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.

Ghia's "Supergioiello" series identified custom-built cars of extraordinary charm. Pictured here is the 1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS designed by Giovanni Michelotti.

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.

Virgil Exner, Chrysler's chief designer, entrusted Ghia with the production of small series and prototypes, opening the door to the U.S. for the Turin coachbuilder. On this picture is a 1954 Chrysler GS-1 Coupe.

With the accounts back in order, the 1950s was a fertile period from a stylistic point of view for Carrozzeria Ghia with custom-built cars of extraordinary appeal created by the best designers of the time such as Giovanni Michelotti, Bruno Sacco and Giovanni Savonuzzi.

In 1950 the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Supergioiello Ghia was born, followed by the Ferrari 212 Inter Coupé in 1952 and the Fiat 8V Supersonic in 1953, just to name a few. The most important project, however, was definitely the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, born out of the collaboration between the Turin-based brand and Wilhelm Karmann, who wanted to turn his family's eponymous German coachbuilding company into a large-scale manufacturer. Mission accomplished: The production was in fact on a large scale with nearly half a million Karmann Ghia coupes and convertibles built over a period of 19 years bringing Ghia worldwide recognition.

The 1953 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia represents Ghia's greatest success. It was produced in nearly half a million units in coupe and cabriolet versions.

In the 1960s following Boano's exit, Luigi Segre, Gaspardo Moro and Alejandro De Tomaso succeeded at the top of the company, bringing in designers of the caliber of Tom Tjaarda and Giorgetto Giugiaro, until the Ford Motor Company bought a majority stake in Ghia in 1970. By 1973, Ford had taken control of Ghia, which abandoned its coachbuilding business and became one of the design centers of the American giant, which also used the Ghia brand name to identify the most luxurious versions of its car models. The Ghia signature initially appeared in Europe and later also in North America and South America. The company was responsible for the design concept of the famous Fiesta, Ford's first hatchback in Europe, which was launched in June 1976.

The era of coachbuilders, however, was coming to an end: The last car designed by Ghia before the Italian design center was shut down in 2001 was the Ghia Lightning, later transformed into the Ford StreetKa.

After being acquired by Ford in 1973, Ghia was tasked with the design concept of the American brand's first hatchback in Europe: The Ford Fiesta.