Ghia 450 SS History

The 450 SS was conceived under Ghia's ownership by Alejandro de Tomaso as a sporty, US-market grand tourer. The original design was by Sergio Sartorelli; after Giorgetto Giugiaro joined Ghia from Bertone in late 1965, he revised the grille, front bumper, and rear details before the car's debut at the 1966 Turin Motor Show. The 450 designation referred to the 4.5-litre (273-cubic-inch) Plymouth Barracuda V8 engine that powered it; 'SS' stood for Super Sport.

Mechanicals were drawn almost entirely from the Plymouth Barracuda — so directly that early cars reportedly included a Barracuda owner's manual with some pages crossed out. The production process was similarly pragmatic: bodies were hand-built in Turin, then shipped to the US for final sale. Both coupe and convertible body styles were offered.

Production was brief: estimates range from 52 to 57 cars completed before late 1967, with the last examples registered as 1968 models. The 450 SS stands as one of Ghia's final coachbuilt production cars before Ford's 1970 acquisition redirected the studio toward concept work and trim-level branding.