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315 CID Dodge D-500 "Red Ram" Hemi V-8 Engine Single Carter 4-Barrel Carburetor 260bhp at 4,800rpm PowerFlite Automatic Transmission Independent Front Suspension – Live Rear Axle Hydraulic 4-Wheel Drum Brakes *Extensive restoration by Dual-Ghia expert, Joe Morgan *2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Award Winner *Award Winner and Cover Car at the Fairfield Concours d'Elegance *Powered by the Optional D500 "Red Ram" Hemi Engine *One of the most exclusive automobiles of the post war era THE DUAL-GHIA The word 'exclusive' scarcely does justice for the Dual-Ghia. Handcrafted to the highest standards and luxuriously appointed in a manner guaranteed not to disappoint even the most sybaritic of customers, the L6.4 model was priced in the US at $13,500, making it twice as costly as the equivalent Cadillac! Dual-Ghia owners included Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Eddie Fisher, Sammy Davis Jr., Debbie Reynolds, Hoagy Carmichael, Sterling Hayden, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson. The brainchild of Eugene Casaroll, proprietor of Automobile Shippers Incorporated, the Dual-Ghia had been inspired by Virgil Exner's Dodge Firebomb/Firearrow show cars. Chrysler's decision not to proceed with production gave Casaroll the opportunity to purchase the original Firebomb show car, which was suitably re-engineered for public sale by designer Paul Farago who increased both passenger and luggage space. Complete Chrysler-supplied chassis were shipped to Turin for bodying in steel by Ghia craftsmen (builders of the original Firebomb body) before returning to Detroit where Dual Motors installed the drivetrain and interior trim. First-series production lasted from 1956 to 1958, by which time just 117 cars had been built, all but two being Convertibles. In 1961, Casaroll revived the concept with a new series. Built entirely in Italy, the second-series Dual-Ghia L6.4 employed its own bespoke chassis (Chrysler having gone unitary construction, Imperial excepted) and Chrysler's 383ci (6.4-liter) V8 engine - hence the 'L6.4' model designation - was offered only in hardtop coupé form. Casaroll doubled the price, but the problem of escalating overhead costs persisted and just 26 of these fabulous cars were made before production ceased in 1963. Exclusive, handsome, strongly built and fast (top speed was around 120mph) the ultra-rare Dual-Ghia is a landmark car in the continuing saga of US-Italian cooperation in automobile design. THE MOTORCAR OFFERED With Dual-Ghia production numbers beginning with 100, number 197 is one of the last cars built at the end of the famed production run. Number 197 is said to have been purchased new for the daughter of the family who owned the Washington Post. After enjoying the coach built cruiser for a number of years, in the early 1970s, it was gifted to an employee of the Post. The car would then find its way to Greenville, South Carolina where it was cared for by both Marvin Gregory, and then by Mark Bueker. In 2004, Mark Bueker would sell the rare Dual-Ghia to Joe Morgan of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. Mr. Morgan, who has owned close to 20 Dual-Ghias, commissioned a full nut-and-bolt restoration of the car. During the restoration, the body and paint was entrusted to Jimmy Lowrey, the interior was done by Petter Davidsen, and the drive train was handled by New England Engine and Machine. Shortly after the completion of the restoration, number 197 was purchased by Michael and Bebe Schudroff of Greenwich, Connecticut. While under the Schudroff's ownership, number 197 was honored with an invite to the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. At the Concours, the Dual-Ghia was a star in the "Class P: Ghia Styling" and garnered a very commendable Second Place award. That year, the Dual-Ghia was also awarded the People's Choice award at the Fairfield County, Connecticut Concours d'Elegance and would go on to be selected from over 250 entries as the official "Poster Car" for the 2011 edition of the Greenwich, Connecticut C