Photo: PJ’s Auto World
There is no shortage of unique builds out there, as the world we live in is a creative one. But uniqueness, and at times quirkiness, does not always guarantee an easy sell.
Today’s dose of eccentricity comes in the form of this mixed breed car. Its official title is 1948 Mercury Templeton Saturn, but it is also known as the Bob Hope Special Roadster. And there’s a reason for each of these names.
The thing is far from being a regular Mercury through and through. Sure, the chassis belongs to one (hence the choice of name for the overall build), and so does the windshield, but other cars contributed to its creation too. There’s a very long and sculpted Chrysler hood, Chevrolet fenders, Hudson rear deck lid, Dodge grille, and Pontiac bumpers, among other things.
The build was put together back in the 1950s by Iowa-man Lloyd Templeton, so that explains another part of the official name. As for Saturn, the story goes it was inspired by the fact it was supposed to "run circles" around the cars of its time.
Created as a vehicle for the future, the Mercury was a major star at the car shows of the era. It was so flamboyant that it even made it to Hollywood, where it was supposed to be in a movie that never came out.
While there, it was extensively driven by comedian Bob Hope, who missed no opportunity of putting the V8 under the hood to the test. Because people didn’t know what the car was, it was colloquially nicknamed the Bob Hope Special Roadster.
Despite the accolades and long-gone fame, the one-off machine is proving quite a tough sell. For the past two years or so, it has been on the lot of a dealer called PJ’s Auto World, going for an undisclosed price.
The thing is far from being a regular Mercury through and through. Sure, the chassis belongs to one (hence the choice of name for the overall build), and so does the windshield, but other cars contributed to its creation too. There’s a very long and sculpted Chrysler hood, Chevrolet fenders, Hudson rear deck lid, Dodge grille, and Pontiac bumpers, among other things.
The build was put together back in the 1950s by Iowa-man Lloyd Templeton, so that explains another part of the official name. As for Saturn, the story goes it was inspired by the fact it was supposed to "run circles" around the cars of its time.
Created as a vehicle for the future, the Mercury was a major star at the car shows of the era. It was so flamboyant that it even made it to Hollywood, where it was supposed to be in a movie that never came out.
While there, it was extensively driven by comedian Bob Hope, who missed no opportunity of putting the V8 under the hood to the test. Because people didn’t know what the car was, it was colloquially nicknamed the Bob Hope Special Roadster.
Despite the accolades and long-gone fame, the one-off machine is proving quite a tough sell. For the past two years or so, it has been on the lot of a dealer called PJ’s Auto World, going for an undisclosed price.
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