What does the 1939 Pontia Plexiglas ghost car look like (16 photos)

Visitors to General Motors' Highways and Horizons Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair were stunned by the new product on display: a Pontiac made of Plexiglas, a relatively new material at the time. Called the Pontiac Deluxe Six Plexiglas, it was the first life-size, transparent American car.







All screws and fasteners on the car were chromed for added visibility and wow effect.





The "Ghost Car," as it was nicknamed, also appeared at the 1940 New York World's Fair. A second "Ghost Car" was made for the Golden Gate Exposition, also in 1940, held on Treasure Island near San Francisco.



The first "Ghost" was built on a Pontiac Deluxe Six chassis in collaboration with the German firm Rohm & Haas, which had developed Plexiglas ten years earlier.



Using plans for a four-door Pontiac touring sedan, Rohm & Haas constructed an exact replica of the car's body from Plexiglas. The exhibit cost $25,000 to create—an astronomical figure for the time.



The second exhibit, for the 1940 Golden Gate Exposition, was built on the chassis of an eight-cylinder Torpedo Eight model.



After its appearance at the World's Fair, the "Pontiac Phantom" remained in use for several years for promotional purposes and was on display at the Smithsonian Institution. However, by the late 1940s, the car's design was deemed outdated, and the display was replaced.



It was later resold several times to Pontiac dealerships, and then the unique car was purchased by collector Don Burlap.



Automotive historians claim that the "Pontiac Phantom" is considered the first transparent car in America.