Dual-Ghia
Dual-Motors, Detroit, Michigan
“The beautiful new Dual-Ghia, which we are now producing, is designed without compromise to fill the needs of a limited number of discriminating motorists who have looked in vain for a basically fine American, but truly distinctive, all-weather sports car with four-passenger seating capacity.”
~Eugene A. Casaroll, President, Dual-Motors Corporation
The Origins of the Dual-Ghia
The Dual-Ghia was born from Chrysler’s Firearrow series of show cars, most notably the Virgil Exner-designed and Ghia-built Firearrow IV of 1954. That design was purchased by Detroit entrepreneur Eugene “Gene” Casaroll, refined by Ghia’s American agent Paul Farago, and debuted as the Dodge Firebomb at the 1955 Geneva Motor Show.
Production began in 1956, with hand-formed bodywork crafted by Ghia in Italy and final assembly completed by Casaroll’s Dual-Motors Corporation, Detroit. The Dual-Ghia made its American debut at the 1957 New York Sports Car Show to instant acclaim.
Its elegant silhouette and jet-set appeal attracted Rat Pack icons like Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, and Eddie Fisher - though not everyone made the cut. Casaroll reportedly used the Social Register to vet potential owners and denied Sammy Davis Jr., while Dean Martin famously quipped that he only drove a Jaguar because Dual-Motors turned him down. troit, Michigan