How Playboy and the Auto Industry Collided in Hugh Hefner's Extravagant Empire

Before magazines, photo shoots, and naughty parties, Playboy was an auto company that produced 99 cars between 1947 and 1951. You could say that back then when you said you were going to buy a Playboy, people saw you with completely different eyes.

Cars or women? A tough decision.

It has been six years since the departure of a 20th-century legend, a man whose lifestyle represented a standard and especially a fantasy for many men. It is about Hugh Hefner, who embarked on an afterlife that would hardly measure up to the extravagant life he led here on our planet. Regardless of whether you loved or despised him, Hefner's triumph remains known even today. He built an empire based on adult magazines and dissolute evenings. Essentially, he is part of the admittedly risqué American dream.

However, amidst Hefner's well-known affinity for beautiful women, you may not know the crucial role cars played in his life and business. Indeed, they are the genesis of the name Playboy. Upon initial research, you may understand that the name of Playboy magazine derives from the term "playboys," which, according to the American Slang Dictionary, has been used since 1829 to designate "wealthy bon vivant," where bon vivant are those people who enjoy a very luxurious life.

However, this assumption is only partially correct. In reality, Hugh Hefner borrowed the name for his thriving venture from the Playboy Automobile Company, a modest car manufacturer from Buffalo, New York. Modest, but with grand ambitions to capture the post-war American imagination with its compact cars. The company operated between 1947 and 1951, producing only 99 vehicles before declaring bankruptcy. Still don't see the connection? No problem. We can't all be detectives.

We jump to 1953, when a young Hugh Hefner, a copywriter with a loving wife, a newborn child, and a plan to elevate the adult entertainment industry with a men's magazine, was looking for a suitable name. Initially, he intended to call it "Stag Party," but his plans were thwarted when representatives of an outdoor adventure magazine of the same name threatened legal action.

While considering alternatives, his friend, Eldon Sellers, whose mother had worked at a regional sales office for Playboy Automobiles, suggested using the name of the defunct car company. Hefner adopted this idea, and as they say in America, the rest is history.

How was Playboy automoible born?

But how was the Playboy Automobile Company born? It emerged immediately after World War II, conceived by Louis Horwitz, Charles Thomas, and Norman Richardson. They believed that rebuilding America required a reliable and affordable transport solution. It was a reincarnation of the famous Ford Model T.

However, the industry moguls struggled to profit from small, economical cars, leaving space for truly visionary entrepreneurs to seize the opportunity. Although only Thomas had engineering skills, the three managed to gather $50,000 to assemble a functional prototype in 1946. Built from available components, this small convertible had an unusual configuration with the engine located at the rear but surpassed the competition with design features such as elegant lines, low-set headlights, and a harmonious balance between the bonnet and trunk. Despite the exorbitant production costs of a single car, the enthusiastic public reception convinced them that mass production was about to become a tantalizing reality.

False hopes

Unveiled in 1947, the latest design of the first Playboy car stirred even more enthusiasm. The car boasted a reimagined front-engine configuration, an automatic transmission, a retractable steel roof, an innovative independent suspension system, and a four-cylinder engine with 48 horsepower (35.3 kW). It was also capable of good fuel economy.

To obtain the capital necessary to expand the factory and to start large-scale production, Playboy Automobiles chose to pre-sell franchises for dealers. Furthermore, to arouse interest, it shipped new prototypes to exhibitions across the country. The strategy bore fruit, albeit only temporarily.

With hundreds of franchises sold and eager customers awaiting delivery, Playboy began an initial public offering on Wall Street in June 1948. Motivated to the hilt and with unwavering confidence after their impending triumph, the company had already placed orders for equipment to automate assembly lines. However, funds remained very hard to come by.

Meanwhile, that summer, the US Securities and Exchange Commission stepped up its investigation into Preston Tucker and his famous Tucker 48, scrutinizing eerily similar financing practices. And if we've come to Preston Tucker, we take a moment to recommend a very good movie. It puts Preston Tucker and his controversial actions in the spotlight.

Returning to our "bunnies," investors were reluctant to support boutique car manufacturers in that dangerous period, especially after a Commission report shed light on Playboy's somewhat chaotic foundation. Therefore, caught in this maelstrom, the fate of Playboy Automobiles aligned with that of Tucker's company.

Even though it failed miserably in the auto industry, the Playboy name became famous worldwide alongside Hugh Hefner, who gave it a different connotation and turned it into a symbol of America.