Welcome to the new “Forgotten Fiberglass” Website.  I’m very excited to move to this new format for several reasons….

• It is a place where we can feature stories of vintage fiberglass cars and discuss them too – with a professional magazine / web blog format
• It eliminates the need for e-mailing and instead introduces an updated discussion board that you can sign up for (this replaces the recent discussion board I created for a variety of reasons I’ll discuss in the next story)
• It consolidates our old website started by Jon Greuel and expanded by Jon and myself in past years with a portal giving access to the website, discussion board, and feature story area – all on the same main page which is www.forgottenfiberglass.com

More about each of these issues in the next Featured Stories – as well as how to navigate thru the website.

It’s my hope this new approach fully embodies our interests as a group and brings together the disparate interest groups of vintage fiberglass cars under one umbrella – something that can support the hobby for years to come.

But..before going into detail about the website, I would like to thank several people who made this possible over the years in getting us to the point we are today.  This is not a short list.  This represents the efforts of folks going back over 30+ years or more.  Here we go..

First…the trail blazers…

These are the people who helped document these cars and their history – long before others caught on and appreciated them in the way they are today.

• Fred Roth: the founder of interest and focus on these cars starting with his support of an article in Special Interest Autos in 1971 about Woodill Wildfire
• Frank Cornell – Woodill Wildfire historian
• Bill Craddock – published first attempt at Vintage Kit Car group in 1993
• Tim and Tom Hutchins  – Sports Custom Registry published in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s
• Bob Curtis – historian and enthusiast who interviewed many of the founders back in the 1980’s and 1990’s – when research was damn near impossible
• Jean Poirer – Glasspar Historian
• Pat Hoover – son of original Glasspar builder and whose father worked with Jean Poirer and Glasspar history
• John Gulow – LaDawri Historian
• Harold Pace – author extraordinaire and historian of kit cars, Porsches, and more
• Mark Brinker – author, writer, historian, car owner, and all around enthusiast
• Kit Foster – author, historian, and enthusiast who embraced these cars long before nearly anyone else
• Raffi Miniasian – car designer, author, historian, and enthusiast who has been on the cutting edge of creating and capturing history since his entry into the hobby with a Pegaso approximately 20 years ago

Honored Enthusiasts, Owners, and Contributors:

• Ted and Greg Griffin – Woodill Wildfire historians and original owner/builder (Ted)
• Greg and Debbie Alderdice – Woodill Wildfire owners and enthusiasts (of LaDawris too)
• Tony St. Clair – Researcher extraordinaire and Glasspar / LaDawri owner
• Hugh Nutting – Enthusiast, historian, Glasspar and LaDawri owner
• Dave Perry – restorer and owners of many of these fiberglass cars – runs the best damn fiberglass garage in town
• Guy Dirkin – Byers and Victress owner
• Steve Steers – Victress owner and Glasspar enthusiast
• Tom Householder – fantastic researcher and sports car enthusiast
• Steve Cowdin – Woodill, Skorpion, Grantham Stardust, and researcher / literature collector
• Myron Vernis – enthusiast, Glasspar Ascot owner, and fantastic researcher and historian
• Jim Giles – historian and researcher / Woodill, Glasspar, Allied, others
• Marshall Foxworthy – car designer, researcher, and historian
• Alan and Cathy Maxcy – Byers owner
• Erich Schultz – researcher, historian, glasspar, LaDawri, and other owner
• Bob and Catherine Frumkin – Mechanix Illustrated owner and builder
• Rodney and Bill Packwood – Victress C3 Builder and historians
• Dan Palatnik – artist and enthusiast extraordinare
• Jimmy Smith – artist, enthusiast, and builder (cool truck in the garage…)
• Mike Wittman – Meteor owner, car build guru, and fantastic enthusiast (and great all-around guy too!)
• John Knebel – original owner and builder of Glasspar G2
• Mike and Jim Larkin – historians and original builders of the Sorrell and other cool racecars from back in the day
• Bill Fester – Allied owner and historian
• Peter Boyd – historian
• Tim Masters – builder, historian, and guitarist
• Jon Phillips – builder and hot rod enthusiast
• Ted Kempgens – builder extraordinaire
• Tom Bambard – builder, racer, and enthusiast
• Bill Warner – Chairman of Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance, and constant supporter of these unusual cars
• Paul Sable – owner, enthusiast, historian, and Concours judge of these cars
• Mick Walsh – Classic and Sportscar Editor, historian
• Norman Gocke – historian (Germany)
• Wolfgang Buchta – historian (Austria)
• Jim Miller – Chairman of the American Hot Rod Foundation and historian
• Bruce and Nancy Glascock – owners of the famous Garner Special, and historians too
• Jim and Lea Anne Robinson – owners of the Guy Maybee Victress and historians of Victress
• John Furlow – Byers historian and owner
• Phil Flemming – Byers and Devin owner and historian
• Rick Cannon – owner of an Allied and Cannon Engineering historian
• Terry Buffin – Atlas and Allied historian
• Tim Ritter – historian and enthusiast
• Bill Hair – historian and enthusiast
• Bert McNomee – Naugatuck Public Relations in 1950’s
• Bill Sigworth – Chemtura / Naugatuck employee

