The time: 1938.  America was emerging from the Great Depression, war was looming on the horizon, and the promise of a bright tomorrow seemed a long way off.  Popular design of the time was the "Streamline" look.  Architecture, furniture, appliances and cars carried this smooth, flowing design philosophy.  The Chrysler Airflow and Pierce Silver Arrow are two of the more familiar examples of this idea.  But even these automobiles compromised somewhere in their design.  Fenders may have been faired into bodies; noses rounded off.  No car from this era carried a truly organic body design.  Until the Phantom Corsair.  No badges, extra trim, or frills.  Rounded contours flow undisturbed from nose to tail, with only headlight and bumper protrusions as a necessity.

It's creator, Rust Heinz, the second son of H.J. Heinz of Pittsburgh, PA, owner of the Heinz condiment empire, knew well how to enjoy financial freedom.  He designed and raced motorboats, knew the right people, and attended Choate, Andover, and Yale, majoring in naval architecture.  In Pasadena, CA, Heinz collaborated with Christian Bohman and Maurice Schwartz, proprietors of a successful custom body shop.  With their help, he began designing his dream car.  Though his family in PA was reluctant to finance his vision, Heinz's aunt, a Pasadena resident,was willing to pay the bills.  In less than a year, the vision became a reality in the Corsair.  After touting the Corsair in brochures for a year, and shortly after showing it at the New York World's Fair in 1939, Heinz died from injuries sustained in a road accident.

 

 
THE CAR

The Corsairs aluminum panels were hammered into shape and fastened to a tubular frame.  A layer of cork, at some places 1.5 inches thick, was applied to the inside of the body, then sealed with rubber.  The 1936 Cord L-head V-8 engine and 4 speed front drive transmission were fitted, along with the suspension and some instruments and other mechanisms.  Inside the vehicle, Heinz installed monitors for everything, including direction and altitude.  An overhead panel contained switches and indicator lights, and gauges filled every space of the instrument dash, which ran the width of the interior.

The front seat could accommodate four, and two in the back seat sharing space with beverage cabinets holding spun aluminum tumblers and decanters.  Other touches including a hydraulically operated hood, and push-button solenoid door buttons that actuated small panels above the door to flip up when pushed.  Tinted safety glass - a rarity then - was used for the windshield.  The bumpers were on telescopic mounts designed toincrease impact protection.

Despite the light alloy body, the car weighed in at a healthy 4565 lb.  Not surprising, considering all the insulation, gauges, hydraulics, solenoids,and drinking cabinets!

Its maiden voyage revealed a few problems, though.  The standard Cord radiator was not up to the task of keeping the engine cool.  More louvers were cut beneath the front bumper, and eventually two Zephyr radiator cores replaced the original unit.

Another issue became obvious the moment it hit the road.  The wonderfully curved and blended windows were too small to be useful.  To make things worse no rear-view mirrors were installed, making lane changes and parking maneuvers a harrowing task.

None of this mattered to its creator, who continued forward with brochures offering replicas for $14,700 (incredibly high by 1938 standards).  But none were built.  The Corsair did make an appearance on the cover of the March 1938 issue of MOTOR AGE magazine and in a forgettable movie, The Young in Heart.  As "The Flying Wombat", it was seen with Paulette Goddard and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

A year later, it was displayed at the New York World's Fair.  After Heinz died in July 1939, the car passed to the Heinz family which had no use for it, and sold it to a family friend, who sold it to a used car dealer.  Several owners - including the Granatelli brothers, an attorney to President Truman's staff and a member of the Studebaker family - passed the Corsair along before it was purchased by Hoosier comedian Herb Shriner in 1951.

Shriner was an avid car enthusiast, and eventually decided to redesign the Corsair, and commissioned Albrecht Goertz (who designed the lovely BMW 507) to do the styling.  Unfortunately, the word lovely could not be applied to the Corsairs conversion.

After Shriners death in 1970, the Harrah Automobile Collection purchased the car, and restored it to it's original specifications.  Now on display at the Harrah Museum in Reno, Nevada, the car stands as a monument to the visionaries who created it.

Wow Arv.  I am impressed.  We saw the Corsair at Harrah's several years ago.  Very spooky looking.  Trish