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The World of Tomorrow was the slogan for the 1939-40 New York World’s fair. With this Pontiac Deluxe Six, General Motors gave the world a glimpse into a pretty amazing future. This car is a one off that was the result of collaboration with Rohm & Haas, which was the company that had recently created Plexiglas. Rohm & Haas was able to construct the entire car from its molded Plexiglas and copper washed metal substructure. GM had two Plexiglas Pontiacs made, but this is the only one to have survived.
This see through car is truly fascinating to look at. Rarely do you get to see all the inner workings of a car, especially from the outside. There are countless little details that make this car quite incredible to look at. The copper washed components, such as the window regulators and assembly, really standout and look to be in fantastic condition.
To further accent the cars components many were painted with, or in the case of the tires and rubber moldings manufactured in white. The off white color gives the car a very ghostly appearance. The Plexiglas is considered to be structurally sound, but there are plenty of cracks and stretches. It’s astounding to see the angles Rohm & Haas was able to shape the Plexiglas into, it’s no wonder Plexiglas became so important to the war effort and is still so important today.
This Plexi Phantom is powered by a 3.6 liter straight six that produces 85 hp, which routes through a 3 speed manual and a solid rear axle. We would love to see how this car performs next to its steel clad Pontiac siblings to see how the Plexiglas affects weight and body rigidity. We will be watching this car when it goes to auction, this car should go for a fairly large number. We just hope whoever gets it shows it and doesn’t lock it away in their private collection. This car started life as a show piece and that’s how it should spend the rest of its life
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