Not all of the impressive concept car designs come from modern times, as is evident by the 1948 Norman Timbs Special. Take just one look at this interesting and unique vehicle, and you just know that there’s something special about this car.
The Norman Timbs Special (also known as the Norman Timbs Buick Streamliner) was a custom made vehicle created by mechanical engineer Norman E. Timbs back in the 1940’s. Back in those days, vehicles that featured smooth curves and a flowing shape were very popular, and he wanted to create something a bit different.
He designed and constructed the car entirely by hand, and 2 years and $10,000 dollars later (over $98,000 today), the Norman Timbs Special was born. It’s unique all-aluminum body was made by Emil Diedt, who formed the body also by hand. The vehicle uses a Buick Inline-8 engine that delivers a total of 200 bhp. The chassis was made from air craft tubing, and the other mechanical parts were from an old Mercury while the suspension was from a Ford.
The Norman Timbs was powerful enough to hit speeds of 120 mph, which was a lot back then, especially for a car that weighed some 2,200 pounds. Timbs drove the car for a number of years until it was sold to a man in California in 1952. Then shortly sometime after the car was lost. It was then found in the desert in 2002 and was completely restored by Dave Crouse. While you cannot put a price on a car like this, the Norman Timbs Special is one of the more memorable and interesting American cars, and one that is sure to turn heads.
Photos from conceptcarz.com
