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Playboy - 1947-1951 | 
| No, the playboy was not invented by hugh hefner, nor was it built in the shape of a bunny. The automobile was the work of three buffalo businessmen: A packard dealer, a pontiac engineer and a garage owner. Hardly 100 of these three-passenger compact convertibles were made. | Specifications performance
Top speed of about 80 mph
engine typedrivetrain: Side valve, 4-cylinder
displacement 91-134.2 cu. In. (1.5-2.2 l) power rating 40-72 hp transmission 3-speed; Optional overdrive chassis: Leaf-spring suspension; 2,035 lbs. Price: $985-$ 1,600 |
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| | About vehicle
Fold-down metal roof
only 155 in. Long on a 90-in. Wheelbase, the playboy, constructed in a former aviation factory near buffalo, new york, had a bulbous-looking front end with a grille featuring three horizontal bars. The metal roof had to be raised or folded down manually. Playboys engine was a 40hp side-valve four-cylinder, first supplied by hercules and later by continental. The car sold for $985.
road to oblivion
the owners tried to finance their enterprise by selling franchises to potential dealers just when the abuse of such schemes was being exposed in a federal investigation of auto-maker preston tucker. Ninety-seven playboys were built before the contents of the bankrupt companys factory were auctioned off in february 1950. A few
195 ls were made in connecticut before production ended for good. These cars were very similar in appearance to the earlier ones but were furnished with a 72hp willys engine and priced at $1,600
Three buffalo businessmen were onto something when they called their convertible the playboy, but they fell well short of hugh hefners later success. |
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