Chrysler Norseman

V or about 43 years, at the night 25 of July 1956 held the luxury passenger liner Andrea Doria full steam ahead, occupied with 1.134 passengers and 572 crew members, New York too. The cruiser, designated after an Italian admiral from that 16. Century, was stung on 17 July of Genova out in lake and was over Cannes, Neapel and Gibraltar on the way into the USA during the last night of almost mastered Atlantic crossing zirka 50 miles before Nantucket Iceland, pre-aged the coast of Massachusetts, to fog had occurred, thick like pea soup. The passengers could not even see of side of the ship to others. The captain, Piero Calamai, reduced the speed of the Andrea Doria and let every 100 seconds the nebula horn operate. It and the other officers on the kommandobruecke supervised carefully the radar display screen.

Meanwhile crossed from New York in eastern direction the Stockholm, an Swedish-American ship with course on Copenhagen and Goeteborg. On the bridge the third leading seaman Ernst Carsten Carsten-Johannsen unexpectedly noticed the appearance of the Andrea Doria on the onboard radar device. After the lights of the other ship look out was held immediately, due to the nebula bank however without success. Suddenly the enormous Andrea Doria emerged directly before that Stockholm from the fog. It was to be undertaken not possibly still something against the forthcoming disaster. Over the strengthened steel nose that drilled out itself and tore about 23 o'clock 10 Stockholm with inconceivable din into the starboard side of the Andrea Doria 5 of the 10 of deck, whereby 46 passengers were killed. Also on that Stockholm gave it 5 dead ones, since the cabs of the crew lay in the nose of the ship. The Andrea Doria could hold itself still 11 hours over water, although permanently water penetrated. While other ships, among other things the Ile de France, hurried this time here and all survivors could evacuate passengers. In the morning 26 of July at 10 o'clock 09 the black trunk of the Andrea Doria sank finally in the depths of the sea.

How could happen? Such a misfortune seemed to be nearly impossible! Each ship had the other one on the radar display screen! It turned out that the 3. Leading seaman that Stockholm the debt met. It thought that the radar was on the 15-Meilen-Skala, in truth however was adjusted the 5-Meilen-Skala. A deadly error!

However all victims were not human nature. In a wooden packing case, probably in the ladedeck NR. 2 in the nose of the Andrea Doria was a singular automobile: The Chrysler Norseman, one of Virgil Exners Design studies for Chrysler built by the Italian body farmer Ghia in turin in manual work.  

The fantastic unique piece should be transported to America, achieved its goal however no longer.
The Norseman, a two-door Hardtop with arc-shaped dropping roof Design was a model of a series of so-called?Idea Cars?, louder singular Design studies, Chrysler let which manufacture with Ghia. The concept?Idea of the Cars? 1950 began with a unique piece on a Plymouth chassis. The idea such cars to build came the director/conductor at that time of the Chrysler export department C.B. Thomas during a discussion with the Italian body cutter Pinin Farina, then actually the order received the first chassis to karossieren. For the unbelievably small price of less than 10,000 $ the car was finished. The result was however not excessively spectacular and did not even find its way into the United States. At this time Virgil Exner pushed to Chrysler, where there was actually no real styling boss. Exner took up the idea with the Showcars and convinced the responsible persons of the necessity a series more differently such cars build to let, one this at such unbelievable prices to at least so long do could. One assigned to likewise karossieren now Ghia a 1950er Plymouth chassis, it developed the Xx-500 and again at a ridiculous price! The next order at Ghia, the K-310, was a pure Exner Design and to a Dumpingpreis by 20.000 $ was already repaired.

Some years later 1956, than the Norseman was finished, had already somewhat increased the costs, the requirements to the Karosseure however also! One numbered in addition, the costs of the Norseman with approximately 150,000 $ to 200,000 $. a nice Suemmchen, the car was unusual at that time already. So the car had neither A nor b-column, but the roof had pre-loading and by two thin steel seaweeds was down-pulled. In the case of an estimate the bars should break and the roof should release. One said to the Norseman after that its roof could carry the eightfold of its dead weight!

It cannot be said any longer exactly when the development of the Norseman began, but manufactured from 28 October 1954 and before it ready first reduced clay/tone models on a scale 1:4 date the first photos became. A model was not made available Ghia however. One required to adhere express most thoroughly to the construction designs. That was not necessarily the procedure way, one was used to which with Ghia. Usually one scratched its approximate conceptions on the back of a Briefkuvertes and a Ghia began to build. But the automobile economy changed slowly and for Ghia had badly to the designs to probably or get accustomed. Ghia built the body of the Norseman from aluminum, a break with the past?Idea Cars?, out of steel sheet formed were and thereby however also the strains?Showzirkus? better had grown. The Norseman measured 5.8 m, was 2 meters wide and only 1.4 meters high. It was propelled by a 331-cubic-inch-Hemi with 235 HP. The transmission was not anything special. It found the usual power Flite two-speed AUTOMATIC with finger-tip control use. The enormous back window slid onto push of a button into the roof inside. Also the Interieur was very futuristic. One stylte the interior as one at that time a spaceship introduced itself. The instrument panel consisted the instruments, controls and the radio of a broad percussion pad of that down-hung. One sat on four individual leather seats, all with electrical adjustment and automatically rolling up seat belts. The backs of the frontsitze were coated with luminous paint, since one experimented with alternative interior lighting. Over the color of the Chrysler Norseman is one itself today no longer completely united. Some sources, under it also Chrysler state, the Norseman would be painted and the wheel housings would have been red in two different Gruenmetallictoenen. Exner wanted to have the car silbermetallic, whereby also a photo is shown existed on that the unusual vehicle in silbermetallic, black roof employment and with red interior equipment. To good the latter there is a contemporary article over the Norseman in the Italian magazine?Torino Motori?, in on the lacquer finish of the vehicle as two-colored blaumetallic one reported.

The misfortune, which met the Norseman became kept secret before Virgil Exner the first days. Exner suffered just on 25 July 1956, on exactly the day of the ship disaster a cardiac infarct and was in the intensive care unit of the William Beaumont of hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. Only five days later the sad message was carefully taught to him by its wife, his son and the president at that time by Chrysler.

Today the Norseman lies in 571 meters of depth at the reason of the cold Atlantiks in the wreck of the Andrea Doria. David Bright, an amateur diver, who dipped 93 times since already 1986 to the wreck of the Andrea Doria, examined also the ladedeck Nr.2. Unfortunately a strong current prevails and by continuously whirled up mud is particularly bad the view within this range. Bright confirms that in the loading space concerned a car is located, although it could not identify it to 100% as the Norseman. Ghia confirmed that the precious vehicle was sent not freely in the ladedeck but in a crate from Pinienholz packed on its journey, after 41 years in the seawater however would be anyway already rotted the wood. On the question like the car in deck NR. 2 look, indicate Bright that everything rusted completely.
And which Stockholm became from that? The nose of the misfortune ship was repaired and it provided under different new names further service on the weltmeeren. Momentarily it drives to Prima under the name?Italia "with home port Genova.