The myth of Italian coachbuilders: Ghia

Founded in 1916 by Giacinto Ghia, the company specialized in the production of aluminum bodies for racing cars. Among these were the famous Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 and the Fiat 508 Balilla Sport, which were both successful in sales and in competitions, most notably in the Mille Miglia.

With the factory bombed in 1943 during the advances of the Allied, Giacinto Ghia decided to rebuild a new factory in the suburbs, but was unable to see the final building due to a heart attack. The ownership of the company passed on to Mario Felice Boano (you can read his story here: https://roarington.com/media-house/stories/the-myth-of-italian-coachbuilders-boano) who developed several partnerships through his entrepreneurial skills that enabled Ghia to regain strength. In 1948, Swiss coachbuilder Aigle and American Dual-Motors used Ghia to manufacture cars on commission. While far from Ghia's goals, this work enabled the creation of partnerships with Chrysler, who entrusted Ghia with the role of a laboratory-workshop in the production of small series of special models and prototypes through its chief designer Virgil Exner.