Hi Gang… I love seeing progress and today’s story is no different. Charles Le Menestrel of Belgium is a fan of handbuilt American Specials. Today he’s beginning the “build” of his Allied Swallow shown in today’s story with sights on … Continue reading
Hi Gang… And we’re off! Today, Dan Palatnik and I are releasing another poster of these cool, handbuilt sports cars that appeared across America in the early postwar years. This is the third in a series of posters that we … Continue reading
Note: Click here to read part 1 of this story Hi Gang… “I’ll bring the car to you – it’s not that long of a drive.” That’s what Ron Pierce told me after I bought his Allied Swallow Singer Special … Continue reading
Hi Gang… I finally found one! A Singer Special. That’s what I said back in 2015 we we acquired a very nice example of a Singer Special built using a Allied Swallow body. We always call these cars “Allied Cisitalia” … Continue reading
Hi Gang… It’s significant to look back over time and consider changes we’ve seen in celebrating Undiscovered Classics cars. Recently we shared the increased appearances of handcrafted American sports cars at events across the country including the Amelia Island Concours … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Tom Cotter sure gets around the country in his ultra cool Woody Wagon and uncovers the most amazing finds. As an author, Tom has continued to pen books on his travels and we’ve been honored to be in … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Tracking back the history of the cars we have today is always exciting, and today’s story is no exception. Les Zoller contacted me recently and shared with me that he had owned and restored Allied Kurtis KK500 chassis … Continue reading
Sarasota Classic Car Museum Undiscovered Classics Cars on Display Sarasota, Florida 2008 to Present Martin Godbey Owner and Curator: Sarasota Classic Car Museum Proprietor: Vintage Motors of Sarasota Cars In Museum (Scroll Down To See Photos of Cars) 1937 Long-Wheelbase … Continue reading
Plastic Bodies For Home Production Hop Up Magazine: April, 1953 First known photo of a Victress S1A sports car. Person next to car is Jim Byers. Most likely the First Victress S1. … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Back in 1952 when Bill Burke took a mold from Robert Petersen’s Cisitalia 202 coupe, who would have guessed that the entire process would be repeating itself nearly 70 years later. But it’s a good thing to still … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Another one of our “Undiscovered Classics” cars has made its debut this past weekend on the lawn of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This special car was an Allied Swallow that appeared in the Preservation Class and is … Continue reading
Hi Gang… The cars are out there (ala the X-Files tv show…) that’s what I always tell folks. And with handcrafted specials from the 50s, they seem to be popping up all the time 🙂 As usual, this story involved many … Continue reading
Hi Gang… More and more restored vintage fiberglass sports cars from the 50s – what we call “Forgotten Fiberglass” – are showing up at Concours, on TV, in articles, and now…at auction. Let’s check out an upcoming auction which features … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Back last fall we surprised all of you by sharing the debut of Robert O’Meara’s Allied “Cisitalia” Roadster at the 2014 Watkins Glen Vintage Festival courtesy of photos provided by good fiber friend Jeff Brown. Click here to … Continue reading
Hi Gang… We need more cars restored and on the road to tell the tale of building your own sports car in the 1950’s – and thanks to the efforts of Bob O’Meara and his terrific crew we have another … Continue reading
Hi Gang… For you Atlas / Allied Swallow owners out there… here’s a short one-page article from Motor Magazine in February, 1949. It’s nice to see how they presented the car with specs on the basics. It makes a nice … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Chicken or egg? The 94” wheelbase Cisitalia Roadster or the Allied Falcon Roadster? Let’s talk fiberglass! Bill Burke, Roy Kinch, and Mickey Thompson introduced the 94” Swallow Coupe to an excited world in November ’52. Their roadster version … Continue reading
Hi Gang… The Multiplex lineage of cars starts back at the turn of the 20th century – takes a near 50 year hiatus – and then starts again in ’53. Today we’ll explore more about the cars and the brochures … Continue reading
Hi Gang… This article was a very important article for John Bond – new owner of Road and Track Magazine as of November 1952 – just three months prior to this article’s publication. How could I know this article was … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Bill Fester of Houston, Texas wanted an Allied Swallow Coupe. The Allied looked just like the car he saw – a Multiplex Sports Car – shown in John Gunnell’s book “Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1946-1975.” Bill had noticed … Continue reading
————————— Note: The next series of stories here on Forgotten Fiberglass are going to focus on the brochures and associated customer communication of the Atlas / Allied Fiber Glass Company. We’re lucky here at Forgotten Fiberglass to have become friends … Continue reading
————————— Note: The next series of stories here on Forgotten Fiberglass are going to focus on the brochures and associated customer communication of the Atlas / Allied Fiber Glass Company. We’re lucky here at Forgotten Fiberglass to have become friends … Continue reading
