight in the rear makes it look like it's got a full diaper.
     
  10. In the '70s, I had a chance to buy a Facel Vega. A French-built car with a big-block Chrysler drive train. Kinda looked like a Hawk series Studebaker. It also had a 5-speed tranny! (Almost unheard of in those days.)
     
  11. Seen one in real life... whata treat!
     
  12. Which one ?????
     
  13. Sorry... I saw the Roadster shown above when I was in Callifornia. It was in a trailer heading to what I believe was "Pebble Beach"...

    I thought "Brooks Stevens" had a coupe version in Wisconsin... but I never saw it.

    There was a very rare coupe behind a Plastics company in Milwaukee and the employees used it as a picnic table for their smoke breaks... I can't recall the name but it was Very rare.

    The car was sold for a couple million 4 or 5 years ago in that condition!

    My friend Chris was shipping all the pieces to Switzerland to the new owner when I saw that one... Bluto knows the car and the past owner!
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2011
  14. skywolf
    Joined: Jul 1, 2006
    Posts: 1,867

    skywolf
    Member

    Thanks, I haven't come across this one before. That side profile is decidedly Lanciaesque. Member sylvian has lots of shots of this stunning 1962 Dual Ghia in his profile here.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  15. Just looked at one of these Ghias needing restoration when I was in LA for the GNRS. They only made about 25 total.

    Look beyond the cars in the pictures and you can start to figure out who was influencing who in the world of custom cars at the time. The Europeans and the custom car guys here in the US had a lot in common.
     
  16. What about the AC Cobra? Yet another and perhaps the most widely known marriage of "Foreign" and American automotive technology.

    Also consider the Sunbeam Tiger. Both highly sought after and valuable cars.
     
  17. The photo in post #5 is the 18th green at Pebble Beach.
    Great place to park!
     
  18. propwash
    Joined: Jul 25, 2005
    Posts: 3,857

    propwash
    Member
    from Las Vegas

    Facel Vegas used a Pont du musson 4spd trans...not 5spd.
     
  19. pimpin paint
    Joined: May 31, 2005
    Posts: 4,937

    pimpin paint
    Member
    from so cal

    Hey,

    The " Dual Ghia " a.k.a. Ghia 6.4 body design was that of Virgle Exner. Had Chrysler gone to production as Exner had hoped, with his design, the Plymouth "Super Sport" for 1962 would have looked very much like the Ghia bodied Chrysler. Instead, they down sized the Dodge and Plymouths for the '62 model year and took a serious beating in the market place.

    Many design details showed up on North American "designed" automobiles that didn't "sprout" from Detroit drawing boards! Automobile design staffs wern't just spying on each other.


    " Life ain't no Disney movie "
     
  20. Pir8Darryl
    Joined: Jan 9, 2008
    Posts: 2,487

    Pir8Darryl
    Member

    ISO was another italian coachbuilder with American muscle.
    The ISO Griffo was a bad ass mo-fo. All aluminum, about the size of a honda civic 4 door, and packing a corvette 427.
     
  21. oldthudman
    Joined: May 12, 2010
    Posts: 85

    oldthudman
    Member

    There were a number of these "hybrids" (as I refer to them) in the 50's, 60's and even into the 70's......
    American V8's, European coachwork (mostly Italian). Chassis largely European but occasionally American.....


    Car--Engine--Body
    Dual-Ghia-Dodge-Ghia
    Facel Vega-Chrysler-Facel
    Gordon-Keeble-Chevy-Bertone
    Intermeccanica-Chevy-Cumberford
    Iso Rivolta-Chevy-Giugiaro/Bertone
    Iso Grifo-Chevy-Giugiaro/Bertone
    Bizzarrini-Chevy-Giugiaro/Bertone
    Monteverdi-Chrysler-Frua
    Shelby Cobra-Ford-Cobra
    Sunbeam Tiger-Ford-Sunbeam
    Cunningham C3-Chrysler-Vignale
    Bristol-Chrysler-Bristol
    MGB-GT V8-Rover(nee Buick)-MG
    Fina Sport-Ford or Cadillac-Vignale
    Cadillac-Cadillac-Pininfarina

