The 1954 Chrysler GS-1 Special Coupe was an inspiring intention that broke innocent of the cold , hard realities of manufacture capability and production economic science . For all " practical " use , the GS Special was a Virgil Exner show - auto purpose alter – though not unrecognizably – into a confine - edition grand tourist .
Soon after Exner joinedChryslerCorporation , he began a serial of dream railroad car intention , elements of which would finally work their path onto product motorcar . These provocative specials were handcrafted in the Turin , Italy , shops of Carrozzeria Ghia .
Among them , the 1952 Chrysler Special sport bladelike fenders front and rearward ; round wheel openings ; a low , light " greenhouse " ; and headlamps that project from either side of a trapezoidal grill .
A limited version of this Paris Auto Show car was progress for C. B. Thomas , president of Chrysler ’s exportation mathematical operation , in 1953 , and this so - called " Thomas Special " sacrifice rise to thought process of a limited - production car . The essential figure would be retained , and Ghia would build the cars .
The GS Specials were build up on a 125.5 - inch - wheelbase New Yorker chassis . A Chrysler 331 - cid " hemi - head " V-8 hooked to the new PowerFlite two - speed automatictransmissionmade up the powertrain .
The 1954 Chrysler section bin was also tapped for detail like bumpers , taillights , the guidance bike , and major gauges . Chrysler accessory telegram wheels were used on the cars , which were sell alone in Europe by the corp ’s Gallic distributer .
A production run of 400 has often been adduce for the GS-1 . But John White , in whose Ramshead Automobile Collection the railroad car show here now resides , allege new enquiry suggests perhaps only a dozen Thomas Specials and nine GS-1s were ever actually made .
The car shown here came to America from France in the mid Eighties . It was finally purchase by Michael Pomerance , who had it restored . White ’s collection in Sacramento , California , acquired the GS-1 in 2002 . It was demonstrate at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 1995 and 2005 .
