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Prototypes and Concept Cars

34chev

 

1953 Cadillac Ghia

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Most men try flowers to make things right with their wife and get out of the doghouse, but when you’re married to Rita Hayworth, you gotta try a little harder than that – after all, not even a one-of-two Italian-bodied Cadillac was enough to get her back. For the judges at this past weekend’s La Jolla Concours d’Elegance, however, the same Cadillac had enough cachet to take a Best of Show award.

In the early 1950s, Italian coachbuilder Ghia looked to stabilize its business by developing concepts or vehicles for a list of automakers that included Volkswagen, Ford, Volvo, and Chrysler. Perhaps inspired by its success with Chrysler, the company constructed a pair of Cadillac-based concepts for the 1953 Paris Auto Salon, reportedly in an attempt to foster a closer relationship with Cadillac. Though technically not for sale, the concepts caught the eye of Prince Ali Salman Aga Khan, then billed as the richest man in the world. In the midst of a protracted divorce and custody battle with his wife, American actress Rita Hayworth, the prince (who favored the more common name of Aly Khan) purchased the Ghia-bodied Cadillac for Hayworth, perhaps as a peace offering. If that was his intent, the tactic failed; later the same year, the couple’s divorce was finalized, and Hayworth retained both possession of the Cadillac Ghia and custody of her daughter.

Currently owned by the Petersen Museum, the Ghia concept relies on Cadillac Series 62 mechanical components, including its 210-hp, 331-cu.in. overhead valve V-8. It’s said to be one of the first automobiles to employ a quad-headlamp design, and its diminutive tailfins speak of automotive styling trends that were in their infancy when the concept was penned. Among its many distinctive styling touches are the wraparound rear window (bisected by a thin trim strip), and surprisingly narrow A- and C-pillars. Finished in white during Hayworth’s ownership, the car has subsequently been repainted burgundy, and even enjoyed a brief cameo appearance as one of Tony Stark’s many automobiles in the 2010 blockbuster Iron Man 2. As for the other of the Ghia-bodied Cadillacs, when last we checked it was in the Imperial Palace’s collection in Las Vegas.




 

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