What you see is what you get

America's first transparent car – billed as a vision of the future more than 60 years ago – is expected to fetch up to UK£ 300 000 = 479 460 U.S. dollars at auction.

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The 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six was built using a special type of perspex by General Motors and chemical company Rohm and Haas at a cost of £15,000.

Dubbed the ‘Ghost Car’ it has clocked up just 140km (86 miles) in its lifetime and is thought to be a visionary in design principles.

‘This motor still turns heads as much as it ever did,’ said a spokesman for RM Auctions which is selling the vehicle in Michigan on July 30.

'The car is in a remarkable state of preservation. It's a testament to the longevity of Plexiglas in an era when automotive plastics tended to self-destruct within a few years.

'Although it has acquired a few chips and cracks, it is structurally sound and cosmetically clear, showing off the Ghost Car's innards as it did in 1939.

'It is not, obviously, suited for touring but as a unique artifact from automotive and cultural history.'

The car made its public debut at the New York World Fair in 1939-40 and is just one of two ever made. The model which comes with a three-speed manual gearbox is thought to be the last of its kind.

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