Hi Gang…

Alden Jewell’s collection continues to astound us here at Forgotten Fiberglass.  Recently he shared this flyer not from Maverick Motors but from Industrial Plastics Services.  This was the organization that built the Vale bodies (we hope more than one), the Le Blanc-Bardahl Streamliner, and – we believe – other fiberglass bodied cars too.

The sales sheet today has text similar to a story written on Sunday August 24, 1952 that appeared in the Oakland Tribune.  Click here to review the story we posted early on that same article.

Let’s review the sales flyer from Alden’s collection in detail.

Oakland Produces Plastic Car Body (1952)
By Homer D. Fey, Tribute Auto Editor
Fiberglas-Plastic Car

The largest fiberglas-plastic sports car body yet constructed, according to the manufacturers, was produced recently by the Industrial Plastics Service at 4425 Linden Street, Oakland, California.  It was constructed of Astrolite liquid plastics, specially formulated by Industrial Plastics Service, and reinforced by Fiberglas supplied by Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation, and was built especially for Maverick Motors.  This type body will become standard equipment on the new Maverick Sports Car.

Designed to fit 123”-125” wheelbase cars, the overall length is 16’ and width 6’, weight approximately 220 pounds.  Industrial Plastics Service formulate and market an extensive line of plastics resins – sold under their trade name “Astrolite.”  Special formulations of those liquid plastics are used in conjunction with fiberglass in construction of sports car bodies, hardtops, boats, auto trailers, etc.

J. Fraser Rae, owner of Industrial Plastics Service, and has been associated with the plastics industry as technical consultant and instructor for over twenty years.  Rae predicts extensive markets will be developed in the next few years for large structures made from fiberglass and plastics combinations.

At present, his own organization is one of the largest suppliers of those materials for sports car bodies, boats and hardtops.  It is expected the new Maverick Sports Car will be on display at the International Auto Show to be held in Oakland from October 10 to 18 inclusive.

Summary:

So, for the first time we see a raw fiberglass Maverick body freshly pulled from the mold.  And…we get to see both the mold for the Maverick body and a Maverick in the first stages of being built – the fiberglass has yet been trimmed from the edges of the body.

So…where is the family of J. Fraser Rae?  Do they have any family archives of photos waiting to be shared with the public showing their importance to the history of fiberglass sports cars in America?  And…what did happen to those fiberglass molds for the Maverick and the Vale?

So many questions.  Any of you want to help with the research?  You never know what you’ll uncover here at Forgotten Fiberglass.

And…a great big thanks to Alden Jewell for sharing another piece of his collection with us today.  Much appreciated Alden!

Hope you enjoyed the story, and until next time…

Glass on gang…

Geoff