1956 Chrysler Ghia Concept Car Station Wagon by Virgil Exner Show Car Dream Car

1956 Chrysler Plainsman Station Wagon

Designed by Virgil Exner - Body by Ghia

Concept Car/Dream Car

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58 years later from when The Plainsman was first shown.

1956 Chrysler Ghia Plainsman Station Wagon/concept car/dream car

Just about everybody knows the story of how the dream cars/concept cars started in 1941 with Harley Earl creating the “Y-Job”.   After World War II. General Motors led the way in producing dream cars/concept cars as a medium of advanced design and testing the public's reaction to various styling ques.   Chrysler's head designer Virgil Exner was very quick to pick up on this phenomena and started his designing of concept cars in the early 1950s for Chrysler.   While General Motors under the direction of Harley Earl had an entire department sketching up various ideas Virgil Exner single handedly produced 90% of all the designs for the Chrysler concept cars in the 1950s.   One of the most famous designs and the only station wagon concept car to exist today from the 1950s is the 1956 Chrysler Ghia Plainsman station wagon.  Chrysler was not as well endowed with finances as General Motors so they would have Virgil Exner come up with the design for a concept car and produce it in a small clay model and then send it along with Chrysler chassis and underpinning components to Ghia and have Ghia produce the finished concept car for far less then they could be produced in the United States.  

Ghia was one of the finest coach builders in Italy and produced many of the recent record breaking Virgil Exner concept car designs produced by Ghia that have sold at Barrett-Jackson auctions for record breaking prices.

The car that you see before you was produced for the 1956 United States automobile shows.   Virgil Exner designed the body and Ghia built the car.   It received much acclaim during 1956 and was also used in many magazine articles of the day.   After the 1956 car shows this car was exported to Cuba and given to the president of the Cuban banks and after he was murdered the car was given to the export manager of Chrysler Corp. who was living in Cuba.   Later he was chased out of Cuba by Castro and was thereafter appointed as export manager of Australia and took the Plainsman with him.   When he returned to the Unites States upon his retirement to his home in California the car was given to his son and then eventually went through to its current owner.

This is a solid car and is currently running just fine.   It has many unique features but it could use a sympathetic restoration.   The current owner has put a reserve on this car that is so low that it might as well not have a reserve.  

When it is restored it will surely receive invitations to Pebble Beach. Amelia Island and most likely many international important Concours d'Elegance shows.   This is the only model produced of this concept car making it a very unique one-off survivor.   This car is fully and completely documented from day one and is also featured in many books that record the history of dream cars/concept cars.

The current owner purchased this car from a well-known collector had intended to restore it to its former glory.   The car has a great provenance and there are many copies of factory photos and descriptions that would enable a very exacting restoration.   Concept/prototype cars from the 1950s sell for millions of dollars at auction as seen in the past.   In addition this car is a great example of the following areas of significant automobile collecting:

Virgil Exner's “Forward Look” design

Ghia body builders

Concept/Dream car

Here you get all of the above components in one car. Designed by Virgil Exner. built by Ghia. one of the most famous and significant Italian firms and of course a fabulous piece of history as an example of American ingenuity where Chrysler spent crazy money to come up with the most imaginative new designs to tantalize the ever growing American car buying public.

Again. the chance is here to obtain this rare treasure and it may not come available again for a very long time.   There just are not that many fabulous concept/dream cars still out there.

David E. Scott of Chrysler Press Release 1956

Design Philosphy of the A-493 – Plainsman

The Plainsman was designed as a luxurious vehicle to serve the variety of needs of a successful western ranch-holder.   It is “The Forward Look” embodying the colorful. casual way of life as expressed across the great western plains of America.   The materials. colors. and finishes have been keyed to the environment of the wet:  Seats of unborn calfskin. trimmed with natural cowhide. the “Palomino” beige lacquer finish. and the Texas longhorn motif keynotes the theme.

Particular emphasis has been given to the sculptured appearance of the car. relying on the beauty of form. the integration of a whole concept. and the judicious use of texture. proportion. and dynamic symmetry to make an esthetic design statement.

It is imbued with a sensitive appreciation of an automobile as an art form in itself. with a dramatic flair that I hope will capture the imagination of the young-in-heart.

New Styling in Station Wagon. Chicago Daily Tribune. January 6. 1956

The Plainsman. an experiment in station wagon styling by Chrysler corporation. will be displayed at the Chicago Automobile show.

NEW CHRYSLER PLAINSMAN HAS REAR VIEW SEAT

An eight passenger. two door “idea” station wagon called the Plainsman. featuring an “observation seat” that faces the rear. has been designed by the Chrysler corporation and will be put on public display for the first time at the Chicago Automobile show.

The show. which will be held in the International Amphitheater. Halsted and 42d sts. . will open tomorrow and continue thru Jan. 15.

In keeping with its western name the Plainsman has a Palomino beige metallic exterior finish.   The interior is trimmed with reddish brown and white calf hide upholstery.

The rearward facing rear seat is electrically operated and folds under the rear deck floor when not in use.   Tail gate and rear window also are electrically operated.

Westward Ho – to the suburbs! Motor Trend. March 1956

The “Plainsman” Chrysler Corp's 8 passenger dream car. plots trends in '57 wagon design. A metallic beige finish complements the white fabric-padded-roof. both stepped and cantilevered. and having air intakes.

The ingenious mechanical devices are almost all practical; the spare tire is handy and a spacesaver.   A crank lowers the wheel onto the ground. returns the flat tire to out-of-the-way storage behind the panel.

All controls and gauges are conveniently located behind the steering wheel. a '56 Plymouth extra item.   Natural calfhide upholstery and natural leather make up the interior trim.   Door handles are sliding type.

An electrically operated rear seat and tailgate will be a boon to most women.   Note that there are no visible hinges. braces. or cables.   Steps slide out automatically.   The novel rearward facing back seat folds flush into the floor to allow more loading room.

This 60-inch-high wagon could easily be placed in production. if public demand warrants tooling for a run.   Look for some Plainsman features on '57 models.   How about a sliding skylight to make it a “convertible wagon”?

Having a Chrysler Ghia concept car puts you into a very unique family as there are probably less then twenty Chrysler Ghia concept cars that exist today.   Interestingly enough this year at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance 2014 there will be a class for Chrysler concept cars 90% of which will be Ghia concept car.   A very rare opportunity to have one of the top collectible cars in the world when it is fully restored.

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