Chassis No. BS4049
Engine No. 253677

“Costruzione solida, finizione di lusso, specialità tipi sport”, this was how Carrozzeria Ghia presented itself: solid construction, luxurious finish, with sports types a specialty. Founded at the beginning of the Twentieth Century by Giacinto Ghia, a native of Turin, the capital of the Italian automotive industry, Carrozzeria Ghia became one of the great names in Italian coachbuilding, alongside Pininfarina, Touring, and Bertone. Amid the Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, and other major automotive marques it clothed, Ghia began an important collaboration in the early 1950s with Chrysler, one of the American “Big Three.”

In 1965, Burt Sugarman (later a Hollywood film producer) came across a Fiat prototype bodied by Ghia and immediately took a liking to it. His enthusiasm and determination, combined with the coachbuilder's close relationship with Chrysler, would soon give rise to the 450 SS. Chrysler's Plymouth Barracuda Formula S drivetrains were chosen to power the new car with each semi-monocoque steel chassis receiving a 238 horsepower 273 cu-in (4.5-liter) “Commando” V8. Ghia's hand-crafted steel body rested on a tubular framework, and featured luxury sports car appointments such as leather upholstery, Torqueflite automatic transmission, power steering and brakes, air conditioning, and Pirelli high-speed tires fitted to Borrani wire wheels.

Sugarman retailed the majority of these special cars ordered through Beverly Hills Ghia, a dealership he had established, as well as a network of dealers in California and Nevada. It is therefore not surprising to find this 450 SS, chassis number BS4049, registered in California in the early 2000s, before making its way across the United States in 2005 to reach the East Coast and the small island of Key Biscayne, Florida, via the Rickenbacker Causeway.

At a point, the Italian-American sportscar returned to continental Europe landing with Scuderia Sportiva Colonia of Köln, Germany. While there, the rare Ghia received a detailed 154-point inspection, a German TÜV inspection, and restorative work including a photo-documented engine out refinish in Papyrus White. Upon completion in 2012, its current owner acquired the car and has carefully preserved it for nearly fifteen years within his significant collection. The history file, online and available for review, contains invoices from 2013 and 2017 for minor work on the trunk floor, trim, sealing, and odometer. The car also carries a sticker noting an engine oil change more recently, in November 2024.

Hand-built and sold for around $13,000 in 1967—twice that of a 911 S and nearly on par with a Ferrari 330 GTS—only some fifty customers indulged in the luxury of a new 450 SS at the time. Fewer than thirty are believed to have survived to this day, making them a truly rare sight, even more in Europe. Presented today in Papyrus White with Burgundy trim, this fascinating product of its emblematic era of Italian-American ambition showcases striking Ghia styling standing apart as a powerful rolling statement and a bold departure from conventional series production.