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1939 Coachcraft Roadster news, pictures, and information

Convertible Coupe
Coachwork: Coachcraft
 
This car is the first vehicle custom built by Coachcraft. Commissioned by Hollywood socialite Paul Planette, the car was built in late 1939 and early 1940. Planette was a ladies' man and active 'player' on the Hollywood social scene. In a time when actors such as Clark Gable had special cars built to their own specifications, Planette followed suit by commissioning Coachcraft, the craftsman behind many of the Packard-Darrin vehicles, to build this custom Mercury-powered roadster.

Known as the 'doorless wonder', it has a 1939 Mercury chassis, rear fenders and bumpers; 1940 Mercury grille, engine, dashboard; and custom body work by Coachcraft. Several years after the car was completed, Mr. Planette was involved in a serious accident which resulted in significant changes being made to the front of the car. In the mid-1970s, the car was found with a stream running through it. The current owner found the car in an old warehouse when he was 17 years old, back in the mid-1980s. The car has not been seen in public for almost fifty-years.
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Introduces Its First Sport Customs Class
One-off Sport Customs designed to turn heads while tooling down Main Street USA will roll onto the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links for the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 19. This year, for the very first time, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is hosting an entire class dedicated to Sport Customs. 'These are one-of-a-kind cars built in the US, on modified American production chassis with American engines by individuals, designers and craftsmen,' explains auto...[Read more...]
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