UC_Portolio_Book

60 We hesitate to call these offerings “ kits ” -- most consisted of little more than a body shell, a few pages of vague mimeographed instructions and some hearty words of encouragement from the manufacturer. They were often designed to make use of existing chassis and powertrains (pre - and postwar Fords were popular, as were British sports cars). Designs were wildly creative, if not necessarily timeless; by buying and building one of these things, you were certainly guaranteeing that you ’ d have a ride that stood out. But some of these fiberglass sport specials were improbably beautiful, and Jim Byers ’ SR - 100, which debuted in 1955, is one of them. Based on the earlier Meteor SR - 1, which Byers developed with business partner Dick Jones, the SR - 100 included some notable design changes (including a kick - up behind the doors, giving the car sculpted haunches); it is reminiscent of the AC Ace, various Ferrari barchettas and other rare postwar European roadsters without being derivative. It could be yours via Southern California for a pittance, plus some scrounged parts and sweat equity! Road & Track ’ s John Bond liked the SR - 100 so much he built his own and put another one on the cover of that publication ’ s February 1957 issue. In his feature story, he deemed it the “ World ’ s Most Beautiful Sports Car. ” This acclaim did not translate into runaway success for Byers; roughly 25 bodies were built between 1955 and 1961 (the design lived on as the Kellison SR100; the fiberglass car world was a fluid one in those days). And that was that. Or it would have been, if it wasn ’ t for Tampa, Florida ’ s Geoff Hacker who has probably done more than anyone else to document, research, collect and, in some cases, restore and sell little - known fiberglass sport specials and other underappreciated automotive esoterica. Previously operating as Forgotten Fiberglass, Hacker ’ s enterprises are now largely consolidated under the Undiscovered Classics banner ( undiscoveredclassics.com) to acknowledge his interest in non - composite cars. Above: Vintage Byers advertising material included a cutaway drawing of the SR - 100, illustrating the sports car's simplicity and beneficial front - mid engine configuration.