    I'm sure there were others but these are the major cars....
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2011
  22. Mike51Merc
    Joined: Dec 5, 2008
    Posts: 3,856

    Mike51Merc
    Member

    DeTomaso Mangusta and Pantera -- Ford powerplants
    Intermeccanica also used Ford powerplants
    Allard- Ford and Cadillac powerplants
    Cadillac Allante
    Chryslers with Ghia bodies
    Chrysler TC Maserati collaboration
     
  23. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,628

    The37Kid
    Member

    Perry Fina lived here in Connecticut, someone should write a book or at least an Automobile Quarterly type feature on his life. He had a shop in New York City that took delivery of every ALLARD that came into the country, he installed the engines, then they went on to the dealers. Perry was an early SCCA owner/driver, his NARDI is restored and racing in Vintage events now.
     
  24. Sea Horse
    Joined: Apr 23, 2007
    Posts: 11

    Sea Horse
    Member
    from New York

    A similar idea:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:eek:ffice" /><o:p></o:p>
    <o:p></o:p>
    Hudson Italia &#8211; Hudson - Carrozzeria Touring<o:p></o:p>
     
  25. oldthudman
    Joined: May 12, 2010
    Posts: 85

    oldthudman
    Member




    The "Thomas Special's" were built in numbers......18 total IIRC.....6 by Chrysler and another 12 by Ghia.....
    The D'Elegance, K310, C200, Fire Arrows II, III, IV, (I was a styling buck only), Desoto Adventurer I, & Adventurer II were all one-offs.....But all had Ghia built bodies. There were a number of other dream car/concepts after these but never had the impact of the first Virgil Exner/Ghia group.....Also there was a Plymouth coupe called the "Explorer" (IIRC it's in the Imperial Car Collection in LV, Nev) Very simlilar to the Dodge Fire Arrow Coupe...Painted a bright green......
    Forgot the Chrysler "Falcon" (Ghia) sports car.......3 made. Was aimed at production but the deciders of such things backed out at the last minute I understand.

    My Granddad had a Dodge/Plymouth agency from the 40's to the mid 60's...Saw several dealer mags articles about the first bunch.....Always loved them.....

    Joe Bortz has found, restored, and sold a number of these Chrysler dream cars.....Wish they could find the Adventurer I...
    :)
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2011
  26. oldthudman
    Joined: May 12, 2010
    Posts: 85

    oldthudman
    Member




    Right!......Did a Google..........says 26 Hudson Italia's were made....

    Just recalled another one.....Studebaker Ghia-Aigle........Saw a mention of it on some car blog(???) 3-5 years ago. It's in some lucky fellows private collection........IMCDB has some pics of it from film frame.......Nice!:)

    http://imcdb.org/
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2011
  27. skywolf
    Joined: Jul 1, 2006
    Posts: 1,867

    skywolf
    Member

    [​IMG]

    Before the Cobra, Carroll Shelby, Jim Hall and Gary Laughlin had three 1959 Corvette chassis bodied by Carrozzeria Scaglietti in Modena, Italy. The three Texans hoped to put the car into production but the powers at GM didn't think that was such a great idea. Only three were ever built, their aluminum bodies styled after the beautiful Ferrari Tour De France. When FoMoCo came out with their thin-wall V8, Shelby served up the idea again and the rest is history.
     
  28. Sea Horse
    Joined: Apr 23, 2007
    Posts: 11

    Sea Horse
    Member
    from New York

    Let's not forget the Apollo GT...

    Apollo GT - Buick - Intermeccanica
     
  29. F8TL
    Joined: Feb 19, 2011
    Posts: 50

    F8TL
    Member

     
  30. Johnny1290
    Joined: Apr 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,834

    Johnny1290
    Member

    These cars take my breath away.
     

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