Dodge Firearrow. Photo from tumbler.com

In the 1950s, Americans were in the midst of an industrial growth spurt that brought along an intrigue of anything new with advanced technology. American automakers were only too happy to bring the latest gadgets and designs to the public in hopes of generating higher sales.

The Chrysler corporation jumped onboard by developing their own dream cars, making sure that each of their marques had their own futuristic concept cars for the public. In 1953, Dodge presented it’s first concept car special, the Firearrow. Designed by Chrysler’s legendary design chief Virgil Exner and built by Ghia of Turin, Italy, the concept car ended up being a group of four one-off concept cars.

The first Dodge Firearrow was a sleek roadster, and while it looked as if it could burn up the highways, it was only a mockup with no running gear. The public responded to the concept car however and Dodge built an actual running prototype, the Firearrow II.

The Firearrow III was the next car in the evolution of the sporty convertible that preceded the final version, the Firearrow IV.  The last Firearrow was a convertible with folding top, windows and fully designed and engineered to be translated into series production. Sadly, Chrysler made the decision to not proceed into production and these cars are but a footnote in automotive history.

A 1954 Firearrow III was sold on Friday, January 16, 2009 for $880,000 by RM Auctions. In 2007, a Firearrow IV sold at auction for $1.1 million.

Firearrow Specs:

• 241ci, Red Ram Hemi V8 with four-barrel carburetor
• Rated at 150hp
• Power-Flite automatic transmission
• Independent front suspension with coil springs
• Live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs
• Safe-Guard four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes
• Wheelbase: 119-inches
• Four-seat convertible