--- title: "This 1934 McQuay-Norris Streamliner Is a Bizarre Bubble Car Built From a 1930s Ford" description: "This 1934 McQuay-Norris Streamliner at the Lane Motor Museum is one of six ever made and the last known survivor." date: "2022-10-03" modified: "2022-10-03" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-1934-mcquay-norris-streamliner-is-a-bizarre-bubble-car-built-from-a-1930s-ford" categories: - "Builds" - "Culture" - "Ford News" - "History" - "News" - "News by Brand" --- # This 1934 McQuay-Norris Streamliner Is a Bizarre Bubble Car Built From a 1930s Ford ![]() In the 1930s, engine parts maker McQuay-Norris wanted a car to show off the superiority of its piston rings, bearings, and the various other engine rebuilt parts. For that, it developed this—the McQuay-Norris Streamliner, an aerodynamic bubble car with a [Ford ]()V8 and a futuristic (for its time) shape. Jeff Lane, the founder of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is a lover of odd, interesting cars. He's been collecting cars since his early 20s and, by the time he was in his 40s, he amassed a collection of about 75 cars, prompting him to open the museum. More recently, Lane bought the McQuay-Norris Streamliner from classic car collector Mark Hyman in St. Louis, Missouri and it's been a favorite of his ever since. The McQuay-Norris Streamliner wasn't a production car, though. Only six were made in the 1930s, all of which were built for the sole purpose of promoting McQuay-Norris' parts business, and Lane's is the only known survivor. Its quirky, Jetsons-like aerodynamic shape was futuristic at the time, and had some genuinely interesting engineering features. Although, the entire car was mostly built around its gauges, to show off the superiority of its McQuay-Norris parts. There were myriad gauges mounted to its wooden dashboard, for things such as oil pressure and blowby pressure, the latter of which was meant to prove the quality of its piston rings. ![]() Powering the Streamliner is a 221 cubic-inch[ flathead Ford V8 ]()making 85 horsepower mated to a three-speed manual transmission. It only had a top speed of 80 mph but you wouldn't want to go much faster than that anyway. The chassis was from a basic 1930s Ford, with a custom wooden frame and sheet metal body, and its weak rod-actuated brakes make it sketchy to drive in modern traffic. However, it has some clever features for being a promotional car. For instance, the aerodynamic wraparound windshield means it doesn't need windshield wipers, as rain sort of just beads sideways away from the front of the car. It also has four front vents that open to bring fresh air into the cabin footwells on hot days. And, despite its vast-looking greenhouse, passengers actually sit under a pretty shaded roof, so it doesn't feel too hot inside. Strange cars like the McQuay-Norris Streamliner are breaths of fresh air in our modern era of homogenized manufacturing. It isn't quick, nor is it luxurious, or really groundbreaking in any way, but it's a unique piece of American automotive history. Thankfully, Lane's love for quirky cars saved the last known Streamliner in existence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNbWCTDTrao ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()