1957 Dual-Ghia

This 1957 Dual-Ghia is the fifth of approximately 115 convertible examples produced in collaboration between Italian coachbuilder Ghia and Dual Motors Corporation of Detroit, Michigan. Chassis 105 was constructed for Esther Jacobson of the Detroit-based Jacobson’s Department Store family and was purchased by the current owner in the late 2000s. A subsequent multiyear refurbishment was reportedly completed by White Hall Restorations of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, in 2014. The car is finished in green over matching two-tone leather upholstery, and power is provided by a 315ci Dodge Poly-head V8 paired with a two-speed PowerFlite automatic transmission. Features include power-assisted drum brakes, power steering, 15″ chrome wire wheels, a green convertible top, front bucket seats, and power windows. Following completion of the refurbishment, the car won First in Class and Best in Show at the 2014 Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegence followed by various other concours awards through the 2010s. This Dual-Ghia was previously listed on BaT in June 2023 and is now offered on dealer consignment in Saint Louis, Missouri, with a clean Florida title in the owner’s name. The Dual-Ghia was inspired by Chrysler’s Firearrow series of show cars and was based on Chrysler’s Virgil Exner-designed and Ghia-built Firearrow IV of 1954. After Chrysler elected to forego production of the series, the Firearrow IV design was purchased by Detroit-area businessman Gene Casaroll and was further developed by US Ghia representative Paul Farago before being introduced as the Dodge Firebomb at the 1955 Geneva Motor Show. The car entered production in 1956 as the Dual-Ghia and featured bodywork that was crafted by Ghia in Italy, while final assembly was completed by Casaroll’s Dual Motors Corporation in Michigan. The car wore an older repaint in turquoise when purchased by its current owner and received a repaint during the 2010s refurbishment in Chrysler Vermont Green, which is said to have been the original shade. During the project the body was stripped to bare metal and placed on a rotisserie before metal work that included the fabrication of a replacement right door, decklid, quarter panels, front valance, and rear bumper. Features include chrome bumpers with overriders, single headlights set within mesh-covered side grilles, fender vents, an antenna, a wraparound windscreen, Ghia quarter panel badges, vertical tail fins above dual-bullet tail lights, and a green Haartz convertible top. A paint crack is present above the trunk release button. The selling dealer’s photos date from February and May 2023. The 15″ chrome wire wheels are mounted with U.S. Royal Safety 800 bias-ply tires, and a spare wheel is mounted under a cover in the trunk. Stopping is handled by power-assisted drum brakes, while steering also features power assistance. The cabin was re-trimmed during the refurbishment in green leather with darker inserts and piping over the front bucket seats, rear bench, and door panels. Additional features include green carpeting, power windows, a cigar lighter, a lockable glovebox, and an AM radio, the latter of which does not work. An engraved plaque on the glovebox door that notes that the car was built for Esther Jacobson. The two-tone green steering wheel features a chrome horn ring and frames an engine-turned instrument panel housing a 120-mph speedometer, a 6k-rpm tachometer, a clock, and auxiliary gauges. The five-digit odometer is said to have been reset during the refurbishment and shows under 500 miles, with total mileage unknown. Approximately 26 miles are said to have been added since the car was previously listed on BaT. The 315ci Dodge Red Ram V8 was overhauled during the refurbishment 10 years ago and features polyspherical combustion chambers, five main bearings, and a Carter four-barrel carburetor. Output was factory rated at 230 horsepower at 4,300 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a two-speed PowerFlite automatic transmission. The Dual-Ghia rides on a shortened Dodge passenger car chassis with a 115″ wheelbase and features a front suspension with unequal-length A-arms and coil springs, while the live rear axle rides on semi-elliptical leaf springs. The chassis plate showing serial number 105 can be seen above.