Retrospective: The Ghia L6.4; Italian Coupe with a Chrysler Heart

In Honor of the pending merger between Chrysler and Fiat, I though it was time to showcase other Italianate Chrysler's that have been built and sold. The brainchild of Eugene Casaroll, the Italian-American hybrid known as the Dual-Ghia was largely based on the Ghia-designed Chrysler Firearrow, a concept car for which he acquired the production rights. Luxurious and extravagant, it had the longest production line in the world—from Detroit to Milan and back—as it utilized an American drivetrain and Italian coachwork. The health of Casaroll, the Dual-Ghia's originator, began to fail and he wanted to concentrate on his shipping business. So Dual Motors Chief Engineer, Paul Farago, teamed up with Ghia to produce the second-generation Dual-Ghia.

The car continued to use a Chrysler V8 engine but the construction was almost entirely conducted in Italy, making this version more of an import than before. Farago designed a new Chrysler-based chassis with front torsion bars. Power came from a Chrysler 383-cubic-inch, 335-horsepower V8, now driving through Chrysler's robust TorqueFlite three-speed automatic. Fewer off-the-shelf parts were used, and with high-quality materials, the price skyrocketed to an astronomical $13,500.

Unlike the first generation Dual-Ghia, the L6.4 was exclusively a coupe (technically it’s a Ghia L6.4, as only the prototype wore a Dual-Ghia badge). More importantly, however, it led the styling parade for Chrysler, rather than following it like the first series. The new car was launched at the Paris auto show as the Dual-Ghia, but soon became the Ghia L6.4 (for its displacement). Casaroll sold the rights to Ghia, but Dual-Motors continued to source Chrysler parts for Ghia and distribute the cars in the U.S.

The L6.4 displays future Mopar styling cues, such as the “fishbowl” back window and general door glass profile of the first-generation Barracuda, scalloped taillights akin to the 1961 Dodge, and upper rear quarter panel overhang from the 1961 Plymouth, though the frontal appearance was quite similar to that of the earlier Dual-Ghia. The L6.4 was also a little more congruent as far as overall execution was concerned. While using far fewer parts from Mopar, barring the powertrain and the 1960 Chrysler convertible windshield, several of the components were premium upgrades. These include a Nardi wood steering wheel instead of a ’56 Chrysler wheel and Jaeger gauges instead of ’56 Dodge bits. It had gained weight but the extra horsepower kept performance at about the same level.

The Ghia L6.4 was expensive. By 1963, the cost climbed to over $15,000, so its appeal was limited to the wealthy. It was twice as costly as its predecessor, and faster but softer riding, with handling not as taut as that of the earlier cars. But svelte good looks made up for a lot, and everybody who was anybody wanted one. It had every imaginable amenity, including fitted luggage and luxurious styling, and the public response to the largely hand-built L6.4 was encouraging. Again, however, incredibly high overhead costs plagued the project, and Casaroll called it quits after a mere handful of cars were built. Only 25 of the Italian-built Ghia L6.4s were built before production ceased in 1963.

Once again, we have this exquisite Italian/American combination, with stunning Italian Design married to a tried and true American Power Train. Even though is was breathtaking, the costs associated with producing this stunning piece of rolling art doomed this car to obscurity. The lessons taught by this exercise were never truly learned, as they were repeated a number of times during the 60's, and the 80's. One can only hope that future lessons won't end in the type of failure this one did.