The 1930s were a rebuilding time, a time of renewal as people started to work their way out of the depression, and the design styles during this time were fascinating studies of contrast. Design in all things during this time showed extremes. None more different than the the extravagance of the Art Deco contrasting with the streamlined movement. And these differences revealed themselves in architecture, homes, furniture, cars and more.

We often think of the 1938 Buick Y Job as the industry’s first concept car – and that’s correct as long as you think large. It was designed and built by General Motors with Harley Earl, which was one of the heavyweights in Detroit. But concept cars in America predate the Buick Y job by a decade or even more. And they started in a big way with the teardrop streamliners.

One of the most famous designers who used streamlining in his automobile designs was Paul Jaray. Born in 1889, Jaray witnessed the birth of the aircraft and the lighter-than-air dirigible too. He is credited with redesigning German’s Zeppelins and influencing streamlined design in a number of cars of the 1930s.

But other designers were known for the teardrop designs too. Buckminster Fuller, Norman Bel Geddes, Frank Spring and even a young Strother MacMinn. Present and future heavyweights of design and engineering would reveal their teardrop concepts and sometimes these concepts would be brought to reality, a very exciting time.

The streamlined teardrop car became a shape that several coachbuilders and talented individuals decided to emulate based on the period understanding of aerodynamics. And while not a national phenomenon, it’s estimated that less than 100 of these types of vehicles were built in America from the late 1920s thru the early 1950s. Other streamliners were built in Europe but in small number as well. And nearly each one was uniquely designed and built by an individual or small coachbuilder.

The teardrop shape and concept persisted and always drew attention in magazines, automobile shows and on the road wherever they would go. It was the “future car” of its era. One of these teardrop streamliners was the Gougeon Streamliner built in 1937 by Ronald Gougeon of Bay City, Michigan. Friends shared that he was influenced by the cover of the Motor Annual Magazine in 1935 shown below. He kept a copy of the front cover of the magazine on the wall of his garage as he built his aluminum skinned streamliner translating the two-dimensional shape to a three-dimensional work of art.

Few teardrop streamliners may have been built, but this didn’t keep magazines from showing the possibility of these cars on the streets across America.

According to the Gougeon family, Ronald Gougeon started building his streamliner in 1935, and within short order had a running, driving automobile. Family and friends remember a red leather interior, leather having been acquired directly from (somehow) the Packard automobile plant.

Ronald used and modified a 1934 Ford chassis with a wheelbase (unaltered) of 112 inches. Given that the driver and passenger sit in front of the front axel in a cantilevered position (where the engine would normally be, the streamliner is actually quite large and can easily seat four people. Gougeon also lengthened the front of the chassis by two the three feet as well.

Ronald Gougeon was born on August 28, 1910 in Bay City, Michigan. He was known as a designer-inventor all his life and a builder too. He designed and built his own house and nearly everything inside it. He designed and built his own boats, sailing and power boats.

In the 1930s, Ronnny developed and operated a small chain of beauty parlors and became wealthy doing so. It surprised no one when during the same time he told people he was going to design and build his own car. And he did. He finished the car in the 1930s but as with most designers that keep their own work, he continued to work on it over the years of his life. One of the last modifications he wanted to make was updating the rear end to Corvair, but time did not allow this change to take place.

Sadly Ronald Gougeon passed away at age 53 in 1963.

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Thanks for watching the video STREAMLINER CONCEPT CAR | The 1937 Gougeon Streamliner Teardrop - Rare Pre-War Art Deco Survivor

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