Ghia of Turin

The company was founded in 1915 by Giacinto Ghia who worked as a successful small coachbuilder, mostly of luxury sporting cars, up to the outbreak of the second world war. Ghia himself died during that war, and the factory was much damaged. After the war with Boano as designer ans Luigi Segre in charge, they found new life; and a Plymouth prototype brought them to the notice of Chrysler. Some of their designs soon became known to a wider public - such as the Khamann Ghia Volkswagen Coupé in Europe; and the Dual Ghia in America.

Their Chrylser period brought them to the peak of the Dream Car business, and they also did work for Ford, American Motors, Packard - not to mention Renault (Floride) and Volvo. Luigi Segre died suddenly in 1963 and after a period of much change the company was bought in 1967 by the American Rowan Controller Co of Westminster (Maryland). At this point Alejandro de Tomaso came on the scene and Ghia built the Vallelunga and Mangusta. In 1970 they made the Panterra, and in the same year Ford bought their first 80%.

Two years later, Ford bought the remaining 20% and since that date Ghia has been part of the Ford empire, when twenty years before it might have seemed, finances aside, that it was already part of Chrysler.