- A 1948 snowcar used by the United States Postal Service is going up for auction next week.
- The aircraft-inspired relic features three skis and a rear-mounted propeller.
- This particular model reportedly delivered mail in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
The United States Postal Service has started deploying the Oshkosh Next-Generation Delivery Vehicle, much to the delight of mail carriers. While it’s a huge improvement over the Grumman LLV, the model looks like it was designed by someone who ate too many crayons as a kid.
That’s certainly not the case with this 1948 CallAir YC4-2 snowcar, which is undoubtedly one of the coolest mail delivery vehicles ever used by the Postal Service. As the CallAir Museum notes, snowcars were the forerunner to snowmobiles and were an adaptation of the company’s planes.
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This helps to explain their unusual appearance as the ‘car’ has three skis and an aerodynamically optimized body. They’re joined by a rear-mounted 3.1-liter four-cylinder engine that powers a wooden propeller.
The single seat interior is short on amenities and instrumentation, but we can see a three-spoke steering wheel, a compass, and controls for what appears to be a cabin heater. The latter would be a welcome addition as this particular snowcar was built to deliver mail during treacherous winter conditions in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
Mecum
When the snowcar was no longer needed by the Postal Service, it was handed over to Wyoming Fish and Game. The vehicle was then sold as surplus in the 1970’s and the Call family eventually reacquired it. That had to be a happy reunion as the family appreciated its significance and embarked on a three year “historical restoration.”
The YC4-2 is being auctioned by Mecum on October 18 and it comes with a host of other goodies including a homemade trailer. The winning bidder will also receive documentation of the restoration process and an original CallAir factory brochure.
