1953 Chrysler GS-1 Special (Ghia)

The 1954 Chrysler GS-1 Special Coupe was an inspiring design that broke free of the cold, hard realities of manufacturing capability and production economics. For all "practical" purposes, the GS Special was a Virgil Exner show-car design modified -- though not unrecognizably -- into a limited-edition grand tourer.

Soon after Exner joined Chrysler Corporation, he began a series of dream car designs, elements of which would eventually work their way onto production cars. These provocative specials were handcrafted in the Turin, Italy, shops of Carrozzeria Ghia.

Among them, the 1952 Chrysler Special featured bladelike fenders front and rear; round wheel openings; a low, light "greenhouse"; and headlamps that projected from either side of a trapezoidal grille.

A modified version of this Paris Auto Show car was built for C. B. Thomas, president of Chrysler's export operations, in 1953, and this so-called "Thomas Special" gave rise to thoughts of a limited-production car. The essential design would be retained, and Ghia would build the cars.

The GS Specials were built on a 125.5-inch-wheelbase New Yorker chassis. A Chrysler 331-cid "hemi-head" V-8 hooked to the new PowerFlite two-speed automatic transmission made up the powertrain.

The 1954 Chrysler parts bin was also tapped for items like bumpers, taillights, the steering wheel, and major gauges. Chrysler accessory wire wheels were used on the cars, which were sold exclusively in Europe by the corporation's French distributor.

A production run of 400 has often been cited for the GS-1. But John White, in whose Ramshead Automobile Collection the car shown here now resides, says new research suggests perhaps only a dozen Thomas Specials and nine GS-1s were ever actually made.

The car shown here came to America from France in the mid Eighties. It was eventually purchased by Michael Pomerance, who had it restored. White's collection in Sacramento, California, acquired the GS-1 in 2002. It was shown at the Peb­ble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1995 and 2005.

During the 1950s, Italian coachbuilder Ghia built numerous one-off “dream cars” for Chrysler Corporation. One, the slab-sided and extremely modern “Thomas Special,” named for Chrysler export executive C.B. Thomas, was so well-received at European shows that a limited run of duplicates were produced for European customers. It is believed that about 40 so-called Ghia Specials were produced on Chrysler chassis through the mid-1950s, to several variations of the original design.

Chrysler’s Export Division had two 1954 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe chassis, each with a 125.5-inch wheelbase frame, a 235-horsepower Hemi V-8, and a PowerFlite automatic transmission, and they were delivered to Ghia to be bodied with variants of the Special design. These two cars were distinguished from other Ghia Specials by their four-passenger interiors and flat exhaust tips, and they borrowed numerous Chrysler parts throughout, including the bumpers, taillights, steering wheel, dashboard gauges, and even the sexy wire wheels, which were a dealer accessory on Grandma’s Chrysler. These two GS-1 Specials are believed to have been used by Chrysler for its own promotional purposes on the European continent, including the Turin show of 1954.