1961 Ghia L6.4 Coupe
With only 26 examples ever completed, the Ghia L6.4 stands as one of the rarest American luxury cars of the postwar period (a figure explained in part by the economics of shipping coachbuilt bodies across the Atlantic, which ultimately made the project unsustainable despite its $13,500 asking price).
The L6.4 grew from the productive working relationship between Chrysler design chief Virgil Exner and Ghia director Luigi Segre, following their earlier collaboration on the Dual-Ghia.
Dual Motors served as the official U.S. distributor and marketer, with Ghia’s Turin coachbuilders translating Exner’s characteristically American proportions into something more composed and European in execution.
The result was a long, low body with clean lines and restrained detailing that distanced it visually from Detroit’s more flamboyant output of the period.
Chrysler supplied the mechanical foundation in the form of the 383-cubic-inch “RB” V-8, rated at 335 horsepower and paired with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The combination gave the L6.4 performance credentials appropriate for a car positioned against Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Mercedes-Benz.
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Lucille Ball were among its documented owners, a clientele that reflected both the car’s price point and its cultural cachet during its brief production run.
Source
