Pre 1973

1939 Pontiac Plexiglass Ghost Car
Unveiled at the General Motors Highways and Horizons pavilion at the 1939-40 World’s Fair in New York, the Pontiac ‘Ghost Car’ was buit on the chassis of a 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six.

In collaboration with Rohm & Haas, a chemical company that had recently developed Plexiglass, the concept for a transparent car was conceived and it was the first one ever built in America.

The highlight of the 1939-40 World’s Fair in New York and the first transparent car ever built in America.

- Series 26. 85 bhp, 222.7 cu. in. L-head six-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

- The structural metal underneath was given a copper wash, and all hardware, including the dashboard, was chrome plated.

Rubber moldings were made in white, as were the car’s tires


- Cost a reported $25,000 to build (using Consumer Price Index to estimate inflation, it is approx. $388,000 in 2010 US dollars)

I have no vested interest in this ... I just post the info :


This vehicle will be put up for auction on July 30, 2011 by RM Auctions in Plymouth, Michigan.

The car is estimated to fetch between $275,000 – $475,000.

- Car still rides on its original white tires with odometer reading of 86 miles (138 km)
- Does not have a conventional vehicle identification number (therefore not street legal)

http://www.rmauctions.com/Default.cfm?SaleCode=SJ11

Thats really cool. I had a 46 pontiac ... hated it! I read somewhere thaqt white is the natural color for rubber and the suppliers add black color for tires for whatever reason.

Our Goodyear hydraulic and belt representative told us they add carbon black to the rubber but couldn't explain why it is added other than for color. I had no further interest in the discussion anyways since the Captain had just uploaded more photos.