The Chrysler Norseman was a concept car built in 1956. It was a coupé for four occupants. Although designed by Chrysler Corporation's designers, the actual construction was outsourced to the Italian bus company Ghia. Ghia already had experience in the construction of small vehicles and one-off prototypes. (A year earlier, the company had built the very successful concept of the Lincoln Futura.) Ghia craftsmen needed more than a year to build the complex Norseman. Construction
Chrysler wanted a fully-powered vehicle, not just a rolling model, so all normal drive, braking, suspension, and so on systems had to be installed. Much more difficult to manufacture was the unusual wing roof that was attached to the body only at the rear. There were no side pillars, and at the front the roof only rested on a fully frameless windscreen. There was also an open roof, an advanced component for that time, and it was difficult to integrate this into a slim roof structure without support. The door glass could not be opened (there was no fan front), a style theme that would be popular only ten years later. Downfall
The car had to become a distinctive attraction on the Chrysler car show of 1957. Ghia put him on the boat to New York in July 1956. Unfortunately, the car was aboard the disaster ship Andrea Doria, who became involved in a collision to the coast of Massachusetts, causing about 50 people to be killed and the whole cargo lost.
The Norseman has therefore never been shown to the public; Even most designers who worked on it never got to see him. However, he is acquainted with automotive historians by photographs and specifications. Chrysler has never used a winged roof design in a vehicle later.
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