1952 Chrysler D’Elegance

It was done so tastefully, and received with such fanfare at the 1952 Paris Motor Show, that Ghia built an additional 25.

This Chrysler D’Elegance, chassis 321953, which concludes the spectacular first series of Ghia-bodied specials. Ghia continued to design show cars for Chrysler – there were four versions of the Dodge Firearrow, whose rotund form eventually morphed into the Dual Ghia, while the Fiat Supersonic shape was applied to the Plymouth Explorer and De Soto Adventurer II. There were even three examples of the stillborn Chrysler Falcon, the company’s version of the 1955 Ford Thunderbird, but concept designs were gradually drawn away from the elegant simplicity of the Italian firms to lavish versions of already over-the-top late-1950s Americana.

The 1953 Chrysler D’Elegance represents the end of the Italian period but with joyful touches of American exuberance, like the bright red metallic paint, chrome wire wheels and the spare, which can be released from under the metal cap on the trunk and hydraulically lowered to the ground. Gun-sight taillights are another bit of whimsy that found its way onto 1955 Chrysler Imperials, while the bold mesh grille found its way onto late-1950s Chrysler 300s. The most significant legacy of this car doesn’t devolve to Chrysler at all. Giovanni Savonuzzi, who designed the D’Elegance for Ghia, downsized the close-coupled cabin almost verbatim when he created the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupe in 1955. Virgil Exner was reportedly delighted.

Chassis 321953 is finished in a striking red metallic paint with black and cream leather interior. It is built on a New Yorker chassis, which was shortened 10 inches to 115 inches, and it is strictly a two-seater. The dash panel is perhaps the best of the Ghia designs, offset before the driver, with six large gauges with large speedometer on the left, large clock on the right and fuel, ammeter, oil and temperature gauges in the center. The dash-mounted gearshift is on the left, and there’s a Chrysler push-button radio on the right.

This Chrysler D’Elegance’s engine has been upgraded to a later 354-cubic-inch Hemi V-8 with 280 horsepower – 100 more than originally offered – and a later TorqueFlite transmission. Additional options include power windows and steering and Ausco-Lambert self-energizing disc brakes, which were fitted to a few Chrysler Town and Country and Imperial models in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

To be auctioned by RM at their Monterey sale, which runs from August 19-20 at their traditional downtown location, the Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center. RM officials estimate that the D’Elegance will draw a bid somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,000,000 – $1,300,000.