Thomas Rocket Car 1938

Thomas Rocket Car 1938 by Autocult

Ahead of its Time?  
Student Charles Thomas, who graduated from the GM Institute of Technology in 1935, had a vehicle in his mind that did not exist before and which he was convinced would set new standards in the industry. Charles Thomas found a job at Pontiac after his studies, and yet the desire was greater to build his own car than to work for the US car company. In the middle of 1936 he quit his job. He teamed up with fellow student Norm Richardson and they both started building their Rocket Car in a garage in Batavia.   To realize their unique model they draw on existing parts of the car market. For example, the went for a V8 engine from a current Ford model, to which they mounted a three-speed transmission. The inner workings of his passenger car were not a priority of Charles Thomas. He focused on the design of the car. A central pointed front hood, much deeper than usual embedded front lights, completely with sheet metal covered wheels, and extreme curves on the entire car resulted in a body that was very unusual at the time. Charles Thomas and Norm Richardson were quite proud of their work - in the end it took them almost four years to finish their unique car. Hoping that their unique design would also cause the same euphoria at the big names of the industry, they made their way to the U.S. capital of the automotive industry, in Detroit, and presented it to the three largest manufactures – General Motors, Chrysler and Ford.   However, the reaction of all three companies was not as Charles Thomas and Norm Richardson desired. The company representatives were not as enthusiastic as they were, and the big dream of a series production of their unique car design was not fulfilled!