Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Dino’s own ’57

Hey pallies, likes I am always always lookin' for ways to feel ever ever closer to our most beloved Dino, and likes if I only had the bread to purchase the Dino-classic below, likes I woulda be on such a Dino-high for the rest of my entire Dino-livin' life! From the vintage car blog, "Bring A Trailer," comes word that our great man's great classic car, the 1962 Ghia L6.4 coupe, is now on the Ebay Auction block for a cool $199.5 k.

This is such a great post 'cause it shows the Dino-car from several vantage points, includin' behind the wheel as well as under the hood. And, it includes a vid clip of our Dino drivin' his Ghia in the Billy Wilder epic "Kiss Me Stupid." It simply makes me so so yearn to have this vintage vehicle for my very Dino-own!

ilovedinomartin thanks the pallies at "Bring A Trailer" for puttin' all us pallies on to the sale of this Dino-treasure and for creatin' such a creative feature. To view this in it's original format, likes just clicks on the tag of this Dino-epistle.
Dino-yearnin', DMP



Rat Pack Luxury: 1962 Ghia L6.4 Barris Coupe

This 1962 Ghia L6.4 coupe is described as an unrestored 47k-mile car that was previously owned by Dean Martin, with custom features added by George Barris. Only 26examples of this Italian-bodied vehicle with a Mopar drivetrain were built and Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford and Lucille Ball were among the original owners. Find it here on eBay in St. Louis, Missouri with a $199.5k Buy-it-Now or “make offer.”



With an Italian body and Chrysler running gear, these cars were considered Italo-American hybrids and were the sequel to the 1956-58 Dual-Ghias based on the Dodge Firearrow concept car and also favored by celebrities. Dino’s own ’57 can be seen in the “Kiss Me, Stupid” clip below:



Barris touches included Euro-style oval headlights and a modified grille. Reportedly eight cars got the Barris treatment, though additional exclusivity hardly seemed needed. When auctioned in 2007, it was noted that this car had most of its original paint.



The black leather interior is original, according to the seller. It has plenty of brightwork, but the overall effect is one of class and style. The power window switches are Chrysler units, but overall these cars used fewer Mopar components than their Dual-Ghia predecessors. The “Designed exclusively for Mr. Dean Martin” plaque on the console would be impressive on first dates.



The engine compartment looks clean and contains Chrysler’s familiar 383-inch (6.4 liter) V-8 rated at 335 horsepower and driving through a TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic. These cars reportedly ran 0-60 in 8.5-seconds — respectable for a 4,100-pound car at the time. Power steering, power brakes and air conditioning are among this car’s features, as might be expected given its lofty $13,500 price in 1962.



The Chrysler mechanicals mean maintenance should be a cinch. That’s a plus for any collectible auto, especially one as rare as this. And though it’s certainly not cheap, as a symbol of ’60s Hollywood style and luxury it’s hard to beat.

7 comments:

Always On Watch said...

What a car! And only 47,000 miles on her, too!

As a "car person," I'd been wondering what had happened to our Dino's collection of vehicles. And I DO remember this beauty!

Great find, DMP!

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie, likes I just knew you woulda goes totally totally gaga over this Dino-ride. If only pallies likes you and I had the bread to gets one of our Dino's vehicles for our very Dino-won! Keeps lovin' our Dino!

Miss Ellie said...

Holy cow! What a beaut! I get chills just looking at the pictures. I would love to take it for a test drive, and play some Dino songs! That would be heaven! haha! Thanks for sharing! Have a great day! :)

Miss Ellie said...

Holy Cow! What a Beaut! I get chills just looking at these pictures! I would love to take his car for a test drive, and listen to some Dino songs! That would be HEAVEN! HaHa! Thank you for sharing! Have a great day! :)

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie, likes you and me both Miss Ellie---you and me both...to hear our Dino croon as we takes a spin in this Dino-ride! Keeps lovin' our Dino!

Kylie said...

Wow !
What a beautiful car :)
I know one of Deans cars is owned by the owner of a restaurant here in Melbourne, Australia

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie, likes Miss Ky...Wow! indeed! Just wonderin' if you mighta do a bit of Dino-research to see if you can give us any more details 'bout the Aussieland Dino-ride? Keeps lovin' our Dino!