It’s A Wildfire! It’s A Glasspar! It’s A Shorty Post Frame! The Missing Link Emerges…(Road and Track, February 1953)

Hi Gang…

I like Fox Mulder from the X-Files TV Show. The poster on the wall in his office said…

“The Truth Is Out There”

All we have to do is find it, document it, share it, print it, and celebrate it. The “truth” sure keeps me busy some days in the bowels of fiberglass research, and today’s story is part of the “truth” revealed through research. Let’s dig in.

Exploring the Article and Its Pictures:

This is a fascinating article to me.

It shows a car and its company in a state of transition. First the date is crucial. The article was published in February 1953, so the Time Magazine controversy on “Willys” using the Wildfire as their sports car had not yet exploded (click here to see the implication of the Time Magazine story from 1953).

In fact, since this article was published in February 1953, it’s more than likely that these pictures were taken in late 1952. Perhaps even before any announcement was made about the “Woodill Wildfire” appearing at the Petersen Motorama in November 1952. We might be looking at prototype work being completed on the Series 1 Woodill Wildfire.

Even though the Time Magazine story had not yet broken, here’s the Willys powered Woodill Wildfire Series 1 body (modified Glasspar G2 body) being touted as a “Glasspar Sports Car Kit”. The fact that two versions of Shorty Post frames are shown is “key” as well. No doubt the Ford drivetrain based chassis was being prepped for a Glasspar G2 and the Willys based chassis was destined for one of the 3 Series 1 Woodill Wildfires.

Questions…

I wonder if the Shorty Post chassis with Willys drivetrain shown here is under one of the two surviving Series 1 Woodill Wildfires? I bet with a bit of research, we could confirm.
Which one of you lucky Glasspar G2 guys has the frame in this picture showing the chassis with the Ford Flathead engine? Shorty Post stopped producing frames for Glasspar in March of 1953 (Mameco had arrived), and Woody would soon be building his own frames at his Downey operation (with Shorty Post’s help – but on site in Downey, and not in Shorty’s shop in Orange California).

So….what we have here are the best images known of “Shorty Post” frames which were used under most Glasspar G2’s produced from August 1952 thru March 1953. These same frames with subtle modifications were also utilized under all (most probably) of the Woodill Wildfire Series 1 sports cars.

Whew! That’s a lot of writing!

Ok….ladies and gentlecars…now let’s get to the article and see what they had to say. As I’ve done before with some image-laden articles, I’ll post full-size images within the article and in the photo gallery at the bottom – so be sure to scroll all the way down and inspect all the pictures. You might have to fill your cup of “joe” one or more times as you review the pictures and their captions.

Let’s review the article first – and then the pictures with captions.

Go get ‘em gang!

Glasspar Sports Car Kit: Willys / Ford (Road and Track: February, 1953)

“To meet the demand for either a complete sports car or a build-it-yourself package, the aggressive Glasspar Company has had a frame designed to suit their fiberglass sports car body. While the body itself is suitable for almost any chassis in 99 to 102 inch wheelbase range, a certain amount of reword is inevitable.

The frame was designed and is being built by Post Body Shop of Orange, California. While offering no weight saving, it does have advantages in the matter of adequate pedal room, ease of assembly, and versatility. At the left is shown the Willys powered version of the Glasspar Post body-chassis combination.

Glasspar has arranged to supply, thru a local Willys dealer, either partially or completely assembled cars. For this model, the transverse spring independent front suspension of the Willys Jeepster and the Willys rear axle are used. Steering requires only 2 and ½ turns from lock to lock. The purchaser has a choice of gear ratios, overdrive, type of upholstery, color, etc. Price complete, about $2950 FOB Orange, California.

On this page is the Ford version of the Glasspar-Post sports car. The suspension and axles are from the transverse spring model Ford, while a new Ford or Mercury V-8 engine and transmission may be used. This demonstrates the versatility of the Post frame, and, as a matter of interest, even the ’49 to ’52 Ford type suspension can be used for those who prefer a softer ride.”

Bonanza of Fiberglass and Chassis Pictures:

As promised, here are the inset pictures provided in large format in our story (below). Be sure to scroll all the way down to view each one of these and their relevant captions. A photo gallery with these same images appears at the bottom of our story.