Hi Gang…

It’s been a busy year.  Lots of reorganization, renewal, and even a “reset” or two, so let’s see if we can end this year with a few new “Forgotten Fiberglass” stories.

In the past many months, I’ve been locating and securing collections of photos, memorabilia, and articles from the golden years of building your own sports car.  One of the collections I was able to obtain was more revealing than I imagined for in it was a single issue of “Badge Bar Journal” June, 1954.  This was a rather scarce magazine that was published just for a few years back in the 50s, and much to my surprise, in it appeared the following full-page ad:

Here’s what the ad read:

Attention:
All Sports Car Owners

Help Send American Built Road Racing Cars To Europe For The 1955 European Racing Season

With your financial assistance, the American Road Racing Association will sponsor the construction of Grand Prix and Competition Sports Cars to be run in major events in the United States, Mexico, and in Europe.

Upon receipt of $1.00 you will receive a comprehensive brochure outlining the program to establish American prestige in this field of sport.

This fiberglass bodied sports car with Ford V-8 engine free!!! (Eric Hauser’s Victress S1 is shown)

If budget requirements are met, this sports car will be given absolutely free, except tax and license fees, to the Sports Car Club raising the most money on a “per member” basis.

Get a fund-raising committee started in your club now!

Address all queries with $100 to:

American Road Racing Association
Eric Hauser, Chairman
1881 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Los Angeles 46, California

The American Road Racing Association

Evidently Eric didn’t get too far with this proposal because I found little information about this organization on the internet.  But I was lucky enough to find his full six-page proposal among the paperwork I received with this collection.  I think you’ll enjoy reading some of his proposal so here is Eric’s first draft:

Summary:

So what became of this organization and most importantly Eric’s Victress S1?  Merrill Powell , Vice-President of Victress Manufacturing at the time, remembers Eric’s car and we know that it was raced too, but like many artifacts of the time, its current whereabouts remain unknown.

Will you be the lucky person to find this interesting car?  Did you belong to this fledgling organization and try to make it a “go” back then?  I hope so and would love to tell the story here at Forgotten Fiberglass.

Hope you enjoyed the story, and until next time…

Glass on gang…

Geoff