Dual-Ghia
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Dual-Ghia was a short -lived, rare automobile make, produced in the United States between 1956 and 1958.
The idea came from Eugene Casaroll, who formed Dual Motors in Detroit, Michigan to build an exclusive car at a moderate price. (This was an unusual business plan: exclusive products usually commend immoderate prices.) The design was based on an earlier showcar of Chrysler, named the Firearrow, which had been designed by Virgil Exner. The Dual-Ghia car was designed by Chrysler. The design was fairly conservative with single headlamps and slab-sided features, avoiding fins and other styling gimmicks. A four-place convertible was the only offering. A Dodge frame and drivetrain was transported to Italy, where the bodywork was fabricated by the Italian CoachbuilderGhia. Performance was excellent, due to the cars being powered by the small 315-C.I.D. Dodge hemispherical-head short-stroke V-8 engine. Out of the 117 cars produced, 32 still existed as of July 2006 . The cars were mostly bought by American celebrities, such as Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, and Richard Nixon. Desi Arnaz owned one, but he wrecked it. Ronald Reagan owned one, which he lost in a high-stakes poker game with then-President Lyndon Johnson, who kept the car for several years.
