Dodge Firearrow III Concept Car to Fetch $1M at Auction

As the Monterey auction gets closer as we speak, the lots set to go under the hammer at the respective event are being revealed, with one particular item catching our attention today: a 1954 Dodge Firearrow III Concept Car , estimated to fetch between $800,000 - $1,000,000.

Designed by Ghia stylist Luigi Segre, under the direction of Virgil Exner, the Firearrow III project had made a strong visual impact at launch, while mounted on a Dodge Royal regular-production chassis.

Considered to be a car that was not only built for show, but also for go, the blue coupe you can admire in the adjacent images presents itself as the only concept/dream car to ever set and hold a land-speed record, as RM Auctions claims.

More recently the Firearrow III received a “ground up” restoration by Fran Roxas, who returned the car to its original appearance. Finished in its original Opal Blue metallic paint with a color-coordinated interior of matching leathers, it looks just as it did when Betty Skelton was behind the wheel in mid-1954.

That was when she set a new world speed record for a woman on a closed course of 143.44 mph, while wearing a dress and high heels, behind the wheel of the Firearrow III.

“After Betty Skelton’s speed runs at the Chelsea Proving Grounds, Firearrow III was placed on the show circuit, becoming a crowd favorite and serving as the basis for Firearrow IV, an open-top variant. Soon after, the Series III and Series IV Firearrows provided Eugene Casaroll with the inspiration for his limited-production Dual-Ghia convertibles, which were offered in 1957 through Dodge dealers,” RM auctions explains.