1955 Chrysler Streamline X / Ghia Gilda

Starting with the 1956 model year, Chrysler Corporation began adding tail fins to its cars.  According to this Motor Trend article, what inspired this styling feature was the 1955 Ghia Gilda, a car adopted by Chrysler as its Streamline X.  More background can be found here and here.

The Gilda was designed by Ghia under the direction of Giovanni Savonuzzi.  Given its late-April debut at the 1955 Turin automobile show, it might be unlikely that it inspired the addition of fins to Chrysler's 1956 line that was launched not many months later.  However, given the close relationship between Chrysler and Ghia in those days, it is likely that Chrysler's styling boss Virgil Exner was kept abreast of the Gilda project as it matured and that his staff might have provided input for details.

The Gilda seems to have been essentially an aerodynamic exercise, given its wind tunnel testing.  Its tail fins are not prominent, so it is possible that their origin was more for styling purposes than for high speed aerodynamic stability.

Color photos below of the Gilda are via Barrett-Jackson auctions.

Gallery

The Gilda as seen in a museum.  It had no engine, so the front air intake is notional.  Apparently the hood was shaped so that a motor of some kind could be added, though it is still pretty low.

The windshield looks similar to those on some 1955 Chrysler Corporation models -- a moderate wraparound with a backwards-slanting A-pillar.

Wheel openings are small.  The fender line rises, blending into the fail fin.  Rising fender lines were rare then, common today.

The Gilda's rear aspect is more show car fluff than aerodynamic engineering.  The dummy rear grille suggests that a rear-engine configuration was possible, though the room for such a motor is limited.  There's a small central fin that serves no apparent functional purpose.

Side view from the same setting: likely that 1955 Turin show.

The Gilda still exists, though its paint scheme is now two-tone.

Side view emphasizing how little room there is for motors.