1967 Ghia 450 SS - Drop Dead Gorgeous

This car forced me to buy a lottery ticket tonight.

There were between 50 - 57 of these Giugiaro designed cars built. (Small Italian manufacturers were notorious for keeping poor build records.) Only 30 of them are accounted for today. When new, it cost $13,000.00 if you equipped it with air conditioning and the removable hardtop, $12,000 if you didn't. (To put that in perspective, a top of the line 1967 L88 Corvette sold for around $5800.00 in 1967.)

The 450SS was powered by a 273ci Chrysler V8. It could be had with a 4 speed manual or an automatic transmission. The suspension was torsion bars up front and a solid axle in back. Not high-tech, but effective. But it's not the mechanicals that makes this car so special. It's the looks. This car is drop dead gorgeous.

This car was inspired by the Fiat based Ghia 230S coupe. The story has it that Hollywood game show producer Burt Sugarman saw the 230S on the cover of Road & Track magazine and approached Ghia about building a similar car using a US V8. Sugarman supposedly put up a bunch of his own money to get this car produced.

There's really not much more I can write about this car. (Actually, there is, but how many times do you want to read the word "gorgeous"?) Based on my past performance with lottery tickets, the ticket I bought today will be nothing more than a $1.00 donation to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. But, if by some miracle my number does come up, this car will be mine. I will probably spend the rest of my life just staring at it.

Located in Greenwich, CT, (Heck, it's not even that far from me. I could drive it home.) click here to see the eBay listing.