Raiders of the Lost Cars

2 1958 LeMans Coupe by Strother MacMinn Found in Bettendorf, Iowa Shown Above in March 2025 Being Test Fitted to Restored Chassis at the Savoy Automobile Museum in Cartersville, Georgia

3 Raiders of the Lost Cars Geoffrey R. Hacker, Ph.D. — Undiscovered Classics — The Cars Are Out There

4 PUBLISHED BY: Undiscovered Classics 6306 Memorial Highway Tampa, Florida 33615-4538 UndiscoveredClassics.com PRODUCTION: Contents of Books: Tom Cotter and Publisher Authorship (where indicated), Layout, and Design: Geoffrey R. Hacker, Ph.D. PHOTO CREDITS: Geoffrey Hacker—Personal Photography © 2025 BY UNDISCOVERED CLASSICS PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Raiders of the Lost Cars

5 Table of Contents PART III— MOTOR CITY BARN FINDS: 2017 1966 Cannara I ............................... 34 1956 Victress C2 ............................ 39 Postscript ........................................ 43 Raiders of the Lost Cars (poster) .... 46 PART IV— SECRETS OF THE BARN FIND HUNTER: 2022 “The Academic Approach” ............. 48 APPENDIX— The Cobra in the Barn: 2005 .......... 61 “Autos Obscura” by John Weber Classic Motorsports January 2022 .. 67 “The Legend of Fiberglass Matt” ..... 81 Undiscovered Classics: Barn Find Photos ............................ 83 FOREWORD .................................... i PART I— CORVETTE IN THE BARN: 2010 “The Snipe Hunter” by Harold Pace .. 1 “The Lost Motor Trend Victress S1A Special” by Guy Dirkin ....................... 8 “The Belly Tank Tribute” by Daniel Strohl ..................................... 13 PART II— FIFTY SHADES OF RUST: 2014 Introduction: “The Art of the Hunt: It’s Human Evolution” ........................ 18 Ph.D. Barn Finders “In Search of Something Special” ...... 20 “Leo Lyon’s Cover Girl” ..................... 22 “Cinnamon Girl” ................................. 24 “The 1954 Chicagoan: The Second Time’s The Charm” ........................... 26 “The Last, Fast Singer” ..................... 28 “Junkyard Girls Are The Best” ........... 30

6 Dan Post Shares... In attempting to capture the significance and passion inherent in Undiscovered Classics, I can’t seem to shake the graphic allusion to Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark on the former’s website. Although I would aspire to be more original, that theme absolutely nails the essence of their journey and the value of their achievements. Geoff Hacker, Mike Puma and their crew are indeed scholars who embark on perilous adventures to obtain rare artifacts. Literally. I’ve seen them in action. They’re obsessive and not afraid to get dirty digging. And, by making the liberated treasures universally accessible on the web, it’s like they have given anyone who’s interested a virtual key and detailed map to the implausibly giant warehouse where the Ark of the Covenant was stored. Their subjects are not only mostly forgotten, but often previously unheralded — allowing us to reconstruct and appreciate what would otherwise be completely lost or conveniently ignored. (I know a venture capitalist or two who could learn a thing or two about “due diligence” from these folks!) As a beneficiary of their selfless archaeology and curation, I found myself staring in awe at the screen as an inexhaustible series of inventions unfolded — just like the first time I saw the original Raiders movie… Wow! Dan Post is the only son of early automotive publisher and historian, Daniel R. Post. He has long had an affinity for glass bodies, learning to drive in a 1958 Berkeley B65 328 well before he hit puberty. “While other kids were admiring rock album covers, I was getting pretty familiar with the Bohman & Schwartz portfolio,” he recalls. Now a 35 year veteran of Silicon Valley, Dan led major advertising, public relations and design agencies, served as CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) for two public companies, edited several pioneering technology magazines, and authored a number of books, including one on Porsches. He continues to work directly with the leaders of some of the world’s most innovative companies, including Apple, Disney, Ford and Google.

