(first posted 10/19/2015) CC Cohort Gene Herman posted this “Freshwater Shark Sighting”, or more specifically, a 1939 Graham “Shark Nose” Supercharged Coupe. Yes, it’s a bold design, and not just for its dramatic reverse-slanted front end. I found a Shark Nose sedan in Eugene, and did a CC on it here, but I’ve never seen a coupe in person.
It was designed by Amos Northup, one of the most talented and progressive designers of his time. His superb 1931 Reo Royale was followed shortly by the 1932 Graham Blue Streak, often considered “the most imitated car” of 1932, as so many 1933 models from other brands paid homage too its advanced flowing radiator grille and other aerodynamic design elements. For 1938, Northrup really let out all the stops, and…jumped the shark.
This was a very bold design for 1938, and as is often the case, it was a bit too far out there for America’s rather conservative tastes. This would have gone over well in Paris, but not on Main Street, USA. The car that was supposed to save Graham sunk it.
This coupe is even more delicious than the sedan, and my eyes and attention are having a hard time moving on to something else.
The full sob story here: CC 1940 Graham Shark Nose Supercharged Sedan
An unfortunately incomplete design in search of a significantly better rear end.
Like a mashup of Mae West and [ insert favorite modern ‘star’ with a Brazilian butt lift ]
+1
Great find, I wonder how many are left?
A very perceptive observation, fahrver. The story I have heard is that Amos Northup, the stylist responsible for the radical look of the nose, suffered an untimely accidental death before he had a chance to finish the project and the rear half was done by more conservative in-house Graham engineers.
Kim Kardashian?
Photoshop the two ‘modern’ cars out of the second pic, and you’d have a hard time telling is a recent photo!
My eye keeps wanting the windshield to rake forward, too, however.
Beautiful car.
I like it, it looks like it came from a Dick Tracey comic.
Agreed – it looks like a car right out of a comic book.
+1 again, but I still rather like it.
Exactly – and that’s why I like it!
It was in comics, but it was Batman’s Batmobile. It wasn’t a stock Graham but it was clearly inspired by the Graham.
Or maybe a 40s vintage Marx tin toy car.
I am not sure I have ever seen a sharknose coupe. You are right, a guy could stare at this for an hour or more. The profile view shows so many trends – the beltline that dips lower than the windshield, the thin aluminum (?) door uppers that most think came from the 1938 Cadillac Sixty Special, and the squared off decklid that would be common by the 50s.
This one would have made a great convertible. In fact, I see just a touch of early Lincoln Continental in its shape, at least in the rear 2/3 of it. It looks stunning in silver.
Yes, there’s a lot of design elements here that would become commonplace some years later. The front end is a bit over-wrought, but the basic shape of the car is really predicting trends of the post-war years. The extended squared-off trunk alone is way ahead of its time. This is one of the very first “three box” cars ever, a design pattern that would soon dominate until the end of the century, or more.
The roof shape is also very advanced, looking more like something from the late 40s or so. And there’s more…
You nailed it, jp. Those unusual thin profile window frames are just like those on the Cadillac Sixty Special. They’re are chromed, not aluminum although Cadillac beat Graham to the punch by one year. Also of note are the high brake lights mounted at the base of the C-pillars. Pretty flashy for a medium priced car, hey?
I’m not surprised you’ve never seen a Model 97 Supercharger Combination Coupe. I’ve been told that only about 1500 were ever made. And as rare as the coupe is, the convertibles are even more so.
Photo from the web….
although Cadillac beat Graham to the punch by one year.
How so? Both came out in 1938.
I think the 1938 Graham is at least as advanced and influential as the 60 Special; more so, actually, in terms of the faired-in headlights and the squared off trunk, as well as the dip in the belt line.
Although the “Spirit of Motion” designs were introduced in 1938, the thin pillar Combination Coupe wasn’t produced until the 1939 model year, Paul. Ad copy courtesy Alden Jewell.
Aha.
And how cool and swoopy was the 1938 three window coupe? Ad also courtesy Alden Jewell.
Was the ’38 three-window actually built? I can’t find a single photo of one on the ‘net (other than the advertisement). It’s one of the coolest cars I’ve ever seen. The sedan that ‘did’ see production? As other have stated, the rear have just doesn’t match up with the sharknose.
Very possibly not, rudiger. I’ve certainly never seen one and the book I have that lists 1938 Graham production shows only four door sedans in the 96 (non-supercharged) Series and 97 (Supercharger) series.
