Hi Gang…

Today is the latest installment of our series of stories on our quest to put all the ‘glass catalogs of the 50s and 60s online for everyone to enjoy.

Les and Joan Dawes started their company in Canada in 1956, but by early 1957 they had moved to Long Beach, California where all the “action” was in building your own sports car.  In fact, in their first year in California, they changed the name of their car from the “Cavalier” to the “Conquest,” published two different catalogs showcasing their “Conquest,” and debuted their car on the front cover of Road & Track Magazine in July, 1957.

What an amazing start for a smart looking sports car and two very special people!  You can read more about these early years by clicking here for a story posted on Forgotten Fiberglass back in 2011.

Two Views For The Price Of One

I’m sharing two different ways to access the catalog in today’s story.  In the first section below, click on the link to visit the “Vintage Catalogs” page of our website.  This is also viewable by clicking on the “Vintage Catalogs” link at the top of every page on our website.  When you click on the “Vintage Catalogs” link below you’ll see all of the catalogs we’ve posted on Forgotten Fiberglass.

When you get to the catalogs page, click on the picture of the catalog you want to view and another window will open up that allows you to page through each page of the catalog on your screen – just as if you had it on your table in front of you.  And…be sure to play around with the features at the bottom of the screen when you are viewing it in catalog form.  You’ll be surprised what you can do with this new fangled “technology” – and we hope you enjoy this format too.

And for those of you who just want it “simple,” you can just scroll down in this story and see each page of the catalog.  Sure…it’s neat but you should try out the link to visit our “Vintage Catalogs” too so you can have a bit more fun

Off we go!

 The “Vintage Catalog” Page on Forgotten Fiberglass

Click here to view the “Vintage Catalog” page here on Forgotten Fiberglass.  Be sure to scroll downward on the page and click on the catalog of your choice.

Go get ‘em gang!  Conversely, the static, boring, quiet pages of the catalog are also shown below if you scroll down.  Remember…you can click on any image below to make it appear larger on your screen.

1957 LaDawri Coachcraft Brochure (16 pages)

Summary:

LaDawri Coachcraft published two different catalogs in 1957 and in a future story here at Forgotten Fiberglass, you’ll see the second catalog.  However, in both catalogs they continued to offer the first and only car in their “stable” at the time which was the LaDawri Conquest.

My how things would change, though, and in the early 1960s LaDawri Coachcraft would prove to be the largest fiberglass sports car body company in the world, offering a wider variety of body styles than all other companies combined.  Les and Joan Dawes built one impressive company in just a few short years.

Hope you enjoyed the story, and until next time…

Glass on gang…

Geoff