7 Foreword It’s been 20 years since this enterprise began—and what an adventure it’s been. My close friend Rollie Langston coined a phrase for what we do which captures the essence perfectly: Here at Undiscovered Classics, we find, research, restore, show and sell America’s lost automotive treasures.” No doubt, the most unpredictable and exciting part of this process is the beginning—researching the history and finding the cars. Therein lies the “adventurous” part of our journey, and is the reason we have been honored to be in many of Tom Cotter’s barn find books. Few realize it but in the Spring of 2000, I donated the last of my collector cars to the Museum of History in St. Petersburg, Florida. I was collector “car-less” when the new millennium began. But in 2005 when I acquired a car that I had been searching for since 1980 —the Covington Tiburon Coupe—my world would change. All research into cars, people, history, shows and events— everything we do that is called “Undiscovered Classics” started in earnest in 2005. So it’s fitting that this book — “Raiders of the Lost Cars”- captures the spirit of our last 20 years. And it’s thru our barn find experience as related to and shared by Tom Cotter that captures our most fun adventures. Today, the “adventure” still continues—in fact at a faster pace than ever with car “finds”, acquisitions, museum appearances and concours engagements happening at a quickening pace. Tom Cotter has been one of our greatest champions. I met Tom on my first automobile quest to acquire the 1959 Cheetah / Moon Transporter. A story about this transporter appeared in his 2005 book titled “Cobra in the Barn” (see Appendix). Over the years we kept in touch and discussed some of the cars we were finding and the research into their history. Subsequently, we appeared in four of his books: Corvette in the Barn: 2010, Fifty Shades of Rust: 2014, Motor City Barn Finds: 2017 and Secrets of the Barn Find Hunter: 2022. Our greatest adventures appear in these books, and I’ve compiled these stories and more into “Raiders of the Lost Cars.” The Appendix includes an article written by John Webber of Classic Motorsports called “Auto Obscura”. It was published in 2022 and is an excellent discourse on our history, process and the people involved. The Appendix also includes over 40 of our “barn find” cars that were significant—historically and otherwise. I hope you enjoy the automobile adventures shared here with you. And here’s hoping I have a chance 20 years from now to write again about the cars and adventures that lie before me. If I’m lucky—I may be able to meet and write about you and your adventures in such a book. What fun that would be. Until then, enjoy the stories and I wish you great success on your own automobile adventures. Go get ‘em gang! i

1 PART 1 Corvette in the Barn: 2010

17 PART 2 Fifty Shades of Rust: 2014

32 Back Cover of Book

33 PART 3 Motor City Barn Finds: 2017

46 Poster: Kit Car Builder Magazine—July/August 2014. By Steve Temple The overgrown pasture full of aging bodies might seem like something an automotive archeologist might come across hacking his way through a dense jungle, and suddenly stumbling into a clearing. Nothing quite so dramatic, though. “Once or twice a month, (auto historian) Rick D’Louhy and I make the trip to “Fiberglass Farms,”” explains Geoff Hacker of Forgotten Fiberglass. “It’s a place we store some of the relics from the past that we have pulled, poked, prodded and saved along the path we’re on, a path that focuses on documenting the history and importance of building your own sports car in the early postwar years.” Not all of these auto artifacts, some 60 or more in all, that they’ve saved are fiberglass, as quite a few are built from steel and aluminum. Which makes this story even more interesting to tell when you consider the wide range of skills needed to build such daring, innovative designs by adventurous and talented young men of the Forties and Fifties, and even later. This was a special breed of young men, guys who had what it takes to fulfill their vision. Is there an automotive relic in your past? Join in the celebration of their stories at www.ForgottenFiberglass.com From Left to Right: 1956 Byers SR100, 1954 Victress S4, 1954 Victress S4 body (mostly hidden), 1955 McCormack, 1955 Siebler Special, 1953 Grantham Stardust, 1958 Alken, 1955 Bangert Manta Ray, 1958 Thor, and 1959 Cinnamon Girl.