I agree about the styling. To my eyes, it’s even more attractive than the ’39 in my photos.
WHEW ! that ’38 three window Coupe ROCKS .
Truck tires and all =8-) .
-Nate
Just gorgeous, innit? If a car can look that good in BROWN you know it’s got something goin’ on. Unfortunately, it’s beginning to seem like that particular model never got beyond the advertising stage.
This would be a good project for someone with much deeper pockets and better mechanical skills than I. Find a derelict Sharknose and buy one of those aftermarket fiberglass Lincoln Zephyr custom bodies. Slice it and dice it appropriately and combine it with the Graham nose clip.
Drop it onto the Graham frame equipped with a modern drivetrain and running gear and shazzam: a one-of-a-kind dream rod. It doesn’t cost anything to dream! 😉
Amos Northup died in February of 1937, so unless this coupe was designed by someone else, it may have already been penned before the 60 Special was seen.
It would take some digging to answer that question definitively.
That’s distinctly possible. I sure don’t know. But since the 60 Special debuted in 1938, it’s design was probably finalized by what, late 1936 or early 1937? Whichever way these two groundbreaking designs happened, either by sheer co-incidence, accidental cross pollinating or industrial espionage, their beauty and influence cannot be denied.
The three window coupe has to be one of the flat out most beautiful car designs that I think that I’ve ever seen. It’s a shame that it never went into production, because it would have likely been one of the more influential car designs in automotive history.
Unhappily, according to Michael E. Keller, author of “The Graham Legacy: Graham-Paige From 1932” the Spirit of Motion three window coupe illustrated in the sales catalog never reach production. One three-window coupe was built in France by custom coachbuilder Pourtout, its an even more slick and elegant design than the factory proposal.
The Combination coupes didn’t join the line until the 1939 model year. Unless drawings dated 1937 with the thin, stainless window frames can be found, inspiration for that elegant feature likely came from the 60 Special.
Not sure about the coupe dimensions. I love the sedan, but the styling on the coupe looks a little too large for the car, if that makes sense. In a very odd way, this reminds me of a Triumph Mayflower. (I am seeing Triumphs in everything at the moment though.)
Nice car .
In 1968 my middle Brother bought a four door out of a Farmer’s barn in New England , changed the points and oil and drove it a while , it was a very nice car , beautiful to behold .
-Nate
Not to be TOO clichéd about it but, “bet you wish you still owned it.”
At that time I had a badly rusted out floors ’59 Ford F-100 step side pickup truck I thought was the bees knees , being it was mine and all .
As we drive around and I point out the various old vehicles I know about having had one back in the day , my Son occasionally gets frustrated and says ” jeeze dad , if you had all those really cool cars ., why are we riding in _this_ thing ?! ” .
Because my Son : I always drive the vehicle _I_ want , not what anyone else thinks I should =8-) .
-Nate
Wise words indeed, Nate.
BTW Gene ;
I talked to my Brother about his Graham , he said it cost him all of $400 , a large amount of money in 1968 .
He found it in up state New York and thinks it’s still in the Graham collection he sold it to several years later .
-Nate
Glad to hear it survived, Nate. And, yeah. I’m old enough to remember how far you could stretch US$400 in 1968! 😉
Absolutely love it, but the roof looks a little off on the coupe. Those are by far the coolest tail lights and headlights of the pre-war period. It would take a lot of fortitude to restore one of these, but it would be so worth it.
It took me a long time to learn to like this design, but I love it now. I think the coupe is the better looking design. I have seen these made into street rods. Although the builder may have saved one from the crusher, it still was kind of sad to see one modified. Of course a small block Chevy was used for power in the street rods.
Grahams are a special case in our town. This is the hometown of the Graham brothers. Their Prairie Style former mansion is a couple of blocks from my house. I was given a tour of the home several years ago by one of the sons of Robert Graham. On one of the walls was the art from one of their ads. It was an original painting by Norman Rockwell and showed the Blue Streak. Several members of the family still live around here.
I wonder if the Graham was the inspiration for the trackside classic Baldwin Sharknose
Now there’s a thought! The Sharknose was a radical departure, at least from a styling standpoint, from the ‘Babyface’ models that preceded it.
Interesting connection, and a definite possibility!
That’s another one that I hope sees the light of day again. Evidently there are two remaining Baldwin Sharknoses, or at least there are thought to be. Locked away in a private rail shed owned by a reclusive fellow who’s never been willing to sell, or to even confirm that they are in fact in there. (Last info I heard on the subject anyway.)
