Mid-Century Carrozzeria Ghia is a pretty fascinating coachbuilder. They’d been doing commissions for big companies throughout most of the 1950s – think the Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia as the most obvious example, but they’d worked with companies like Chrysler and Renault and Volvo and more – and, here’s a weird thing, in 1965 they were sold to the son of the Dictator of the Dominican Republic! Anyway, I just want to bring your attention to a show car Ghia designed in 1964, the Renault R8 Coupé Ghia.
Somehow, I’d never encountered this car before, but when I did, it really caught my attention, because I think it’s just lovely, in an interesting and understated way. It’s got some unusual traits, but at the same time it doesn’t feel overdone, which I think is an achievement.
I mean, look how lean and elegant this thing, based on the 47-ish horsepower R8 – it wasn’t even based on the much more potent Gordini version – is:
It feels lithe and sleek, and that character line coming from the front and dropping down just before the rear wheelarch feels just right. I think the most notable part about the design is the side window shape, though, of which designer Filippo Sapino allegedly got inspiration from old pre-war Bugattis.
It is a very teardrop-shaped design, and certainly does evoke the look of those dramatic pre-war Bugattis:
It manages to do so without actually blatantly copying or imitating, which is quite an achievement, I think, too.
The interior has the same graceful curves as the outside, and the same basic simplicity. I really like this thing!
Also notable is how different it was from the car it’s based on, the Renault R8, which was a celebration of boxiness:
Also, that’s a fantastic ad headline there.
The little R8 Coupé Ghia never really got any traction, with the Alpine A110 eventually taking the role of Renault’s rear-engined sports car, and I can’t feel badly about that, even if it meant this interesting little one-off never got past the show car stage.
Still, it’s a lovely thing to just look at and enjoy, and sometimes I suppose that’s enough.
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