1936 Buick Roadster by Bohman & Schwartz< Back to Vehicles

This exotic roadster was built by Pasadena coachbuilers Bohman and Schwartz for use in the in 1937 Hal Roach comedy, Topper, starring Cary Grant and Constance Bennett. Its teardrop fenders, swooping lines, and prominent dorsal fin made it stand out even among other exotics of the day and after Topper, the studio sold the car to Gilmore Oil who repainted it cream and red and used it to promote their Red Lion gasoline, towing a lion cub behind in a trailer. In the 1940s, under the direction of Mobil Gas (who had purchased Gilmore Oil) the car was returned to the coachbuilder for updated bodywork. In 1954 the car was rechristened the Mobil Special and Chris Bohman & Son (formed after Christian Bohman and Maurice Schwartz dissolved their partnership) placed the body on its current Chrysler chassis. In about 1970, Movie World in Buena Park purchased the car and had Von Dutch add their logo to the side.