Sweet looking car! The first time I saw one was in a magazine article that talked about Best and Worst automobile design. The Spirit of Motion (aka Sharknose) was among the worst of designs. I can’t imagine, for the life of me, what the worst design features were. Its front end shape, perhaps?
Didn’t Henry Kaiser buy out the manufacturing operations of Graham-Paige to serve as the basis for Kaiser-Frazier? Not that the Kaiser looked anything like this…….
Joe Frazer, one of the partners in Kaiser-Frazer, had been President of Graham-Paige Corporation prior to World War II. After the war, Kaiser-Frazer acquired the automotive assets of Graham-Paige.
This is bold and appealing to me, but it’s just not quite right to my eye. I wonder if additional molding along the belt line aft of the hood would help unify the design. It’s almost as if you have 2 different cars joined together at the cowl. Nevertheless, it’s a daring design which we rarely see in the US anymore.
While “The Spirit of Motion” Graham was out ahead of public taste, it wasn’t completely Northup’s design work: he had sketched out the basics in 1935 and was in further development when he died in February 1937 after slipping on an icy sidewalk and cracking his skull. It was finished up by Graham body engineering. Originally, it was to be a fastback and also designed to have the front fenders fade into the doors like the ’41 Packard Clipper.
Only the four door sedan was available initially for 1938, though an attractive three window coupe was illustrated in the brochure. The two door bodies were added for the 1939 model year, both the sedan with the longer top and the shorter-top Combination Coupe which have been credited as built by Hayes Body Company of Grand Rapids, MI. The elegant, narrow stainless-trimmed window frames took inspiration from the ’38 Cadillac 60 Special. Hayes was also building at the same time a run of 1000 Victoria coupe bodies with the same window treatment for Chrysler. Mercury also had that attractive feature on their 1939-40 club coupes and it would shortly appear on the Lincoln Continental coupe for 1940. Its a shame it wasn’t picked up by more manufacturers.
Now, that is a rare sighting! Wow. Nice to see something like that just cruising along down the street, instead of on a trailer. . . part of me wants to see what this would have looked like with a 1947-ish fastback roofline : )
I always thought these cars spectacular but a bit over the top for my taste until I saw this one advertised on ebay, and immediately wanted it.
http://www.classiccarsamerica.com/vehicle/5539433/1939-graham-combination-coupe-mokena-illinois-60448
Wow! What’s not to like (except maybe those rims, LOL) ? Looks like a first class build and in a tastefully understated color. Nothing like a subtle lowering job to improve the looks of ANY car even one I like as much as The Shark.
For the love of God, why? The builder of that car needs strung up.
+1, if there’s a better reason to bring back hanging I’ve yet to see it. A rare car spoiled
Some 25 years ago I took my then young Son to Wa. State for visiting and chanced upon a 100 % intact , undented 1938 Dodge Coupe that was covered in moss , windshield completely de laminated by all the moisture .
I looked at it and my Son rolled his eyes thinking I was going to drag home yet another pile of junk to bring back to life .
Instead , I realized this incredibly beautiful Coupe could only be saved by a die hard Hot Rodder or Customizer .
Sadly , sometimes a Classic is simply too far gone to save so Hot Ridding it makes sense .
-Nate
30 years too early. The reverse-sloped front was all over cars by the late ’60s, and that little dip in the beltline behind the windshield pillar resurfaced at GM on the Monza, ’77 Caprice, and others. For some reason, I see alot of Graham sharknose in the ’65 Riviera.
Also shark nose BMWs of the late 1960s
Also current generation Dodge trucks.
Found here
(Note to editor: It would be great to be able to post more than one photo per post, but I don’t see any way of doing that here)
The car in the post is more two door sedan than coup’e as the pic of the actual coup’e proves, Interesting and having only ever seen a sedan in the metal a great find.
While the greenhouse looks modern, the front-end ensemble reminds me of old-fashioned locomotive. The lower grille suggests a cowcatcher.
The modern trend in front-end design was exemplified by the 1938 Lincoln Zephyr, with its horizontal grille and “catwalk cooling.”
A lot of disparate design elements here, as others have already mentioned, it looks like 2 cars joined together in the middle. Aside from the radically undercut front grill, what I noticed most of all was how bulbous the fenders were, and this at a time when all cars were starting to smooth their separate fenders and blend them more cohesively into the bodywork.
