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Aircraft or vehicle - the Chrysler Ghia Gilda Streamline X 1955 was (almost) both

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Created on October 4, 2012

Text:

Stefan Fritschi

Photos:

Rex Gray

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Brian Snelson

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Archiv

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Rex Gray

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Brian Snelson

3

Archiv

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Ghia Gilda Streamliner (1955) - magnificent presentation on the Ghia stand at the 1955 Turin Motor Show

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Ghia Gilda Streamliner (1955) - shown at the 1955 Turin Motor Show

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Ghia Gilda Streamliner (1955) - on the Ghia stand at the 1955 Turin Motor Show

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - the builder donated the future mobile to the Henry Ford Museum in 1956, including the stand fencing

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - photographed in the Ford Museum in 1956

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - taken at the Pasadena Art Center Car Classic on July 7, 2007

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - beautiful view of the streamlined shape - taken at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - rear view - taken at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - rear view - taken at the Beverly Hills Concours d'Elegance on June 21, 2009

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - view of the retrofitted gas turbine - taken at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - rear detail - taken at the Beverly Hills Concours d'Elegance on June 21, 2009

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - View of the interior - taken at the Beverly Hills Concours d'Elegance on June 21, 2009

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Ghia Gilda (1955) - view of the cockpit - taken at the Beverly Hills Concours d'Elegance on June 21, 2009

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Summary

The period after the Second World War was characterized in aviation by the emergence of jet propulsion and the first supersonic flights. This new achievement was also reflected in automobile design. This was particularly evident in American dream cars, which were equipped with jet noses, airplane cockpits or tail units. One of the most extreme examples is the Ghia Gilda Streamline X, which Chrysler presented at the 1955 Turin Motor Show. This report goes into the history (up to the present day!) and the special features of the 1955 Ghia Gilda Streamline and shows it in historical and current pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Virgil Exner and his Speedform
Gas turbine - THE engine of the future
Some things about the Streamline X were meant seriously
Mathematician in charge of design
Speedform from Exner's own hand
Simple interior for two
Grand appearance in Turin 1955
50 years without a drive
Much ado about 70 hp at 54,000 rpm
Further information

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The period after the Second World War was characterized in aviation by the emergence of jet propulsion and the first supersonic flights. This new achievement was also reflected in automobile design. This was particularly evident in American dream cars, which were equipped with jet noses, airplane cockpits or tail units. One of the most extreme examples is the Ghia Gilda Streamline X, which Chrysler presented at the 1955 Turin Motor Show. Chrysler's head of design Virgil Exner had another of his many ideas in the 1950s. This time he put it into practice himself and built an aerodynamic basic shape, which stood on his desk in high-gloss black.

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