The Pontiac Plexiglas Deluxe Six Ghost Car at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

[f.f.jones]

[trimacar]

At least she’s a happy kidnapee…..

[Walt G]

that has to be the best accessory ever that is waving from the trunk. I will use great patience to refrain from commenting about custom bodies here now or I will get scolded by the moderators.....................😇

[30DodgePanel]

It was said that NO politician had any desire to own one.

 

[8E45E]

On 7/1/2023 at 6:45 AM, Walt G said:

that has to be the best accessory ever that is waving from the trunk. I will use great patience to refrain from commenting about custom bodies here now or I will get scolded by the moderators.....................😇

Not the best car to use to smuggle friends into the Drive-In movie!!

 

Craig

[edinmass]

Didn’t RM sell this car or a similar unit about 10 years ago?

[30DodgePanel]

21 hours ago, edinmass said:

Didn’t RM sell this car or a similar unit about 10 years ago?

 

Yeah, I think it's neat it still lives on...

 

1939 Pontiac Plexiglas Deluxe Six "Ghost Car" | St. John's 2011 | RM Sotheby's (rmsothebys.com)

 

 

More pics here also:

The 1939 Pontiac Plexiglass Ghost Car » TwistedSifter

 

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[8E45E]

On 7/1/2023 at 5:46 AM, trimacar said:

At least she’s a happy kidnapee…..

And real, live 'flashing' turn signals!

 

Craig

[kings32]

I think Don Barlup owned that car at one time   

[Pfeil]

From what I have learned,

back in 1939, the ‘highways and horizon’s’ pavilion by General Motors at the New York world’s fair impressed visitors with its visions of the future. created by Norman bel Geddes (the man who designed the future), the futurama exhibition foretold the communities and transportation systems of 1960, many of which became a reality. these glimpses into the future included inventions that, at the time, seemed like magic: glass that bends; the frig-o-therm that cooks and freezes at the same time; and a talking flashlight transmitting speech over a light beam. sharing the spotlight with these visions was the Pontiac ghost car — the first fully-sized transparent car ever made in America.

known as the Pontiac ghost car, the transparent automobile was constructed based on the deluxe six four-door touring Pontiac sedan. the show car was built by General Motors in partnership with Rohm and Hass — the chemical company that created the plexiglass — and had a total construction cost of $25,000. in the model, the plexiglass created an exact replica that replaced the outer sheet metal. to give it a cleaner look, the structural metal underneath featured a copper wash, and all the hardware was chrome plated. the tires and the rubber moldings were all made in white, adding to the sterile aesthetics.

a second model was constructed for the 1940 golden gate exposition display. after, both show cars traveled to different Pontiac dealerships in the United States where they were displayed — the 1939 vehicle was loaned to the Smithsonian institution during WWII, and it was then auctioned in 2011 for $308,000. the cars were shown in many promotions and were often seen in magazines. overall, the cars were made to showcase everything that goes behind the production of a car, especially in a time were the automotive industry was thriving. in an official release, Pontiac motor division stated, ‘it shows at a glance the hidden value built into Pontiac cars.’

Three cars were actually built.

[Pfeil]

On 7/5/2023 at 3:16 PM, kings32 said:

I think Don Barlup owned that car at one time   

Barlup bought it in October 1973, in 1979 sold to Leo Gephart, sold again to another collector. Don't know which Body this was because the three cars were built on "A" body "B" body and "C" body.

The "C" Body Torpedo was the large car body also used by, Olds 90, large Buick and Cadillac. Pontiac used A, B, and C body in 1940-41.

The "C" body Plexiglass was donated to the Smithsonian until 1947 when it sold the car to H&H Pontiac of Gettysburg Penn. In 1962 it was acquired by Arnold Motors (a Pontiac Dealer).

 

[Pfeil]

On 7/5/2023 at 3:16 PM, kings32 said:

I think Don Barlup owned that car at one time   

Those cars wiring must have been like Japanese cars. Always running grounds back to the main harness to the battery instead of running power to a devise and grounding the devise to the body which in exposed cases to the elements meant a poor connection in due time.

[8E45E]

3 minutes ago, Pfeil said:

Those cars wiring must have been like Japanese cars. Always running grounds back to the main harness to the battery instead of running power to a devise and grounding the devise to the body which in exposed cases to the elements meant a poor connection in due time.

I'm certain any required ground connections would have been wired to one of the inner body panels, or directly to the chassis in the immediate area.  

 

Craig 

 

 

[hook]

I just don't understand it! People look like they can see right through me.

[Lee H]

This 1952 Plymouth was a bit less practical.