Yes, the French took to the Sharknose Graham like ducks to water, created wildly-styled coachbuilt bodies in tune with its styling ethic.
The parallelogram door hinges on that Saoutchik coachwork are just the crowning over-the-top touch.
I’ve always loved the Sharknose. It reminds me of a 1937 Willys taken to the next level.
Probably because Amos Northup designed the Willys too! They share a number of similar design elements.
I had wondered if the two designs were related. The Willys is like the Graham’s goofy but endearing kid brother.
Mmmm, I’ve only ever seen the sedan and had no idea until now that there was a coupe version. I think it looks absolutely fantastic!! I can see I’m in the minority, but I find the front and rear to work well together – they combine to form a very unique and distinctive shape, definitely prescient. Oddly, the roofline reminds me strongly of the Morris Minor. Amazing find Gene, and thank you for sharing it Paul!
The rear side window does have the same shape as the Morry doesn’t it! I also see echoes of the Continental in the profile of the trunk. I gather the mechanicals were less of a highlight than the styling though.
Supercharged 6 not exactly run o the mill
Graham sourced all their flathead engines from Continental, the propriety engine maker. They were made to Graham’s design and specifications, delivered as short block assemblies for Graham to finish for installation. The addition of supercharging was added for some models to get more performance from what was a very conservative, under-stressed, utilitarian power-plant in the 217.8 cu. in. flathead six.
Supercharging was generally associated with upmarket glamorous makes such as Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg. The centrifugal supercharger delivered a 3-5 psi boost, good for 20-30 more horsepower when in full affect. Whether they really added much benefit to drivability is doubtful, but it also looked good in the advertising, a feature few others offered.
I’ve seen one of these that was hot rodded on the road in Maine. My first reaction was disbelief, followed by the sadness that it had been rodded. After thinking about it for awhile the hot rod aspect bothered me less. At least that car was being used and being seen, and the reality of the situation was likely that trying to restore such a rare 75 year old car would be impossible for most people. A lot of this old iron is going to rot away and if hot rods are their only hope then I guess that’s a good thing.
if it was the only one left, it would be a sin. But it’s not. Some people aren’t satisfied having a beautiful old car that is dangerous at today’s speeds. If you live in a hilly area, the hillclimbing and braking ability of the Sharknose era is not confidence inspiring. This guy left The exterior of the car alone. It could be returned to stock.
This car really needed to be a fastback, or at least be longer. The squared off stubby trunk messes up the proportions. For some reason, the “too short in back” mistake keeps getting made. You see it in the 1980-85 Seville, the Chrysler Crossfire, the Bangle-butt BMW’s, and a whole host of designs from the current decade, now that rear overhang has been strictly forbidden.
You’re missing the point. This may be the first car ever with such a clearly defined trunk, and as such predicts a trend that eventually ended up in the massively long trunks of the late 50s and 60s. It’s a trend setter, and deserves to be seen as such. Everybody had fastbacks in the late 30s; this was something that already looked beyond them.
Another one of those prewar cars I’ve never heard of.
I’ll be honest, I’m going to join the chorus and say I’m not the biggest fan of this design. I guess my problem is, I look at this car, and I see a lot of similarities to the earlier Cord 810/812. I know it may not be fair to compare such radically different cars based on design, but it’s something that just can’t be avoided in my eyes. I think that this car has some design touches and details that seem a bit muddled and confused, whereas the aesthetically similar Cord is a much cleaner and less busy design that works on a lot of levels.
Nevertheless, while I don’t like this design, I can’t at the very least respect it’s boldness. I understand the appeal that it may have to someone else, and the fact that it makes absolutely no compromises to what it sets out to do. Sometimes I can respect a design in it’s intent, even if I myself am not a supporter of it.
Nothing can top the Cord 810/812 for originality and advanced design, although this car does have some aspects that are more forward-looking, like the clearly defined boxy trunk and three-box shape. But the Cord’s front end is in a league of its own.
I can see now how it influenced the 66 Toronado as mentioned previously
I like to consider myself a pretty knowledgeable car guy, but I’ve never heard of this car, or the Graham brand. That’s the neat thing–that there’s the feeling that there’s always something that’s old that can be new to somebody (which is the reason I read CC…..information and knowledge about obscure cars). I love the over the top styling……the forward leaning/ slanted lines may be too extreme for some people, but the styling of a vehicle looking like it’s in motion when it’s at rest, has been emulated on many exotic cars and sports cars (and some muscle cars, too). As someone mentioned in the comments section, something like the 60’s Rivieras look like it they could be influenced by the shark nose Graham.
