One of the things I miss about living on the Oakland-Emeryville border was proximity to Fantasy Junction. The proprietors were kind enough to let me wander in and marvel at a John Player Special, or become transfixed on a safety wire running through the head of a bolt on a Bugatti Type 35. Now you can dream about being a famous Hollywood producer blasting through Malibu Canyon with Ann-Margret in this 1967 Ghia 450SS – a combination of Italian coachwork and American muscle – for sale on Hemmings.com. Underneath the stylish body is a 273-cubic-inch small-block Chrysler V-8 and a Mopar A-body chassis. From the seller’s description:
Colossally expensive when new, the Ghia 450SS is an extremely rare car that combines the elegant styling of Giorgetto Giugiaro with reliable and robust mechanicals from Chrysler. Burt Sugarman, a famous Hollywood producer, was so taken by a Giugiaro-penned Ghia concept car (on a Fiat 2300 chassis) that he had seen at the 1960 Turin Motor Show, that he convinced Ghia to hand-build a limited run of similar but open cars with Chrysler mechanicals.
Colossal expense! Sugarman may have only been in the sports car business for about 50 or so cars, but later produced Celebrity Sweepstakes and the Richard Pryor Show. Sugarman went on to produce The Newlywed Game, and was involved in The Gong Show as part owner of Barris Industries.
See more unique Ghias for sale at Hemmings.com.