by Mike –
I suspect that many of you have never seen a Ghia 450SS in person because they are so rare.
What does it mean for me to say that this is the best one that I have seen when I have only seen three in person?
The three that I have seen in person represent 10% of the Ghia 450SSs in existance. I have also seen photos of a few more and this is still the best one.
I love the copper color with white interior.
Ghia 450SS Background
The Hollywood producer, Burt Sugarman, saw a Ghia-bodied Fiat on the cover of Road & Track magazine in 1965. Sugarman loved the looks and wanted one for himself. He approached Ghia and persuaded the company to build a similar car. So, the Ghia 450SS was born.
Today the Ghia 450SS is an extremely rare car that combines the elegant styling of Giorgetto Giugiaro with Chrysler power.
Only fifty-two were made in 1966 and 1967 and all were sold by a dealer in Beverly Hills, California, which may explain why many of these cars were owned by Hollywood locals – including movie stars. Anyone would look good cruising down Sunset Boulevard in a Ghia 450SS!
This beauty was at the Palo Alto Concours d’Elegance.
Julian Wolfendale wrote in about a Ghia 450SS encounter in Spain many years ago.
More photos are in the slide show below.
Stop showing everyone our secret “best cars to own” or there won’t be any left , next thing you know there will be a post on the Fiat Dino spider or the Peugeot 504 convertible.
I bought my 450SS (the first one made), about fourteen years ago. In that time, it has become the the most often driven collector car in my fleet. I am proud to be seen in the handsome design, it just eats up the miles and the top down feel is the most freeing of any convertible I’ve owned. Add in the exclusivity and ease of mechanical repair and a point can be that it is the ideal collector car .
I owned a 65 Barracuda formula S when I was a kid. Wow that 273 Commando was a great engine, and it sounded great too.I picked my wife up at the High School, pulled in front of the school, revved it up, popped the clutch and broke an axle! How embarrassing, and it scared the heck out of my wfe.
Beautiful car, great design. I’ve seen Myron drive his 450SS around Glennmoor Gathering
We have one just as nice here in Cincinnati. Myron may have seen it at our show, the Ault Park Concours d’Elegance. If you go to our website (www.ohioconcours.com) in the Gallery section, go to 2010 Illustrated Entry List and then to Featured Marque-International Designers & Coachbuilders Italy, you’ll find this copper colored beauty.
You might also check out the Awards list for that year to get an idea of what a great show we put on every June here in Cincinnati.
I’ve owned a couple of 450ss and currently own car #17. To me the Grifo feels like an Italian car that happens to have an American engine. The 450ss on the other hand feels like an American car that is wearing an Italian suit.
Being a Giugiaro design and built by Ghia I thought it would have some similarities to a Ghibli spyder; but they are worlds apart.. Still the 450ss is a very interesting and exclusive car and one of the few limited production coachbuilt bargains still available.
Ivan,
You have to agree that you would look really cool driving your Ghia 450SS down Sunset Blvd? You wouldn’t need to go fast at all.
I searched for one of these for years. Maybe even decades. The search was made even harder by the fact that Myron refused to sell me his!! But i finally did find one earlier this year and love it. The design is very clean and pure but remains aggressive and surprising to those who have never seen one before. I enjoy driving it but honestly just going into my garage and seeing it there with my two other cars in comparison, is sometimes all I need to feel like I have a unique piece of sports car art.
They made about 50 of these. I think fewer than 40 are officially accounted for today. Even by coach built standards that is a rare series car!! I agree Mike this example has to be one of the nicest I have ever seen as well.
Raffi,
What color is yours? I am wondering if I have seen it before.
I met the gentleman who owned what looks like this car in Charlotte at an AACA event a couple of years ago. His name is Christian and he lives in Germany. Did he sell this car?
Darren, I don’t remember his name – these photos were taken in 2012.
Thanks for all the accolades, folks. I agree that the Ghia 450 is an ideal collector car, at least for me: I was looking for a long time for a hybrid (European Design, US Technology) that should ideally be a convertible seating a tall person comfortably. I guess the air is getting rather thin here, and what better car to find than one where the first ever sample was sold to Wilt Chamberlain.
I agree with Mike that you need not go fast in such a car. If I want to go fast, I take my Porsche to the German Hi-Way. I feel that a Classic is more to be revered than challenged.
The Ghia sits tucked away in Germany now, where it enjoys the cooler climate in which it actually drives comfortably and without worries when approaching a red traffic light or stalled traffic.
It is taken care of by a leading Porsche restorer, who is privately a MOPAR fan. Go figure …