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Dodge briefly considered building a sports car in the early 1950s, but the project produced only one prototype. Currently, the 1953 Dodge Storm Z-250 is in the possession of the Petersen Automobile Museum, which recently produced a video about this unique car presented by Leslie Kendall, the museum’s chief historian.
European imported sports cars became popular in the US after World War II, leading Detroit automakers to consider local alternatives, including the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Thunderbird, which were launched in 1953 and 1955 respectively, along with several lower volume models. Chrysler doesn’t produce an equivalent, but it does consider one.
1953 Avoiding Hurricane Z-250
The Dodge Storm Z-250 was the brainchild of advertising executive Fred Zeder, whose father (also named Fred) was a key figure in Chrysler’s early days and had worked on the Airflow model. The younger Zeder opted for a Hemi V-8 and a tube frame chassis with switchable bodies—one for road touring and one for racing.
The Bertone designed body shown here was designed to be removed by simply removing four bolts and replaced with a lighter fiberglass body for racing. It’s unknown whether the fiberglass body was actually built, Kendall notes. The car was originally white with a black roof, with a different hub cap than currently installed.
Storm appeared at the 1953 Turin auto show, but may have appeared at other undocumented exhibitions as well. It made a splash when Zeder parked it outside his Manhattan office, drawing so much attention that the police got involved, Kendall said.
Chrysler did consider a production version, but only briefly, Kendall said. Storm was placed in a warehouse, then acquired by Zeder directly. He later donated it to the college, but got it back, replacing the original machine, which was no longer working at the time. He also repainted the car in its current color and added its current hubcaps during its second ownership period. Finally, he donated the car to Petersen.
This is not just a show car. Prior to being deposited in the Los Angeles museum, Kendall says Zeder took her on a tour of Palm Springs, placing rubber patches and sliding through corners.
Chrysler has finally launched a Dodge branded sports car, albeit without a replaceable body. The Dodge Viper launched in 1992 and kept the Corvette honest until its discontinuation in 2017, much as the Storm Z-250 might have done had Chrysler executives made a different decision four decades earlier.
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