1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt

Last year’s $3.2 million Oldsmobile F-88 sale has collectors scouring barns and museums for ‘50s dream cars

by Carl Bomstead

The business of building “show” or “concept” cars was in its infancy in 1940, with the notion of showcasing future styling and innovations. The idea dated back to Harley Earl and his 1938 Buick Y-Job, which was such a success that it didn’t take long for other automobile manufacturers to follow Earl’s lead. The Thunderbolt concept was born from a pitch by Alex Tremulis to LeBaron’s head Ralph Roberts to create a pair of “dream cars” in 1939. Roberts was so impressed with the design he organized a meeting with Chrysler president K.T. Keller and Chrysler division president Dave Wallace to discuss the cars: The pair gave the go-ahead to create two different cars based on the Roberts and Tremulis sketches. The Thunderbolt and Newport projects ended up being two of the most interesting cars to ever come from LeBaron, as well as some of the last. The onset of World War II forced LeBaron to halt production. (The name would be revived later by Chrysler for...