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Meet the World's Rarest Dodge: The Bertone-Designed 1953 Storm Z-250

Back in the early 1950s, the U.S. auto industry was still mostly about increasingly bigger and luxurious full-size cars. But as sports cars started crossing the pond from Europe, Detroit automakers began making their own two-seat lightweight vehicles. That's when the Dodge Storm Z-250 was born.
1953 Dodge Storm Z-250 9 photos
Photo: Petersen Automotive Museum/YouTube
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The Chevrolet Corvette is arguably the most iconic American sports car of the 1950s, but it was the only nameplate that joined the still-new market at the time. Nash Motors had introduced the Nash-Healey in 1951, while Dodge dealer Robert Woodill launched the Wildfire in 1952. The Kaiser Darrin arrived in 1954, while the Ford Thunderbird followed in 1955.

Unlike Ford and GM, Chrysler did not jump on the sports car bandwagon, but it came close in 1953 when engineer and race car enthusiast Fred Zeder designed and built the one-off Dodge Storm.

Also known as the Z-250, the unique Mopar was envisioned as a dual-purpose car with swappable bodies. A touring body for everyday driving (the one you here), and a lightweight fiberglass shell that should have turned the Storm into a sports car. It's unclear if the latter was ever built.

To create the Z-250, Zeder teamed up with Gene Cassaroll and created Sports Car Development Corporation. John Butterfield, who was one of Chrysler's top engineers at the time, also joined in.

The Storm was put together using a long list of Plymouth and Dodge parts, including the brakes, clutch, fuel tank, steering system, and rear axle. The HEMI V8 engine was sourced from a truck. However, the space frame and the suspension were built by Butterfield in his basement, while the gearbox was developed by the Spicer Division of Dana Corporation.

While the touring body was designed by Hank Kean and approved by Virgil Exner, Chrysler's head of design at the time, it was built in Italy by Bertone. It took nine months for the shop to complete the task, but the Storm became an instant sensation when Zeder brought it back to the U.S. and parked it in front of the Rockefeller Center in New York. So much so that the police had to come and ask him to move it.

Fred then took the car to Chrysler's design headquarters hoping that his uncle, who was the company's chief engineer at the time, would showcase it for a production run. The project was deemed too expensive to produce and the Storm spent a couple of years in the factory's storage facility.

Zeder managed to get the car back and drove it for around 16 years before loaning it to Northwood University. He recovered it in 1992 with a broken engine and replaced the original HEMI with a 1965 Dodge V8. He continued to drive the car in California until it ended up on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

A stunning piece of history and a design that may have outclassed both the first-gen Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Thunderbird, the 1953 Dodge Storm is one of those unique classics that deserves a lot more until the spotlight. And it finally got a bit more attention thanks to the museum's YouTube "Deep Dive" series. Check it out in the video below.

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About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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