Puzzle #322 Solved! Dodge Flitewing, AKA Chrysler K 300

[Otto Puzzell]

Photo Credit: http://www.motorlegend.com

Know what it is?

Please, respond below and let us know the make and model designation of the car posted here.

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[SeaLion]

Dodge Flite Wing from 1961, designed by Exner at Ghia.

[Otto Puzzell]

Very similar, but according to my source, no.

Note to grobo - I'm revealing my source. 

That is all.

[GRAYWOLF]

This monitor is pretty dark, is it related to the Gaylord Gladiator?
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=1674.0

[SeaLion]

[Otto Puzzell]

Interesting...

The site where I found it lists this as the Chrysler K-300 by Ghia. The pictures of the Flite Wing I've seen elsewhere had a large Dodge emblem in the center of the grill, and different wheel covers. I'm guessing it went by the Chrysler name when exhibited in Europe, and a Doge Dodge here.

Since I'll take a work in print over the Internet virtually every time, you get the point for this one. 

[JR]

This gets more confusing. I've located the same vehicle captioned as an unnamed (Ghia designed) Chrysler prototype from 1960. Presumably it was reworked as a Dodge for 1961 show purposes. The chronology makes sense and this vehicle (as KarnUtz points out) lacks the grille badge and radial wheel covers of the Flite Wing. The Flite Wing also had a D-o-d-g-e script on the side. I also located a concept drawing of the car captioned as a Dodge with just the wheels changed (no front badge or side script).

JR

[Allan L]

Since I'll take a work in print over the Internet virtually every time, you get the point for this one. 

But sometimes some books are not any more reliable than the internet . . .

[Otto Puzzell]

True, that. 

Let me say this about that: I trust SeaLion's ability to quantify his answers using the books he has assembled more than I trust my ability to Google and translate pages written in languages other than English. Same goes for Grobo's wielding of his extensive collection of printed works.

[SeaLion]

But maybe the book is wrong this time. I have found incorrectness in some other books, even mine, so maybe this is the incorrectness in this book.

We can't ask Ghia them selves anymore, as Ford did slaughter Ghia some years ago.

[GRAYWOLF]

It could be like the Buick Century/Firebird IV...2 names for the same concept...

[grobmotorix]

1961 Dodge FlightWing Concept Car is this:

[SeaLion]

It could be like the Buick Century/Firebird IV...2 names for the same concept...

It seems that this is the case this time too. It was the same car that was shown two times with two different names and slightly different detailing. This has been done several times in the concept car history.

[Otto Puzzell]

Here is the page where I found this car, which indicates the K 300 was built in 1959.

<<< Link Removed >>>

"Among last creations of Exner, let us quote the Chrysler K 300 of 1959, including one splendid special version is carried out for the Shah of Iran."

[JR]

Sorry to drag this on but I stumbled across some information in my reference library which lead me into new lines of enquiry and pieced to together the following from various sources.

I initially found a picture of the Chrysler K-300 as well a picture of the car belonging to the Shah of Persia (Iran), in situ, as part of his collection. Although there are some differences it is clearly a K-300 but it is strongly rumoured that more than one K-300 was built. The key point though, is that the K-300/Shah car bears no relation visually to the Flite Wing "twins". The K-300 is an earlier car. I've seen various dates attributed, but the most probable is 1957.

Another source uses the Flite Wing twins to illustrate confusion in Ghia records and states that their official title for the Chrysler version is the "300" (note: no letter).

This however starts to make sense, as the vehicle in the original KarnUtz photo is apparently the 1960 prototype for a replacement Chrysler 300. I can find no evidence that this car was ever publicly displayed, or even given a proper model name, as a Chrysler. The replacement 300 idea was dropped and the prototype was reworked as the 1961 Dodge Flite Wing as indicated in my earlier posting.

JR

[Tifosi]

Well, as Harry Belafonte used to sing, "It's clear as mud, but it covers the ground..."


Dan

[Otto Puzzell]

Lots of FliteWing Pics:

[Carnut]

What's this and from when does it date, for 1 point?:

ANYONE FOUND GIVING ANSWERS OBTAINED BY USING GOOGLE SEARCH BY IMAGE MAY BE BANNED FOR AN INDETERMINATE PERIOD!

[oko94]

1961 Dodge Flitewing concept car

[Carnut]

1961 Dodge Flitewing concept car

Quite so; unfortunately it's a repost so I'm merging it.
I checked Flitewing and got no results but I never checked Flite Wing...