Engine - 383 cubic-inch OHV Hemi V8
Transmission - 3-Speed TorqueFlite Automatic
Horsepower - 335
Production - 26 made, 17 survive

“They’re Only Original Once”

Branded as the successor to the Dual Ghia produced by Gene Casaroll’s Dual Motors Corporation in 1956 and 1957, the Ghia L6.4 for 1961 was much more than just a successor car. It made its official debut at the Paris Auto Salon in late 1960. The dramatic restyling of the Ghia L6.4, most notably now being a 2+2 hardtop configuration instead of convertible, quickly caught the eye of Casaroll’s same clientele as before, like Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball to name a couple.

This Ghia L6.4 was exhibited at the New York City Auto Show for 1962 and was shown there by Dual Motors Corporation. With a listed price of $13,000, no small amount by the day’s standard, it was definitely something special! Bernard ‘Bernie’ Berman, a car collector from Allentown Pennsylvania, purchased the Ghia, recognizing its beauty and importance from day one. While many cars would pass through his ownership, Berman retained the Ghia for over 40 years, preserving its condition and only accumulating 25,000 miles in his ownership.

It has had just a few fastidious owners since the Berman collection, resulting in what is accepted as the only remaining ‘Survivor Quality’ Ghia L6.4 in existence. The metallic blue paint, white leather interior, chrome, drivetrain, and underside of this Ghia remain exactly as they did at the New York Salon in 1962, never having been restored or refurbished aside from consumables like tires and exhaust. The Ghia L6.4 marks somewhat of a bookend to bespoke coachbuilt automobiles in America, by the mid 1960s the extreme costs and logistics involved greatly reduced efforts.