47 PART 4 Secrets of the Barn Find Hunter: 2022

61 APPENDIX The Cobra in the Barn: 2005

67 “Autos Obscura” by John Webber Classic Motorsports: January 2022

80 The Legend of “Fiberglass Matt” and the Lost Treasure of Fiberglass Farms… A long time ago in a faraway place, an enthusiastic young man with a passion for cars went to see the opening of the latest movie in 1954 – “Johnny Dark”. This movie was “special” – it captured everything about the latest sports car craze that was sweeping the nation and inspired young men to own and drive one of their own. Problem was…most of these sports cars were from overseas – they were expensive to buy and complicated to maintain. But in “Johnny Dark” your dream could come true – you could design, build, own and race your own American sports car – exactly what was happening across the country. Back then, if you wanted an American sports car you often had to build it yourself. And Americans did just that. Sports cars appeared across the country and names like Glasspar, Victress, Allied, Meteor, and LaDawri rang from coast to coast. And this young man – Fiberglass Matt – fell in love with every one of them. As time marched on, Americans built fewer of their own sports cars. Foreign jobs could be had for a song, and muscle cars from the Big Three started to abound. But Fiberglass Matt didn’t forget his first love. Year after year he searched across America saving every precious handcrafted sports car he could find, and bringing them home to a place he called “Fiberglass Farms.” No car was too far away or in too poor of shape to save. He realized that each one was someone’s dream – a car long forgotten - save for the few who cared about the story of designing and building your own American - born and bred - sports car. Decades passed and Fiberglass Matt continued to save and bring these special cars to his home. But the location remained a secret to all but him – and then he vanished. Over the years, the legend of Fiberglass Matt grew and untold numbers of historians and enthusiasts tried to track down and locate the hidden, secret, and elusive Fiberglass Farms. Tales such as the “Treasure of Oak Island”, the “Lost Amber Room”, and even the “Missing Ark of the Covenant” made room for the “Search for Fiberglass Farms.” And then on one lucky day, a group of automotive archeologists combing over a recent discovery of a Victress sports car found it tucked under the dash and protected in a roll of fiberglass cloth – a map showing the location of “Fiberglass Farms.” Behold! The location had finally been revealed! On this parchment you hold today rests a copy of the recently discovered “Treasure Map To Fiberglass Farms” –revealed here for a few dedicated auto-explorers to see such as you. We welcome you on your visit to Fiberglass Farms, and proudly carry on the tradition of what he started so many years ago. As you tread past each of these handcrafted wonders, think back to what it must have been like when these young men – most from the 1950s – conceived of and then built the car of their dreams. We thank folks like Fiberglass Matt for saving these artifacts of time giving us a window into the creative spirit and intrepidness needed to bring a vision to reality. Thank you Fiberglass Matt, and May Your Dreams “Glass On” Forever.

81 “The Legend of Fiberglass Matt and the Lost Treasure of Fiberglass Farms” Geoff Hacker, Undiscovered Classics: March, 2015 We wrote this piece in a playful way in the style of a children’s fable and launched it in 2015. We’ve always viewed the collection of cars we’ve saved as “automotive treasures” and this felt like a creative way to present our enthusiasm for these cars and what they represented to a broader audience—one that was as excited as us about these finds. We also created another “parchment” that was a “fill-in-the-blank” form where people would learn the right directions to get to the fabled “Fiberglass Farms.” On the following page shows our first visit to Fiberglass Farms with a large group which had gathered at my home in Tampa, Florida to learn about what we were doing and then….using the treasure map and accompanying parchment...drive to and enjoy the day at Fiberglass Farms. Great memories on these and the following page.

