Toured one of the rarest cars in America
Chryslur turbine cars are not your average vehicle. Only nine of these cars exist. Take a tour and see why it’s called America’s coolest creation.
- The 1955 Chrysler Falcon was recently exhibited at the Pebble Beach Competition De Elegance.
- The concept car was built in Turin, Italy by gear.
The 1955 Chrysler Falcon was a lovely and legendary car shrouded in mystery and held a rare reveal at the Pebble Beach Competition De Elegance Classic Car Show in California on Sunday, August 17th.
The elegant Falcon was thinking Chrysler with his elbow in the spotlights that gleam on the new exciting Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Thunderbird, a graceful two-seat depicting Chrysler’s crosstown rival in Detroit, and an elegant two-seat depicting buyers.
Matt Anderson, a traffic curator at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, said:
“The Falcon has mixed the sportiness of a Corvette with the personal luxury of the T-Bird very well.
“We never know if there was a market for that mix.”
The Chrysler Falcon is part of the Boltz automatic collection of concept cars saved by enthusiast Joe Boltz. His cars are not permanently displayed everywhere, but they make rounds of major museums and automotive events.
The Chrysler Falcon is unrelated to the 1960s Ford compact sedan of the same name.
Ready-made parts
Chrysler’s styling lost its advantage after World War II when it resumed production of passengers and vehicles.
Chairman JT Keller has requested design chief Virgil Exner to revitalize the brand. Exner built Italian coach builder and designer Ghia what he called the “idea car.”
Chrysler’s set of concept cars included the K-310, Norsaman and Imperial Crown. They were a one-off project, showing cars designed to fire the imagination rather than production or sales.
“The Falcon changed that,” Stellantis historian Brandt Rosenbusch told me. “It was thought to compete with Corvettes and Thunderbirds, so we used ready-made parts to make it easy.”
This included a 1955 shortened Chrysler 300 chassis – 105 inches long, 11 inches less than the production sedan. Other production features include the HemiV8 and power steering, brakes and windows. The car is driveable. “It’s a stunning car. The proportions are perfect,” Boltz said. “It’s rare at the time because there’s so little chromium.”
However, to promise to produce a low and elegant falcon, it was not possible to ask the chairman who declared that all Chrysler roofs must be high enough so that gentlemen could wear hats while driving.
The car never reached the assembly line. No one is completely certain how many people in Turin’s Ghia’s old world workshops were built. It was once believed that Ghia built only one Falcon, but it is known that there are at least two. Probably three, according to the GHIA memo cited build orders from Chrysler.
Where is the 1955 Chrysler Falcon concept?
- Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance
- 5:30am to 5:00pm, Sunday, August 17th
- Pebble Beach Golf Link, Pebble Beach, California
- General admission ticket: $595
For some reason, they disappeared
The Chrysler Archives have photographs of Falcons in three different colors, supporting the theory of three cars.
- Blue, now in the Boltz Collection, heads to Pebble Beach. Production is 331 cubic inch HEMI V8.
- A black, Exner’s private car. It is unknown if it still exists.
- Red or burgundy, only known from a few photos from the Chrysler Archives.
“There’s a lot of speculation,” Boltz said.
The Falcon was first unveiled in New York in August 1955, along with Chrysler’s Flight Sweep I and II concept cars.
No one knows what happened to the flight sweep. Many early concept cars were sold to private buyers and were driven to death.
The Falcon lived there. Its grille inspired the 1998 Chrysler Chronos concept car and the sensational 2005 Chrysler 300.
The car will be 18th This year’s fairway at Pebble Beach is one of several Exner cars that are part of Chrysler’s homage to Centennial. Bortz is displayed in the convertible top-up.
“Exner is always remembered for the ‘forward look’ Chrysler of the late 1950s,” Anderson said. “These cars absolutely remake the image of the company, from old fashion to cutting edge.
“In the 1957 advertising campaign, “It’s all of a sudden 1960!”
“He didn’t invent the tail fin, but Exner adopted it for greater effect than anyone of his contemporaries.”
The Falcon was “deemed the best car in Exner,” Boltz said. “He put the model on the desk.”
1955 Chrysler Falcon at a glance
It’s built into Turin Carrozerria Ghia Spa
Wheelbase: 105 inches
length: 182 inches
width: “68½”
height: “51 1/8 inch”
engine: Special Chrysler Corp. V8 Hemispheric Combustion Chamber
tire: 15 inches
From Chrysler’s explanation:
- “Wire wheel with simulated knock-off hub”
- “Spring Balance Manual Top Mechanism”
- “A wide horizon windshield at the rear”
- “Forward grid type grill”
- “Externally mounted dual exhaust system for a strong mechanical appearance and improved performance”
interior:
- “Soft, custom-quality red and ivory leather upholstery”
- “Individual, adjustment bucket”
- “Concave inner door panel that enhances the cockpit feeling”
Source: Stellantis Archive
Please contact Mark Phelan: mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Please read more Auto And sign up for us Automotive Newsletter. Become a subscriber.