Historians:

• John Gunnell – historian and author of my favorite book “Weird Cars”
• Michael Lamm – historian and writer – focused on these cars back in the 1970’s with his publication Special Interest Autos
• Terry Boyce – historian, author, and enthusiast
• Angelo Van Bogart – Editor Old Cars Weekly, and enthusiast
• Jonathan Stein – historian and enthusiast
• Ron Cummings – historian and enthusiast
• Allen Kuhn – historian, photographer, and enthusiast
• Leslie Kendall – historian, author, and curator of Petersen Automotive Museum
• Rik Hoving – artist, historian, and enthusiast
• Ron Kellogg – historian and enthusiast
• Tony Miller – historian, enthusiast, and designer
• Walter Miller – historian and literature enthusiast
• Sharon and Rob McClellan – historians and literature enthusiasts

Company Founders, Employees, and Families:

• Merrill Powell – Victress
• Pat Boyce Smith – Victress
• Dick Jones – Meteor
• Frank Tift – Byers
• Frank Hecox – Glasspar
• Dennis Gerdes – Glasspar
• Richard Russell – Victress
• Bill Quirk – Victress
• Mel Keys – Victress
• Bill Burke – Allied / Atlas
• Noel Bangert Marshall – Bangert
• Bruce Gladwin – Maverick
• Fred Ricketts – Vanguard Warrior I
• Bruce Meyers – Manx
• Ed Monegan – LeMans Coupe
• John and Olga Covington – Covington Tiburon
• Bill Tritt – and sons Matt and Greg – Glasspar
• Michael Woodill – Woodill Wildfire
• Patrick McLoad – son of Venus founder
• Steve Hinger – son of Chicagoan/Triplex/Lightning founder
• Jim Rockefeller – Rockefeller
• Pat Amendolia – Rockefeller, US Mark II
• Elaine Shiber – Rockefeller
• John Buzby – Gazelle and Navajo
• Ed Almquist – Almquist
• Clark Mitchell – Clearfield Plastics / Almquist
• Joan, Patrick, and Michael Dawes – LaDawri
• Fred and Hirome Grantham – son of Bill Grantham of Grantham Stardust
• John Wills – Wasp / Skorpion
• Maria Testaguzza – LaSaetta
• Ray Green – Frazen
• Rich McCormack – McCormack
• Richard Bosley  – Bosley
• Don Edmunds – Wasp / Skorpion / Viking Craft (and the Cheetah too…)
• Jeri Clark – Grantham Stardust / Gene Schneider Plastics

I also want to thank…

• Ryan Cochran of the Jalopy Journal for his help, support, and encouragement on making this site happen.  Ryan blazed the trail with a format for his Jalopy Journal website that allowed both publication of stories and participation via a comprehensive discussion board too.  Outstanding for all his enthusiasts alike…
• Daniel Strohl of Hemmings who loves the same oddball and fiberglass cars that most of us do as well.  His interest and support of these cars shows in the Hemmings Blog he maintains and the Hemmings Publications he writes for each month

As best I’ve tried, I’m sure I left some people out and my apologizes for doing so – know that I appreciate the support and enthusiasm of each of my friends I’ve made over the past few years and look forward to your participation and enjoyment of our site as well.

But…not last or least…my thanks to my good friends who without their constant support this would not be possible:

• Rick D’Louhy – my best bud with research and conversation concerning each of these cars, and the publication of our upcoming book.
• Jon Greuel: the founder and best friend of fiberglass cars one could ask for…
• My new good friend Shannon Smith, who helped set this website and discussion group up for myself and everyone in the group.  This site would not be possible without his support, dedication, and patience with me as well.

Ok gang…my next few stories will give you more detail about our new website and how to use it.   I’ll also discuss what will be added and changed in the coming days and weeks for our website and discussion boards, but for now…get ready for a whole different experience concerning these cars, and an upcoming wild new year with research to share and newly restored cars blossoming across the country, and the debut of both the Forgotten Fiberglass class at the Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance and the Fiberglass Exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum (called Fantasies in Fiberglass) – both in 2010.

Glass On…

Geoff Hacker

1953 LaBrashmobile