Cory Doctorow:
The March, 1954 edition of Popular Science carried a great article about homebrew car builders and their killer creations. I love this “Manta Ray” car!
MATE A MANTA RAY with a jet plane and this is what you get. Builders V. F. Antoine and G. K. Hire, of Whittier, Calif., work on guided missiles for a living. Shout is a chromed aluminum casting. Bumpers were fabricated from Hudson parts.
Update: Coop sez, “That car was patterned after the 1951 Buick Le Sabre concept car, designed by legendary GM design god Harley J. Earl.”
Originally posted by Cory Doctorow from Boing Boing
Car was built by my grandfather who worked for North American aviation. Influence was from jets that North American was developing, not anything from Buick, especialy considering the manta was actuayl molded before the lesabre was made public. Was sold to collector in Texas, current status unknown