Lot 203

Open Roads, December 2021

1948 Playboy A48 Convertible

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$56,100 USD | Sold

United States | Auburn, Indiana

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language
Serial No.
000079
Documents
US Title
  • Exceedingly rare and collectible piece of American automotive history from a post-war start-up
  • Thought to be the first convertible built in America with a multi-part, retractable hardtop
  • Number 79 of 97 serial-numbered examples believed to have been produced by the short-lived Playboy Motor Car Corporation of Buffalo, New York; allegedly one of about 43 examples surviving
  • Created as an affordable second car for prosperous post-war families
  • Features a streamlined design and technology ahead of its time, including unit-body construction, a coil-spring suspension, and a hinged, folding hard-top that stows flush with the rear decklid
  • Powered by a four-cylinder engine paired with a column-shifted, three-speed, manual transmission with overdrive
  • Equipped with a three-place bench seat, hydraulic brakes, and 12-inch wheels
  • A solid driving example, driven in the 2021 Williams, Iowa, July 4th parade