Ed Almquist started one of the first speed shops in America when he started taking orders via popular magazines for speed equipment in 1946.   He got into the fiberglass sports car business when a friend of his, Harry Heim, approached him with the car he designed and first marketed through his company Clearfield Plastics, of Clearfield Pennsylvannia.   Clearfield had started selling sports car bodies after their initial debut at a Watkins Glen show in 1955.  By 1956, Heim had persuaded Almquist to take these bodies on board his company and market them nationally – which is exactly what Ed Almquist did.  The short  “94” wheelbase car was named the “Sabre” and the 100” wheelbase car was called the “Speedster”.   Options allowed different mounting techniques for headlights, hood scoops, and even a convertible top.  Later bodies were offered in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s called the Thunderbolt and “El Morrocco”.  Being an East Coast company, many Almquist bodied sports cars raced throughout the northeast and midwest, and a few even made their way to the west coast as well.