Giannis Goulandrisilla oli unelma: Ylellinen, nelivetoinen ja hyvillä maastoajo-ominaisuuksilla varustettu auto, jonka muotoilussa olisi vahvoja vaikutteita 1930-luvulta.
Unelman toteutusta edesauttoi huomattavasti se tosiseikka, että ko. herra Goulandris sattui olemaan perinteikkään, yhä nykyisinkin toiminnassa olevan Neorion -yhtymän omistaja. Neorion oli jo aiemmin valmistanut sähköautoja, mutta Goulandrisin mielestä aika oli kypsä siirtyä valmistamaan tavanomaisempiakin kulkupelejä.
Toisaalta Neorion Chicagossa ei ollut juuri mitään tavallista. Sen suunnittelutyön sai hoitaakseen Georgios Michaelin johtama insinööriryhmä, mutta lopputulos poikkesi melkoisesti alkuperäisistä suunnitelmista. Auton voimanlähteenä oli Jeep Wagoneerista tuttu AMC:n veekasi, jonka sovittelu konepellin alle yhdessä haluttujen maasto-ominaisuuksien kanssa aiheutti muutoksia aiottuun ulkomuotoon, ja sai Chicagon näyttämään melkoisen kummalliselta.
Auton ensiesittely tapahtui vuonna 1974 - vain kahdeksan kuukauden kehitystyön jälkeen. Sen teräsrunko oli rakennettu Neorionin omistamalla telakalla ja vahvoin turvarakentein varustettu kori oli puolestaan alumiinia.
On vaikea arvioida moniko olisi öljykriisin aikoina ollut kiinnostunut ostamaan tällaisen brontosauruksen. Siihen ei milloinkaan saatu selvyyttä, sillä Kreikassa tehdyt lakimuutokset ajoivat autonvalmistajat ahtaalle ja Neorion Chicagon taru päättyi jo vuonna 1976. Siihen mennessä kaksi autoa oli saatu valmiiksi. Niistä toinen on museossa Thessalonikissa ja toinen ilmeisesti yksityisomistuksessa Kreikan ulkopuolella.
Loppukaneettina mainittakoon, että suunnitteluryhmää johtanut Georgios Michael oli aiemmin työskennellyt Coggiolalle ja Ghialle ja jatkoi sitten uraansa menestyksekkäästi kotimaassaan Kreikassa.
Kuvat: autofocus.ca, Wikipedia
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A Greek dream
Giannis Goulandris dreamed of a luxurious automobile with a four wheel drive, good off-roading capabilities and a thirties-influenced appearance.
Fulfilling the dream was not as difficult as one might think: Mr. Goulandris happened to be the owner of the traditional Neorion corporation, which is still active. Neorion had already produced electric cars, but Goulandris thought it would be a good time to start making a bit more conventional vehicles, too.
On the other hand, "conventional" is not the first adjective that comes to mind when describing the Chicago. The design work was carried out by a team of engineers with Georgios Michael in charge, but the end result had little in common with the original plans. The Jeep Wagoneer -sourced V8 powerplant wasn`t that easy to fit under the hood, and alterations had to be made. Everything had to be in balance with the off-road abilities wanted by Mr. Goulandris as well, and in the end the Chicago became one weird looking beast.
It made it`s debut in 1974, after only eight months of development. The steel frame was made in a ship yard owned by Neorion, and the body with sturdy steel reinforcements was made of aluminum.
It`s difficult to ponder how many customers would have been interested in buying a behemoth like this, especially at the time of the oil crisis. The question was left unanswered, because legislatory changes in Greece hit the domestic car makers very hard. The short story of Neorion Chicago ended in 1976 and only two cars were completed. One of them has found a home from a museum in Thessaloniki and the other is apparently owned by a private collector outside Greece.
The story of the Chicago may be closed by saying that Georgios Michaelis, the leader of the engineering team, had previously worked for Coggiola and Ghia and his career continued succesfully in his native Greece.
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A Greek dream
Giannis Goulandris dreamed of a luxurious automobile with a four wheel drive, good off-roading capabilities and a thirties-influenced appearance.
Fulfilling the dream was not as difficult as one might think: Mr. Goulandris happened to be the owner of the traditional Neorion corporation, which is still active. Neorion had already produced electric cars, but Goulandris thought it would be a good time to start making a bit more conventional vehicles, too.
On the other hand, "conventional" is not the first adjective that comes to mind when describing the Chicago. The design work was carried out by a team of engineers with Georgios Michael in charge, but the end result had little in common with the original plans. The Jeep Wagoneer -sourced V8 powerplant wasn`t that easy to fit under the hood, and alterations had to be made. Everything had to be in balance with the off-road abilities wanted by Mr. Goulandris as well, and in the end the Chicago became one weird looking beast.
It made it`s debut in 1974, after only eight months of development. The steel frame was made in a ship yard owned by Neorion, and the body with sturdy steel reinforcements was made of aluminum.
It`s difficult to ponder how many customers would have been interested in buying a behemoth like this, especially at the time of the oil crisis. The question was left unanswered, because legislatory changes in Greece hit the domestic car makers very hard. The short story of Neorion Chicago ended in 1976 and only two cars were completed. One of them has found a home from a museum in Thessaloniki and the other is apparently owned by a private collector outside Greece.
The story of the Chicago may be closed by saying that Georgios Michaelis, the leader of the engineering team, had previously worked for Coggiola and Ghia and his career continued succesfully in his native Greece.
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