1952 Chrysler D’Elegance
Virgil Exner’s collaboration with Turin coachbuilder Ghia produced a singular show car that would profoundly influence automotive design well beyond Chrysler’s own production vehicles.
Built as the final expression of styling themes introduced with the 1951 K-310, this one-off prototype marked the last design Exner developed largely from his home studio before Chrysler’s in-house styling organization began shaping a more exuberant direction.
Ghia constructed the body on a Chrysler New Yorker chassis shortened by ten inches to a 115-inch wheelbase, resulting in a close-coupled two-passenger layout. Distinctive styling elements included free-standing headlamps mounted in sculpted nacelles (intentionally evoking 1930s luxury cars), gunsight-style taillights, and a prominent egg-crate grille finished in red.
The rear deck featured a hydraulic mechanism that raised the trunk lid and mechanically lowered a full-size spare tire to ground level.
Power was supplied by Chrysler’s 331-cubic-inch (5.4-liter) FirePower Hemi V8 paired with a PowerFlite automatic transmission. Advanced features for the era included power steering, power windows, and power-assisted drum brakes, underscoring the car’s role as a rolling showcase of Chrysler engineering and luxury aspirations.
Ghia stylist Giovanni Savonuzzi later adapted the D’Elegance’s proportions and overall theme for the 1955 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia. Within Chrysler itself, the egg-crate grille inspired the 300 “Letter Cars,” while the gunsight taillights found their way onto the 1955 Imperial, making the D’Elegance one of the most influential Exner-Ghia collaborations ever created.
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