The Flying Wombat on Display!

Automotive historian, writer, publisher and true hot rodder, Ken Gross just finished organizing the world’s greatest display of Art Deco cars and motorcycles called ‘Rolling Sculpture’ on display at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. From the museum catalog: “This exhibition presents a select group of rare automobiles and motorcycles that demonstrate how automobile designers translated the popular new concept of aerodynamic efficiency into exciting machines that looked as though they were moving while at rest.”

There are plenty of stunning vehicles (20 cars and two motorcycles) on display, but the one I’m most excited about is the Phantom Corsair aka ‘The Flying Wombat”. It’s been on display at the National Automobile Museum in Reno for many years but they rarely let it out, so for those of you in the Southeast region, here’s your chance to eyeball it in person. Designed in 1938 at a prototype by millionaire Rust Heinz of the H.J. Heinz food dynasty, the Corsair was meant to be the limited-production custom car of the future. Pasadena coachbuilders Bohman & Schwartz built the massive coupe with seating for six, as the driver was flanked by passengers on each side. The cost to create this show-stopper was a whopping $24,000 at the time, which would be nearly half a million dollars today. The plan was to eventually build six production cars at a cost of $12,000 each, with interest drummed up by the Flying Wombat. Sadly, Heinz was killed in a car accident in the summer of 1939 at only 24 years old, leaving the prototype as the only car ever built.