1962 Ghia L 6.4 Coupe
Detroit businessman Eugene Casaroll’s success with the Dual-Ghia convertible established a niche market for Italian coachwork paired with American mechanicals. When Casaroll’s health declined and his shipping business slowed, Vice President Paul Farago carried the idea forward with a second-generation model.
Introduced at the 1960 Paris Motor Show, the resulting fastback coupe featured bodywork developed by Ghia’s styling team and refined under the influence of Chrysler design chief Virgil Exner, creating a dramatically proportioned two-plus-two hardtop with clean, finless rear fenders.
The oval grille used fine egg-crate screening, while distinctive “sugar scoop” taillights were integrated into the rear fenders. A massive three-piece rear window dominated the fastback roofline.
Measuring 210 inches in length on a 115-inch wheelbase, the entirely hand-built automobile weighed approximately 4,800 pounds (about 2,180 kg). The “L 6.4” designation referred to the metric displacement of its 383 CI Chrysler V-8, rated at 355 HP at 4,600 rpm and paired with a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
Suspension components were derived largely from contemporary Chrysler production models.
Production ran from 1960 through 1963 at Carrozzeria Ghia’s facility in Italy, totaling just 26 examples at a staggering $13,500 base price. Celebrity owners included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Lucille Ball, many of whom had previously owned the earlier Dual-Ghia.
Despite exceptional craftsmanship and presence, extremely high production costs ultimately sealed the car’s fate.
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