————————— Note: The next series of stories here on Forgotten Fiberglass are going to focus on the brochures and associated customer communication of the Atlas / Allied Fiber Glass Company. We’re lucky here at Forgotten Fiberglass to have become friends … Continue reading
————————— Note: The next series of stories here on Forgotten Fiberglass are going to focus on the brochures and associated customer communication of the Atlas / Allied Fiber Glass Company. We’re lucky here at Forgotten Fiberglass to have become friends … Continue reading
Hi Gang… What a long article this is – but worth the read in every way 🙂 I’ve been putting off sharing this article with you not because it wasn’t important – it is. The article was printed just after a … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Where did each of our fiberglass sports cars come from? Here at Forgotten Fiberglass, we are discussing the design heritage of the cars we’ve come to love. We’ve even created a “Design Heritage” category that you can search … Continue reading
Hi Gang… The automotive story of “Multiplex” is one of the most interesting stories I have the honor of sharing here on Forgotten Fiberglass – and over time you’ll learn why. “Multiplex” is an automotive company which had its roots … Continue reading
————————————— Car Craft Magazine, February ’54, commenting on the Petersen Motorama held in November, ’53: “One of the most interesting bits in the show was the heavy sprinkling of Fiberglass creations. These cars came in all shapes, sizes and for any … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Ah the glory of research…much of what you find is questionable or useless. Still other bits of info can be insightful, remarkable, or even intriguing in every way. Take today’s article from the Editors of Road & Track … Continue reading
Hi Gang… No surprises here. The more magazines I collect, the more information I find. Sometimes the best stuff doesn’t appear in the main articles. Instead, it often appears in often overlooked places at the back of the magazines. That’s … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Is it possible? Could it be? Was there a Duesenberg powered Allied special built back in the day? Of course there was! And good friend Jim Miller, SCTA historian and dry lakes enthusiast told me all about it. … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Recently I wrote about the Dr. Richards Allied Special now owned by the Kunicki family. Click here to review the first part of this story. Dennis Kunicki originally bought the car in April 1961 – he was just … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Ok…the thumbnail picture of Hemmings Motor News Magazine with a 1954 Venus on it hasn’t happened yet. But we’re getting closer 🙂 Rick D’Louhy and I have taken our message of fiberglass sports cars to all parts of … Continue reading
Hi Gang… I’ve had the honor of knowing Brandon Kunicki for several years, and for several reasons too. One…he’s a great car guy and dedicated to the history of his car and his family’s ownership of it. And two… the … Continue reading
Hi Gang… How many different Atlas / Allied ads are there???? Let the counting begin. As Rick D’Louhy, Tony St. Clair, Erich Schultz, Brandon Kunicki, Bill Fester, Harold Pace, and the scads of others out there continue helping with research, … Continue reading
Hi Gang… I love searching through old magazines. That’s where all the “good stuff” is. But collecting is a disease – once you get thru the basics like Road & Track and Motor Trend Magazines – you start looking for … Continue reading
Hi Gang… I love research…and who doesn’t love a mystery too! That’s what landed in my lap when I met Mike Wittman several years ago – Meteor SR1 owner and restorer. Mike grew up in the San Francisco Bay area in … Continue reading
Hi Gang… I recently received the restoration pictures that Stan Crawford sent of his Atlas Swallow. This is going to be one fantastic car when it’s finished. I know he’s on the right track because even though it was in … Continue reading
Hi Gang… “Watch 1953…..Plastic bodies are not only the coming thing – they have come, and they are too good not to stay”. That’s what Jim Potter, managing editor of Motor Trend wrote in December 1952 – and he was exactly right. … Continue reading
Hi Gang.. A few weeks ago I shared with you the theme of the 1951 Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Exhibit in New York City that focused on “8 Automobiles” viewed as art. For me, it started the movement that views … Continue reading
Hi Gang… I love design and styling. Even if this exhibition wasn’t related to our appreciation of fiberglass cars in significant ways, I would have sought this information out for its own sake. I have always viewed cars from the 1930’s as … Continue reading
Hi Gang… For years I’ve searched for comparison photos of the 1946 Cisitalia 202 GT Coupe along side of Bill Burke’s 1952 Allied – a copy of Bob Petersen’s 1946 Cisitalia. This year, I hit pay dirt. First, at the 2010 … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Thanks to Alan Emory who owns one of the neatest Victress S1A’s out there, we have found more video (color film) of vintage fiberglass cars racing at the dry lakes in the 1950’s. There are even a few … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Seeing the Vale in Hemmings reminded me (again) of just how beautiful these cars were. We tend to think of fiberglass clones of the GT 40 and other like-minded cars starting in the 1960’s. But…the designers and builders … Continue reading
