1955 Chrysler ST Special: The Ultra-Rare HEMI-Powered Ghia-Bodied Masterpiece
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It's no secret I'm not a big '50s guy, but this is a pretty good example.The culmination of a partnership between Chrysler's legendary designer, Virgil Exner, and Italian coachbuilder Ghia, the 1955 ST Special remains an automotive work of art nearly seven decades after it was conceived.
On numerous occasions, particularly from the 1950s to the 1970s, collaborations between American carmakers and Italian design powerhouses gave birth to some epic cars.
The long list includes concepts and low-volume production cars like the Chevrolet Corvette Rondine, Cunningham C-3, Apollo 5300 GT, or the innovative Chrysler Turbine Car.
One of the most well-known Italian-American collaborations was that between Chrysler and Carrozzeria Ghia (currently owned by Ford), which led to a series of memorable American cars with Italian flair, such as the exquisite 1955 ST Special.
During the 1950s, the Chrysler Corporation, who had unveiled its very first show car back in 1940 in the shape of the jaw-dropping Thunderbolt, employed the experienced and renowned Virgil Exner, who took charge of the corporation's most ambitious show and production car design.
Exner, who became the grandfather of the aircraft-inspired tailfins that defined the decade's styling trends in the US, forged a friendship with Carrozzeria Ghia chief designer and future owner Luigi "Gigi" Segre at the beginning of the 1950s.
The close friendship between the two styling legends was made possible by the collaboration between Chrysler and Ghia, which started in 1949 and produced a series of beautiful concepts, such as the 1951 Chrysler K-310, the 1952 C-200 convertible, the D'Elegance coupe, Special SS, and the Special SWB.
Those Ghia-bodied show cars, which were based on chassis and powertrain borrowed from Chrysler production models, made appearances at Europe's most prestigious auto shows where they inspired many enthusiasts.
One of those enthusiasts was Cecil B. Thomas, Chrysler's export manager and the man responsible for the collaboration between Chrysler and Ghia.
Thomas was a big fan of the concept cars that close friends Exner and Segre produced, so, with Chrysler management's blessing, he commissioned the duo to build a similar one-off for himself.
The export manager was so pleased with the result of his Special that he convinced Chrysler to allow him to kick off a limited production run aimed exclusively at European buyers.
The plan was to build around 400 examples of the car in 1953, but only 19 were produced by Ghia in Turin, using chassis and powertrains imported from across the Atlantic.
The European luxury-style, American grand tourer design was improved even further in 1954 with a new concept car dubbed GS-1 and culminated with the 1955 ST Special, which started as a concept but, like the Thomas Special, made it into production in even fewer examples.
Like the previous Ghia specials, the 1955 ST was based on a Chrysler production chassis, but this one came from the brand-new New Yorker.
On top of the chassis, Ghia handbuilt a completely new body that bore no resemblance to the New Yorker. A sleek combination of swooping shapes and subtle straight lines, the structure was an evolution of the GS-1 with some welcomed inprovements that made it look distinctly different.
The most obvious of those improvements was the relocation of the round headlamps on the top corners of the front fenders and the pointy rear quarters, which signaled Exner's fascination with tailfins.
Finished in two-tone paint, comprised of a bespoke shade of metallic copper that covered most of the body and a contrasting ivory white used on the roof, the ST Special looked far more elegant than the 1955 New Yorker, and some went as far as claiming the design bordered perfection.
The car was just as spectacular inside, where most of the panels and the seats were built from scratch in Italy. The craftsmen used the highest quality materials to lift the cabin to the same level of exquisiteness as the exterior, like tan Havana leather, ivory white leather, and a healthy dose of chrome.
Since we're talking about a vehicle that debuted in 1955, the HEMI found inside its engine bay wasn't the legendary 426 that would define the muscle car era a decade later but a version of its predecessor.
Forgotten by many, Chrysler's first generation of HEMI engines was introduced in 1951 and was continually improved until 1958 when it was discontinued.
The first of these first-gen motors was the 331-ci (5.4-liter) FirePower, which powered several Chrysler production models, including the New Yorker and, consequently, the ST Special.
Freshly upgraded with a four-barrel carb for the aforementioned Chrysler production model, the FirePower produced 250 hp and 340 lb-ft (461 Nm) of torque.
Linked to a two-speed Powerflite automatic transmission with a dash-mounted shifter, the engine reinforced the elegant coachbuilt beauty's thoroughbred grand tourer image with some serious power.
The ST Special made its public debut at the 1955 Turin Auto Show, where it was met with excitement, particularly by the wealthy gentlemen in attendance.
One of those people who were blown away by the gorgeous car was Oscar Lacroix, the CEO of French plastics company Gilac, who eventually brought it.
Three additional examples followed, all of which were sold to wealthy European buyers.
Today, the 1955 Chrysler ST Special remains one of the most renowned masterpieces of the Chrysler/Ghia partnership and one of the most beautiful coachbuilt rarities of its era.
The initial example that Oscar Lacroix brought (pictured above) exchanged hands multiple times during the last six decades and almost succumbed to neglect.
Fortunately, it was found, saved, and restored by the famed Wayne Davis in 2014.
Last year (2023), the fully restored car went under the hammer at the Mecum Kissimmee auction, where it fetched a whopping $770,000.
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