The back of the car looks a bit lopped off, as some have mentioned, but to me, it is an incredible design. It is a clearly defined trunk (as some have pointed out here), and seems to still fit the forward leaning stance of the car. Instead of just having a rounded back (as many of the cars of the day had), it looks as though Graham was trying to pare down the dimensions/ weight of the car. If they’re using supercharging to improve fuel economy (as they mention in their ad copy at the time, also the mentioning of supercharging saving weight in not needing a bigger engine to produce the same level of power), you’d think that they wouldn’t want an extraneously large back/ slope on the car that would also add weight. We can see from the proposed three seater, that the rear haunch/ trunk area forms an incredibly beautiful (and aerodynamic) way to finish the car’s lines off.
Here’s another take on it–from the ad copy at the time, it was clear that they wanted their customers to be aware of the aircraft inspired reasoning behind the supercharging. Imagine some of these designs, transposed to the 50’s, when you had a lot of cars with sharp, aircraft/ rocket inspired styling, and lots of swooping lines. Granted, the shark nose leans forward as if it’s leaning forward/ running to gain momentum in a race, rather than 50’s styling which is generally reversed (suggesting wind and aerodynamics sweeping the car back through the air). But guys like Bill Mitchell, Larry Shinoda (the early designs for the Mako Shark/ Stingray were extremely far out), and Virgil Exner were all inspired by the “way over the top” styling that really could be a love it or leave it proposition. The Corvette, itself, was heavily maligned for a variety of reasons, and took Mitchell, Harley Earl and Zora Duntov-Arkus to really fight for it and what it could eventually become.
Chevrolet had the money for that sort of thing; Graham did not. You wonder about what the three window coupe could have been, considering it looked like a two seater (?), sported supercharging, rear fender skirts, and had an undoubtedly European flair in its styling. I’m thinking that it could be one of the earliest (if not the earliest) “personal luxury coupe”. The original two seater Thunderbird had Paxton supercharging, two seats, rear fender skirts, a distinctive Euro flair, and a windswept, aerodynamic look.
What an extraordinary shape. Great find.
A Graham billboard touting the blower:
I think these are absolutely amazing–to see one on the street would be an incredibly rare privilege! The official model name “Spirit of Motion” is perfect–everything about that front end design suggests motion. And the details are one of the best examples of art deco/art moderne distilled into one automobile. Positively fantastic–and trend-setting with the separate trunk.
A promotional angle I never would have considered:
As difficult as these cars were to sell, I’m sure Graham dealers tried anything and everything they could think of to move them out of showrooms. Cool copy in both cases, Sally.
One more:
somebody gave one the full “Delage” treatment. as somebody said, it would work in Paris.
Now that’s a custom I can get behind! Some striking similarities to the F&F Delahaye 135 “Torpedo” and 165M roadsters.
Be still my heart! It seems that the Portout three window was used in a French film released in 1955 called “Gueule d’ange” (Baby Face).
Similarity to the catalog illustration is striking, although this one has the trademark Portout beltline trim dip. Also note the semaphore-type turn signals in the C-pillar just behind the side window.
Photo credit imcdb.org
Evidently it got driven pretty hard in at least one scene. Note the extreme body lean and slight opposite lock in this shot.
Photo credit imcdb.org
But of course ! .
Why have a fast looking car if not to drive it fast ? .
-Nate
Certainement!
According to Wikipedia, in ’59, Graham-Paige bought a controlling interest in the previous Madison Square Garden and was eventually bought by Gulf & Western Industries.
I would argue Cadillac started the chrome window frames with their ’30 Madame X sedans. But who knows, they may have copied it from some custom body shop.
Amos Northup never got to complete the Graham ‘Spirit-of-Motion’ design when he tragically slipped on ice February 13, 1937, cracked his skull and died from his injuries. The design begun in 1935, was far more progressive than the production result. While the dramatically streamlined undercut frontal features were interpreted, the fully-skirted front wheels, front fenders faded into the front doors as seen on the 1941 Packard Clipper, and fastback rear in the vein of the Lincoln-Zephyr were not included. One truly dramatic details was the rear door C-pillar was to be deleted, to have its frame hinged at the top and the door and quarter window overlap as seen on various European coach-built touring coupes, essentially treating it as a hardtop. What a shame it wasn’t completed as Northup designed it. Murray staff ‘production-ized’ only some of the details to what we have.