The
Ghia-built Diablo started out as the Chrysler Dart of 1956.
This was an experiment in aerodynamics and featured a fully
retractable metal hardtop that slid into the trunk beneath the
rear window, altering the line of the rear deck. Designed in
the Advance Styling Studio and overseen by legendary designer
Virgil M. Exner, the Dart was inspired by engineers watching
ink blots moving in 200mph winds along the surface of plastic
models. The end result was this almost perfect dart shape, reinforcing
Exner's belief that fins worked. When it was shown to the public
Chrysler called it a "Hydroplane on wheels". Painted in silver
and black, when testing on the 4-passenger Dart was completed
at Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds, it was returned to Ghia
in early 1957. Ghia replaced the retracting hardtop for a more
conventional soft-top, re-worked the incredible fins and painted
it red. The car was then renamed the Chrysler Diablo and sent
back to America. The Diablo was powered by a Chrysler 392ci,
375bhp V8 taken from the 300 series. The Diablo stretched to
223inches long, 80inches wide and 54inches high including the
fins. The car is now part of the Joe Bortz collection, located
in Highland Park, Ill. The Diablo name re-emerged when Chrysler
owned Lamborghini launched the successor to the Countach in
1990.
Text by Peter Grist
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