Hi Gang…
Great news! Reports from my good friend Randy Baron who recently visited Argentina confirms that the Justicialista Sports Car exists. How cool! It certainly has a great history and it’s neat to learn about one of the first – if not the first – fiberglass sports car produced in South American – the Argentinian Justicialista Sport.
I’m researching this car for more detail at this time, and here’s what I found featured in the “The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile; Volume 1, A-L:”
“The Justicialista named after Juan Peron’s political party, and operated from 1953 to 1955. There were saloon, pick-ups, station wagons, and a sports car version. The Justicialista sports car was powered by a front-mounted Porsche 1500cc engine. The hardtop sports coupe body was molded in fiberglass. Only a few open prototypes were made. A couple of these were fitted with V8 engines. About 250 Justicialista sports cars were made and were amply publicized.
President Juan Peron was photographed driving around in an open Justicialista and Juan Manuel Fangio demonstrated the car in the Autodrome of Buenos Aires, where a race exclusively for Justicialistas was held. In 1955 a military coup toppled the Peron government and the sports car production line, along with 50 unfinished vehicles, was sold.”
Rare Justicialista Brochure Surfaces:
Recently, I came across a brochure on this car and it’s the perfect thing to share here at Forgotten Fiberglass. And…I’m glad it’s in English 🙂 Let’s take a look at the brochure – along with what it had to say about this very car – and the steel fabricated sedan as well.
And away we go…
Justicialista Brochure: 1954
Featuring: Sport and Sedan
Justicialista Sport: Wherever the “Justicialista Sport” appears, it arouses the astonishment and admiration of all friends of the automobile. It is an elegant and modern sport car with excellent visibility and comfortable seating for three persons. The “monocoque” body is built of reinforced plastic material. It has a removable top, large accessible trunk, and solid light doors which are self-locking. The curved windshield allows perfect panoramic vision.
It is equipped with an efficient and powerful air-cooled engine, which due to the excellent weight-power ratio of the car, provides a fast pick up; reaching, in a few seconds, its maximum speed which can be sustained, without danger, on curves and bad roads due to the proportioned stability of its low height. Its front wheel-drive and its excellent torsion bar type of suspension system, aided by double acting telescopic shock absorbers, secure maximum driving safety and comfort.
Summary:
So…is anyone traveling to Argentina soon and want to take some photos? Randy….did you take any of this car when you were visiting? Can you send some our way so I can share with everyone here at Forgotten Fiberglass? I know all of us would enjoy seeing the car in color too 🙂
Hope you enjoyed the story, and until next time…
Glass on gang…
Geoff
Dear, I tell you that in 1954 the Justicialista car won the prize of elegance in NYC, at this moment I am trying to finish the book with the history of it, Greetings and at your disposal
hi their a justucialist a in australia in driving condition with porsche engine DKW alloy wheels
Scot..here’s another story on the 1948 Stout Project Y – monocoque chassis – car. https://www.undiscoveredclassics.com/?p=12123 I think Kaiser was experimenting with fiberglass and monocoque a few years earlier as well. I’ll have to dig thru my research to determine that answer though. Hope this helps….Geoff
~ i find the Stout, Dyamaxion, Gougeon and the like totally fascinating as i know you do too, from our past conversations. i went back and watched your first test drive, 10/12/2011, Gougeon Streamliner.
http://youtu.be/G7LBkJrhFag
you must have world’s coolest neighbors.
but i’ve never seen an earlier use of the word ‘monocoque’ in ads by an auto manufacturer that i can recall. i first encountered the term in late ’50s/early ’60s (?) Sports Car Graphic article. wasn’t paying much attention prior to that. 😉
~ though the concept was around for many years this is the earliest use by a manufacturer of the word ‘monocoque’ in their advertising that i can remember seeing.