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-   -   1960 DiDia 150 (https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=853847)

tooski 10-10-2021 05:02 PM

1960 DiDia 150
 
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Emailed to me:

'It was a 1960 DiDia 150. A luxury, custom-designed iconic, handmade car also known as the Dream Car forever associated with its Dream Lover second owner, singer Bobby Darin.

The car was designed by Andrew Di Dia, a clothing designer, who Bobby Darin had met whilst on tour in Detroit in 1957. Darin telling Di Dia at the time that he would purchase the car if he ever hit it big.


For seven years, from 1953 to 1960 the DiDia 150 was hand-built by four workers, at a cost of $93,647.29 but sold to Darin in 1961 at a cost of over $150,000 (1.5 million today).

At the time the car was listed as most expensive 'custom-made' car in the world by the Guinness Book of Records.'

NeighborsComplaint 10-10-2021 06:07 PM

Spacely Industries meets George Barris. What a "Wild One"!

dataway 10-11-2021 03:11 AM

Yes there were also people in 1960 that were stupid and had no sense of aesthetics.

android 211 10-11-2021 02:06 PM

I was reading Bobby Darin grew up thinking his mom was his older sister and his grandmother was his mom. Found out after he was 18. I believe Jack Nicholson had the same situation.

geeteeohguy 10-12-2021 03:15 PM

Based on a Chrysler, obviously. I like it. But then, I like that era of history.

Stuart 10-12-2021 05:20 PM

The body and frame were completely fabricated from scratch by Clarkaiser Customs. The person who designed it was a Chrysler designer, so it's probably safe to assume it was inspired by what he did at his day job.

It originally had a Cadillac engine, but that was replaced with a 427 Ford later on. There's a good description of the car at coachbuilt.com: http://www.coachbuilt.com/des/d/didia/didia.htm

He was a life-long car enthusiast and in the early 1950s had the Detroit custom shop of Clarkaiser modify a number of cars for him. Di Dia was influenced by the creations of Alexis de Sahknoffsky and Harley Earl, so much so he that he drove around in a customized Buick with fins. In 1953 he decided to create his own stylized automobile, enlisting the help of his neighbor*, Edward V. Francoise, to put the design on paper.

*(Di Dia lived at 19130 Riverview St., Detroit, MI and Francoise at 19295 Riverview St., Detroit, MI.)

Francoise just happened to be a Chrysler Corp. automobile designer, and Di Dia comissioned him to turn his ideas into a series of renderings which would end up being the car today known as "Bobby Darin’s Dream Car," a vehicle that looked modern a full decade later, and today is considered to be one of the shining stars of 50s design.


It made quite a splash back then, it was in all the car magazines. I've read speculation that the price was exaggerated to help make it seem more exclusive when it was on the show circuit.

geeteeohguy 10-12-2021 05:24 PM

Chrysler Imperial Windshield and Steering Wheel, at least!

Greg Reid 10-13-2021 11:21 AM

That car is so ugly that it's beautiful... I wouldn't drive it but I really do like it... Somehow.


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