Tag Archives: Chrysler

1967 Ghia 450SS

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Known more for their role in lending a design edge to some Fords and Volkswagens over the years, Ghia developed a few of their own cars years ago, albeit in small numbers. The 450SS was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro during his stint at the design firm. Unveiled at the 1966 Turin International Auto Show, it was produced through 1967, with a limited number of 52 being built by hand. These cars were built on a Plymouth Barracuda chassis and were powered by Chrysler’s 273 V8 mated to a 3-speed Torqueflite transmission. Rarer than most Italian exotics, these Ghias are certainly attention getters and one of the most elegant looking roadsters of the period.

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Year: 1967
Model: 450SS
Engine: 4.8 liter V8
Transmission: 3-speed automatic
Mileage: N/A
Price: Reserve auction

CLICK FOR DETAILS:1967 Ghia 450SS

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Carriage House Motor Cars is pleased to offer a very special and unusual 1967 Ghia 450 SS for bid. This car is 1 of 52 ever produced and one of less than half that number known to still exist. It features it's original 273 Formula S Plymouth Barracuda V8 and 3 Speed TorqueFlite Automatic Transmission. The vision of Hollywood producer Burt Sugarman, these cars were produced for only a couple of years (1966-67) and were sold for the staggering sum at that time of $13,000. Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the original concept known as the Ghia GT based on a Fiat 2100 chassis and proudly displayed the car at the 1966 Turin Automobile Show.

This example was the property of a prominent collector here in the New York Area and originally a rust free car from Southern California. Cosmetically superb with very nice paint and chrome, Borrani Wire Wheels that were just detailed and the optional factory hardtop. The soft top is good condition and a very nice original leather interior. Mechanically the car is very nice with a smooth running original Barracuda drivetrain featuring the Formula S V8 and 3 Speed Torqueflite Automatic Transmission. This car is sold as is and for further information, please call Scott at 914-450-0568. Carriage House Motor Cars reserves the right to cancel this auction at any time.

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A Ghia 450SS in good condition will range between $85,000 to $125,000. This particular car appears to have been restored at some point, although that is not confirmed in the ad. Italian American hybrids such as these are good for collectors who are a bit gun shy of taking on the challenge of exotic car ownership. With its Chrysler engine and drivetrain, parts are easier to source and reliability is much higher than if it would have come equipped with a bespoke Italian engine. The only problem I could see with this car is having to answer the never ending question to passers by: "what is it?"

-Paul

1991 Chrysler TC by Maserati

Time has not been kind to the Chrysler TC by Maserati. This car is kind of like the Rodney Dangerfield of the automotive realm: it gets no respect. But unlike Dangerfield, there's nothing really funny about this vehicle. I saw one of these vehicles on the road over the weekend and it got me to thinking: exactly what kind of person collects a car like this? Someone who wants a Maserati on the cheap? Fans of orphan cars? Whatever the case may be, this convertible built on a K-car chassis that can attribute its existence between the bond forged when Lee Iacocca worked with Alejandro De Tomaso on the De Tomaso Pantera sports car is a rarely seen piece these days made up of an amalgam of parts from various suppliers and automotive manufacturers. In the three years it existed, it had three different engine and transmission combinations. This 1991 model for sale in Florida sports the Chrysler V6/4-speed automatic drivetrain.

1991 Chrysler TC by Maserati

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Take a look at this 1991 Chrysler TC by Maserati convertible. A real collector's car! Everything is original. Everything works: leather interior, wood accent trim, power windows, door locks and mirrors, dual power seats, rear defogger, cruise control, A/C, AM/FM/Cass w/added CD player, gas release, adjustable steering column, removable hard top. Carfax verified 32,345 miles with a Carfax buyback guarantee.

Condition report: soft top goes up manually only, some wear on the leather seats and center console, see pictures.

It seems there are a fair amount of low mileage TCs out there, even though they made just 7,300 of these cars over its production run. Did those who snapped them up when new think this would be a future collector car? Who knows. Nowadays, you can get these on the cheap. The best TC might run you around $10,000 to $12,000. This example is certainly presentable with a few flaws - mainly the convertible top - that hold it back. Somewhere around $6,000 to $7,000 will probably take it.

-Paul

1967 Ghia 450SS

Combining the sleek styling of Giorgetto Giugiaro with power from a Chrysler 273 cubic inch V8, the Ghia 450SS is another one of those Italian American mashups that is more than the sum of its parts. Built on a unique, Ghia designed chassis, the 450SS looks a bit like a Maserati Ghibli Spyder with the front clip of a Fiat Dino Convertible. This car made its debut at the Turin International auto show in 1966 and was built to order. Only 52 of these open roof coach built cruisers were ever built. This one for sale in California was owned by a famous Hollywood movie producer.

1967 Ghia 450SS

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This 1967 Ghia 450 SS is an extremely rare. One of only 50 built, and of only 29 known to exist, custom Italian coachbuilt exotic car! The Ghia design badge represents the best of the best of Italian coachbuilding and design. Their firm, established in 1915, was responsible for many spectacular creations, including the Dual Ghia, a long string of Chrysler product concept cars in the 1950s, some custom bodies on Ferrari chassis, the Chrysler Ghia Limousines, owned by Rockefeller and Jackie Kennedy. The well known Karmann-Ghia and the Volvo P1800 were also Ghia designs.

