1977 Ford-Ghia Megastar Concept

Ford used Ghias very well seasoned skillset to produce some practical concepts for commercial production, but the other purpose for owning Ghia was for Ford's young designers to learn and express their true abilities and ideas which resulted in creating some really wild one off show cars that screamed future, just as Ghia was originally intended. One of the most significant show cars built in this era of the Ghia-Ford relationship is the Megastar. With a very exaggerated "greenhouse" feel on the outside and inside with amazing visibility, the sides of the car are 80% glass! Aerodynamics were in full effect with a wedge shape, low centre of gravity and round smooth sides, this was the beginnings of the modern supercar age where this shape defined the futuristic supercars of the era. It certainly was influenced by a few previous Italian designs such as the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo concept by Bertone, the Ferrari P5 and P6 by Pininfarina and of course Ghias own DeTomaso Mangusta and Pantera designs. Based on the Ford Granada chassis, the Megastar is powered by a pretty powerful 3 liter V6 and an automatic transmission for comfort. It even has dual exhaust that has a pretty aggressive tone. The inside certainly has an Italian feel with a leather wrapped dash and Italian sport steering wheel, but the shapes are very futuristic with a mid-century twist with square shaped gauges and a mechanical analog clock smack center of the dash. Four color keyed bucket style seats with very defined futuristic cushions give it a very spaceship feel. Originally upon its completion, the Megastar was revealed at the 1977 Geneva motor show where I am sure it gained some big attention. It was also shown at the 1978 Chicago auto show on the Ford stand. From then on the Megastar disappeared into the storage facilities of the Ford Motor Company.