1938 Buick Y-Job Concept Car

Also known as the Fireball, the Y-Job was the industry’s first concept car. It was built upon a standard Buick chassis, but had a long, low, streamlined custom body, hand-built by Earl’s craftsmen. The Y-Job featured numerous innovations, including hidden headlamps, power windows and convertible roof, and air-cooled, airplane-type brakes. Not content merely to exhibit it, Earl actually used the Y-Job as his personal car for years.



Designer Harley J Earl was the catalyst for the creation of this unique automobile. Colorful, charismatic and opinionated, Earl left his mark on generations of GM products. The Y-Job was a signpost that pointed to design trends that would endure for decades. Why the Y-Job name? In Earl's lexicon, every new project was a job. The letter "Y" went one step beyond the prosaic X-for-experimental designation and paid homage to the prototype fighter planes that were identified with the prefix "Y" by aircraft manufacturers.

The Y-Job was a collaborative effort within GM Design. Earl supplied the inspiration and a critical eye, George Snyder put the lines on paper and Buick Chief Engineer Charlie Chayne supervised the modifications to the production Buick Century chassis that became the foundation of GM's groundbreaking concept car.

They created a vision that inspired a new genre of automotive art: the Dream Car. With a 126-inch wheelbase and a body that extended more than 17 feet long, the two-seat convertible was an exuberant expanse of streamlined sheetmetal. Sporty yet elegant, the Y-job introduced innovative features such as concealed headlamps, electrically operated windows, flush door handles and a power-operated convertible top that was fully concealed by a steel boot when retracted.