Car collectors pay high prices for unique or unusual cars. The transparent car made for the 1939/1940 New York World’s Fair was sold last week (July 30, 2011) for $308,000 by RM Auctions in Plymouth, Michigan. The 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six “ghost car” was made to show the mechanical parts of the car and to promote the new transparent material, Plexiglas. It may be the only car like it, although rumor suggests two cars were made.
Photo Credit: Aaron Summerfield ©2011 Courtesy of RM Auctions
We are reporters for collectors and every time we report a price; we try to include the buyer’s premium because that is the amount the buyer paid. Cars may be different but most antiques auctions today give prices that include the premium. Thanks for mentioning it.
And yes, there was another transparent car but we could not find anyone who knew where it was now. Can anyone help with this? -Terry
The difference between what items sell for and what they REALLY sell for has always been confusing. If I’m buying, as far as I’m concerned, the total dollars out of my pocket, including commission, is the price of the car. Similar to purchasing a $300,000 home – you wouldn’t say it was a $278,000 home just because the seller had to pay $18,000 to the realtors in commission! It’s a confusing system.
Your article on the 39-40 Pontiac Ghost Car is slightly misleading. Please be aware that the car sold for $280 thousand dollars, plus commission (28K). As a Certified Specialty Car Appraiser I do not consider the commission as part of the fair market value of the car.
I’m quite sure I saw this car in 1940 at the NY World’s Fair. I was about 11 years old at the time. Fascinating.
It’s a little inaccurate to call the existence of a second ghost Pontiac a “rumor,” as General Motors themselves have stated that such a car was built: “A second 1940 ‘Ghost Car’ was built for the 1940 Golden Gate Exposition on Treasure Island, near San Francisco. […] Later, both were shown at Pontiac dealerships nationwide and the 1939 vehicle was loaned to the Smithsonian Institution during WWII.”
Ref: http://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/The_Pontiac_Deluxe_Six_%22Ghost_Car%22