82 On This Page: March 2015: Before traveling to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, our largest audience gathered in Tampa, Florida at my home and then traveled to Fiberglass Farms. The photo at the bottom of the page reflects one of the phrases we were using at the time which was based on the X-Files TV show. Our turn-ofphrase was “The Cars Are out There” - a poster shown earlier in this book.

83 Undiscovered Classics: Barn Find Photos 1937 Gougeon Streamliner Aluminum-Bodied Teardrop Car 1966 Porsche 356 Trieste I by John Bucci Designed in America—Toured Europe 1954 Chicagoan Show Concept Lost Show Car—1954 Chicago Auto Show 1966 Cannara I First True Wedge Sports Car of the 1960s 1955 Galileo Special Gullwing Entry—Aerospace Design 1954 Venus Roadster Motor Trend Cover Car

84 1955 McCormack Petersen Motorama Trophy Winner 1961 Covington Porsche 356 “el Tiburon” Road & Track: Most Streamlined Car in the World 1959 Salvatore Salerno Devin Special Slumbering in a Garage for Over 40 Years 1955 Richard Lewis Allied Swallow Based on the Celebrated 1947 Cisitalia 202 Coupe 1949 Custom “WOW” Cadillac Coachbuilt Custom-Bodied Postwar Cadillac 1950 Leo Lyons Custom Mercury Pebble Beach Concours: 2015

85 1955 Bangert Manta Ray Sports/Race Car—Motorama Appearance 1953 Grantham Stardust Movie and TV Car—Motorama Appearance 1957 Halliday Renault Special (1957-1958) First Purpose-Built Postwar Renault Race Car in USA 1955 Frazer Custom Full Steel Body Custom Design 1970 Ferber Aluminum RV One of the Most Expensive RV’s in the 1970’s 1949 Packard Monte Carlo Show Car Designed by Richard Arbib / Built by Henney

86 1950 DM Nacional 1 of 1—Coachbuilt in Mexico 1937 Supercharged Cord Phaeton Stretched by 2 feet in Late 1940s 1953 Kaiser Show Dragon 1 of 6 Factory Show Dragons Built For Display 1955 LaSaetta Supercharged Special Garage Kept for 60+ Years 1976 Bucci Executive Custom Built With 70s Swag & Fireplace Used by Studio 54 in New York City 1957 LaDawri Conquest First Featured on Cover of Road & Track Magazine in June, 1957

87 1954 Fred Bodley Victress S1A “The Lost Motor Trend Victress Special” 1955 Debonnaire by Phillip Egan Designed by part of the Tucker Design Team 1968 SWM Mannl Gordini One-Off Sports/Race Car From Germany 1969 Asteroid Show Car Special-Bodied in Steel—Missing 40+ Years 1953 Meteor SR-1 Last Unbuilt Meteor in the World 1964 Ocelot Designed by Ken Eberts and David McIntosh

88 1954 Carl Luchenbach Special One-Off Built by Architect 1965 Porsche Python 1 of 12 Designed and Built in Canada 1953 Irwin Lancer America’s Earliest Fiberglass Sports Car Manufacturer 1949 Sunflower State Speedster 2-Page Feature Article in 1950 Hot Rod Magazine 1963 Warrior I Lost Concept Rear Engine Sports Car by Vanguard 1947 Belly Tank Streamliner Rebuilt With Bill Burke as Tribute Lakester

89 1978 Aerocon Boa Designed and Built by Aerospace Engineer 1956 Renaissance Special Commissioned & Built for Mortimer Bloom 1982 Wellman Special 10-Year Design & Built by Warren Wellman Ph.D. 1975 Urbacars (2) Cars Built From Plans From Mechanix Illustrated In 2025 Geoff Still Owns The Shark—now restored— and has a different Cadillac—a 1959 Fleetwood Geoff Hacker in 1982 With His 1962 Shark and 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood

90 Left to Right: Merrill Powell (Victress Founder), Geoff Hacker and Rick D’Louhy Planting the Forgotten Fiberglass Flag for their Class of Cars at the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

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