moparnut
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1957 Chrysler Crown Imperial - $46,500 - St. Louis, MO - Through the early 1950s Chrysler had maintained a tradition of building its own limousines in-house but by the middle of the decade it was quite clear that factory-build limos were a money losing proposition. Under pressure from the accountants Chrysler engineers sought a way to continue the prestigious Crown Imperial limousines in a more cost-effective manner. Packard had already dropped out of the factory limo business leaving only Cadillac and Chrysler in the market. Rather than give up to the might of General Motors or skimp on equipment to save a few bucks Chrysler took a creative approach and turned to Italian coachbuilder Ghia; with whom they had partnered before on the Idea Cars and the Dual-Ghia project. The Italian firm had the advantage of cheap and highly skilled labor in a factory that was ideally suited to low-volume production so the cars could be built in Italy at a healthy savings. Head of styling at Chrysler Virgil Exner enjoyed working with Ghia boss Luigi Segre and the partnership had already yielded several beautiful designs so for the 1957 model year the Chrysler-Ghia partnership was again put into action and the famous Italian coachbuilder was contracted to build the exclusive new Imperial limousine.To build the car the body of a standard Imperial was modified to accommodate a gentleman without removing his hat. To allow for more graceful ingress/egress of said gentleman the roof was raised slightly and window frames were cut in slightly. The rear of the car utilized the Imperial coupe sheetmetal as it better flowed with the design. Partially assembled Imperial hardtop coupes were shipped to Italy with the driveline and front and rear trim in place but the interior was gutted and filled with mechanical components and a set of four sedan doors. Upon arrival at Ghia the body would be removed and the chassis lengthened by 20 inches to a wheelbase of 149.5 inches. The body was then cut sectioned and a new rear roof segment grafted on with the majority of the panels and fitting being done by hand: A massive undertaking only possible thanks to the cheap post-war labor in Italy. Even with the inexpensive labor the shipping and importing fees and duties drove the price of this exclusive machine past $15000 a tremendous sum for an automobile even for the very wealthy. As a result just 36 were built in 1957 making it one of the rarest but certainly one of the most uniquely stylish 1950s American classics.Our featured Crown Imperial Ghia is one of those 36 examples built in 1957 the first year of Ghia production. It is a largely complete and solid example that was used in California for many years but has been stored for some time since. It has never been restored and does not appear to have ever been damaged. As with most of these incredible automobiles this one was equipped with plenty of luxurious and advanced equipment for its day; air conditioning disc brakes a divider window jump seats for occasional passengers and of course full electric operation of the accessories. Although it does run it requires a comprehensive restoration to return it to a usable state. Built in tiny numbers for the world’s elite these were exquisitely well-constructed cars that melded the best of the 1950s flamboyant American design with old-world Italian craftsmanship. Given their scarcity and fascinating history restored examples are welcome at most major concours around the world. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a glamorous stylish and imposing Crown Imperial Ghia limousine a fine candidate for a straight-forward restoration.Link to ad on Hemmings.com
