Buick Y-Job concept
Harley Earl's one-off Buick was a moving design laboratory with hidden lamps, power windows and a roof that disappeared beneath a metal deck.
BuickY-Job(1938)1.JPG · Spath Chr. (ChiemseeMan) · Public domain (PD-user)
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
The Y-Job was not a production Buick and was never a normal showroom model. Harley Earl and GM Design used a modified 1937 Buick chassis to explore how future cars might look and work. Its low body, lack of exposed running boards, hidden headlamps, flush handles, power windows and concealed power top previewed ideas that later reached everyday cars. Earl also drove it, which made the concept a working test bed rather than a motionless show sculpture.
Look a little closer.
Harley Earl reportedly drove the Y-Job about 50,000 miles, an extraordinary working life for a one-off concept.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A concept car built to ask the public
GM describes the Y-Job as the industry's first concept car: a vehicle developed less for sale than for testing advanced styling and technology and learning how people reacted. Its waterfall grille, low horizontal lines and integrated fenders influenced Buicks long after 1938.
Source: General Motors Heritage · 1938 Buick Y-Job Concept ↗One car, two mechanical chapters
Audrain records the original 320-cu-in, 141-hp straight-eight and three-speed manual. The National Historic Vehicle Register documents the preserved car after later changes: a 248-cu-in, 107-hp engine, dual carburetors and Dynaflow automatic. Listing both states makes the car's long experimental life understandable without mixing them together.
Source: Hagerty Drivers Foundation · National Historic Vehicle Register: 1938 Buick Y-Job ↗Where these facts come from
- General Motors Heritage · 1938 Buick Y-Job Concept
- Library of Congress / HAER · 1938 Buick Y-Job documentation
- Hagerty Drivers Foundation · National Historic Vehicle Register: 1938 Buick Y-Job
- Audrain Automobile Museum · 1938 Buick Y-Job
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.