1955 Ghia Gilda Concept

A complete turning point in the history of Ghia, the Gilda was introduced as an 'experimental body' at the Turin Exhibition in 1955. Astounding the public at the car show with its extraordinary architecture, the Ghia Gilda was quite a head-turner.

The Gilda obtained a 'considered success of curiosity' and was a futuristic dream car whose name was a referral to a famous film by Charles Vidor and a tribute to Rita Hayworth. Very few vehicles have been so 'representative of their times' as the Gilda. The body shape was said to have been 'modeled by the wind', and the shell-no engine or drivetrain was always able to please the crowd whenever it was shown.

Released during the fabulous '50s, the Gilda was a design by Giovanni Savonuzzi, the technical director of Ghia from 1954 through 1957. Designing the Gilda for Chrysler, Savonuzzi originally submitted the tests in the wind tunnel at Ecole Polytechnic of Turin. The Gilda was presented as 'shaped by the wind.' The Gilda was a styling exercise for Savonuzzi and was powered by an OSCA engine that displaced a 1491 cc engine and was famed for having a top speed of 140 mph.

The style of the Ghia Gilda was aerodynamic in a fashion that does scientific logic, even though some argue that the vehicle appears aerodynamically only as a publicity stunt and that the Gilda was merely a technological illusion. Before going to the U.S., the Ghia Gilda made the rounds of the European fairs first.

Shipped to America in October of 1955, the Gilda was given to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The Gilda 'passed its life on the catwalks as the queen of styling and elegance competitions.'

By Jessica Donaldson