Playboy Motor Car Corporation was a

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

-based automobile company, established in 1947. Playboy offered a small, one seating row convertible, which was one of the first to come standard from factory with a multi-part,

retractable hardtop A retractable hardtop — also known as "coupé convertible" or "coupé cabriolet" — is a car with an automatically operated, self-storing hardtop, as opposed to the folding textile-based roof used by traditional convertible cars. The benefits ...

. The company only made 99 cars including 1 prototype, 97 finished serial numbered production cars, as well as 1 unfinished car numbered 98 which has survived with zero miles on the odometer (99 cars total),Old Cars Weekly News and Marketplace Volume 47, Number 4, February 8, 2018,pages 48-50 before going bankrupt in 1951.

The company

Company founder Lou Horwitz was a

Packard Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958. One of the "Thr ...

dealer who after World War 2 saw a need for a new smaller car for postwar America, a cheaper car than the Packards he sold. It would be built from outsourced parts and cost around $900. Horwitz recruited friends Norm Richardson (a skilled mechanic) and Charlie Thomas (a former Pontiac engineer). In the wake of

Preston Tucker Preston Thomas Tucker (21 September 1903 – 26 December 1956) was an American automobile entrepreneur. He is most remembered for his Tucker 48 sedan, initially nicknamed the "Tucker Torpedo", an automobile which introduced many features ...

's bad press they had difficulty forming a dealer network, and only finished 97 production cars before declaring bankruptcy in 1951.

The Playboy convertible prototype

The original prototype shares the same general shape as the production model, but features a rear mounted engine layout and a soft folding top.

The Playboy prototype today

It is owned and has been restored by company founder Lou Horwitz's grandson David Kaplan. According to Kaplan, "The black one never had an official number. When I restored it I put a PR on it for prototype." and "I finished it in the early '90s and I don't drive it much but I do drive it."

The Playboy convertible production model

The Playboy had a

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (al ...

four-cylinder

sidevalve A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...

Flory, p.1012. engine driving a three-speed manual

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission *** ...

. It would get . It would accelerate from 0- in six seconds, and 0- in 17 seconds. Advertised top speed was .Flory, p.1013. With a wheelbaseFlory, p.1012. () less than the

Rambler American The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC forerunner Nash Motors' compact Rambler that was introduced in 1950 an ...

), the Playboy measured long overall, and was priced at just US$985. It ran on rims, and weighed . It was offered as a three-passenger

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

with a folding steel top. (A

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

was planned, but never built.) Under-capitalized, Playboy could not compete with better-financed companies offering more conventional cars.

Playboy cars today

Of 97 production cars sold, only about 43 are believed to survive today. Five (including the prototype) are owned by David Kaplan, grandson of company founder Lou Horwitz. Today Kaplan is an authority on his grandfather's car.

Notes

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Sources

*Flory, J. "Kelly", Jr. ''American Cars 1946-1959''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Coy, 2008.

External links

* http://www.playboymotorcars.com/
Short lived/Odd vehicle collection from Chuck's Toyland
Automotive companies established in 1947 Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Defunct manufacturing companies based in New York (state) Manufacturing companies based in Buffalo, New York Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1951 1947 establishments in New York (state) Motor vehicle manufacturers based in New York (state) 1951 disestablishments in New York (state)