The “BS 4045″ number on the chassis plate was driven by the original sponsor of this car, Burt Sugarman, a Hollywood producer who convinced Ghia to build this car. He was taken by a similar, but smaller Ghia design on a Fiat 2300. His passion for that design led to the production of the Ghia 450 SS. The list price on this car was $13,100, which was right up there in Rolls-Royce and Ferrari territory back in '67. You needed to be a Hollywood movie star to afford it then! The high performance Formula “S” 273 Cubic inch Chrysler V-8 was used. Ghia’s long co-operation with Chrysler gave them access to the best mechanical items from Chrysler, including this excellent V-8 and the super tough Torqueflite automatic transmission. This car is in excellent condition, with nice, straight body panels, a gorgeous leather interior, excellent chrome and trim. It runs and drives beautifully. The doors fit and shut properly, and the metal hinged tonneau cover is still present and working, that's a part often missing on the other cars.

The Ghia custom touch can be seen throughout the car, in little details like the herringbone engraved sill plates, the adjustable bucket seats with separate lumbar support, the hood and engine bay insulation, and the big, legible gauges. It was originally equipped with air conditioning. The air conditioning setup was removed at some point, but the complete setup is included with the car, photos are shown on the website of the A/C apparatus. The Hardtop is also included. Air conditioning and the hardtop were the only options, at an original cost of $1,300. The car is in excellent condition, but it's not a showcar. It has later american wire wheels, and I noted a very small tear in the top. The engine bay is reasonably clean but not show detailed. The needle of the speedometer has become detached, although you can see the speedometer hub working. Overall, it's a spectacular and extremely rare car, which puts the owner in very select company, and allows for entry into exclusive events such as the Concorso Italiano and many other events and shows!

The 450SS was more of a boulevard cruiser than an all out sports car, but those that owned them loved them. The Chrysler mechanicals also provide decent reliability. While not a perfect show car, this 450SS for sale is in good shape, with a few things that need doing. At the high end, a Ghia 450SS could pull anywhere from $90,000 to $130,000, so the asking price here is strong. In this kind of market, however, an obscure marque such as this could take a bit of a hit in terms of value. I could be wrong, but given the non-original wheels and removed AC unit, I'm seeing this car bring somewhere between $60,000 to $80,000.

-Paul

1990 Chrysler TC by Maserati

There have been many collaborations between Italian and American automobile manufacturers over the years, but possibly none as maligned as much as the Chrysler TC by Maserati. Having met Alejandro DeTomaso while at Ford, Lee Iacocca collaborated with DeTomaso to build a sports car incorporating the best of Italian and American design and engineering. What resulted was the TC, a convertible based on the Dodge Daytona chassis available with three different engines throughout the car's three year production run. On offer was a 2.2 liter turbocharged engine with a 3 speed automatic, a 3.0 liter Mitsubishi V6 with a four speed automatic. The rarest engine and drivetrain combination of all was a 2.2 liter, turbocharged 16 valve four cylinder with a Maserati designed twin came head produced by Cosworth, mated to a Japanese IHI turbocharger and hooked up to a 5 speed manual Getrag transaxle. To add further diversity, the pistons in this engine were made by Mahle in Germany. The alloy wheels, while Italian, were sourced by Fondmetal, a Formula One supplier.

This was certainly an interesting vehicle, but sadly, few took notice. It also didn't help that the motoring press derided this car as little more than a warmed over Chrysler LeBaron. Only 500 TCs were made with the 2.2 liter engine with the Cosworth/Maserati designed head. There are clean examples of TCs to be had in the market, but it's quite uncommon to stumble across a low mileage example of one with the Getrag gearbox and Maserati/Cosworth engine. Here is one for sale with just under 50,000 miles in Michigan.

1990 Chrysler TC by Maserati

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1990 Chrysler TC Convertible by Maserati. Only 49,000 original miles. Very rare TC with only 500 ever being built with a 5 speed Getrag manual transmission and a 16 valve Cosworth "Maserati" head on a 2.2L turbocharged inline 4 cylinder engine. The TC was a vehicle built in partnership with Chrysler's Lee Iacocca and Alejandro DeTomaso of Maserati. Produced to give the availability of a luxury sport coupe with both Italian and American heritage.

This low mileage TC is presented in brilliant red with plush hand stitched Italian leather seats. Equipped with a body colored hard top and tan soft top. Power windows, locks and mirrors. Infinity sound system, power driver and passenger seats. Leather dash, armrest and door trim and speciality designed aluminum wheels. This TC is in excellent condition throughout. Leather has less than average wear and exterior is free of rust or problem areas. Issues noted: passenger side hard top window is delaminating and the engine has a bad valve cover gasket, a very common problem but is able to be fixed. Runs and drives excellent. Starts right up and transmission shifts smooth through each gear. Vehicle is being sold as-is.

To be honest, I never liked the TC. And I still don't. But the TC has its loyal following and an active owners club, which will no doubt help in sourcing bespoke parts for this car's engine. For an enthusiast looking for something out of the mainstream, it is hard to beat the uniqueness of this vehicle for the price.

-Paul