The Charles Thomas Special, that is. Built to satisfy as what Thomas saw a fast-approaching need for smaller American cars. To Thomas, who predicted the world's oil reserves would dry up within 15 years of building his vision, a car that could reach 70+ MPH and deliver more than 30 miles per gallon of gas was just the ticket. His 1939 Special was an early preview of the 1949 Playboy automobile, which he played a part in designing and building.
Like the Playboy, the Thomas Special's body was welded to its frame - a sort of unibody approach, with the cost, weight and poor packaging of a body-on-frame design, coupled to the higher repair coasts of a unibody.
