This Playboy car appeared before the famous magazine (13 photos)

This little-known micro-car has an important cultural a legacy supposedly giving Hugh Hefner the name for his magazine.





Most of us certainly think of a famous male magazine when the name Playboy is mentioned, but in reality it is the name was known before the magazine of the same name. By definition "playboy" is a man with deep pockets who spends a lot of time on entertainment, changes sexual partners and often behaves irrational.



Now it is clear why Hefner chose this name for his magazine, but did you know that there was another car with the same name? This is about small company from the US state of New York. She existed only four years old, and at first glance, his model may seem very funny, but in fact it is a very revolutionary car.





We live in a time when it's quite normal to see vehicles whose roof can be folded in two or more parts, after which they are safely placed in the trunk. Herself the idea, of course, is not new, and the first case was recorded back in 1919 year when a man named Ben Ellerbeck modified his personal model Hudson in his garage.

Although the idea did not go beyond the prototype stage, it also inspired others to follow the same path. The first production car this layout was the 1931 Peugeot, later followed by Chrysler and Ford followed.



1950s Ford offering with the Skyliner proved particularly popular, but pioneered by American industry in fact there was a model from today's story. Official name companies - Playboy Motor Car Corporation headquartered in Buffalo, state of New York.



It all started in 1946 when a man named Lewis Horwitz owned a very successful Packard dealership. Horwitz noticed a lot of demand on small and economical cars in post-war America, where such the model usually served as the second vehicle in the family and usually used by women.



He founded the aforementioned Playboy with two friends, one of who was an experienced mechanic, and the other was a former Pontiac engineer. The first prototype debuted at the Statler Hotel in Buffalo in the spring of 1946, and in many ways it was a solid cocktail of features.

The tiny two-seater had a cute style, relatively advanced suspension technology and four-cylinder rear mounted engine supplied by Hercules. Playboy promised starting price of just $900, which is in today's money is 11,688.



Horwitz knew from day one that a miracle would have to happen to get his car noticed. By that time, three large corporations had arisen (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler), while smaller manufacturers began to gradually disappear. To get Playboy media attention, engineer Charlie Thomas created a metal roof that retracted into the trunk. Unfortunately, the owner had to do it manually, but even in this case, Playboy was something no one else could boast of.



Serial production was planned for 1947 with a number of important changes. The engine was moved forward and the car offered self-supporting body, which clearly stood out in a sea of ​​rivals. At only 3.96 meters long, it was about two times shorter than traditional Lincoln or Cadillac.



The first examples continued to use the above engine Hercules, but this was later replaced by a 2 liter engine designed Continental. Power increased from 40 to 48 hp, three-speed gearbox mechanical, rear wheel drive. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in about 17 seconds and a top speed of 120 km/h.

The combined consumption was 6.7 liters per hundred kilometers, which was unheard of for an American model of the period. Note that the mass was 860 kilograms.

In the future, a universal was also planned



Although Playboy has attracted a lot of media attentionowl information, this, unfortunately, was not enough for the company's survival. 97 copies of the production model left the factory, plus one more that was completed after the bankruptcy of the company, and plus an early prototype, we get final figure of 99 units.



This is far from the original plan, according to which the annual the supply would be 100,000 copies. Playboy officially announced filed for bankruptcy in 1951, after Horwitz failed to pay huge debts to banks.

Those who have had a chance to ride a Playboy say that the engine prone to overheating, which often leaks the roof. 43 have survived to this day. copy, and five of them are in the hands of the grandson of the founder of the company David Kaplan. He also owns this first prototype and personally restored it in the 90s.



Playboy may not have succeeded in its intention, but a small the number of copies produced makes it highly desirable and expensive today a classic among collectors. One of them was sold for four years back for 132 thousand US dollars and thus opened the way to popularity other "babies" of this arrangement.

Prototype