Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

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.

This one-of-a-kind 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. Additional information and photographs of this beautiful vehicle below, enjoy!

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

THE 1939 PONTIAC PLEXIGLASS ‘GHOST CAR’

 
- 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)
- 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)

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS

Photograph by AARON SUMMERFIELD for RM AUCTIONS