Fabulous Fiberglass at the Savoy
Handcrafted Cars of the 1960s and 1970s
Savoy Automobile Museum
March 4th thru July 13th, 2025
For Review and Approval: Bruce Patton, Director Savoy Automobile Museum
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Click Here To Read Review of Savoy Automobile Museum
Exhibit Overview
The 1960s was a new era for design. The postwar culture had shifted. Music, architecture, clothing – everything was being re-imagined and car design was no exception. Designing and building your own sports car was a trend that started after World War II and continued thru the 1960s and beyond. Enterprising and talented young men who were car-centric, were driven by a passion to create something that would be uniquely their own – a sports car tailored to their exact design.
This exhibit embraces the handcrafted sports car movement by showcasing exceptional “1 of 1” automobiles as well as examples of skillfully designed models that you could buy and build if you had the determination, talent and skill. The cars in the exhibit here at the Savoy represent the range of what was being built and more. Exceptionally rare today, we’re honored to have cars from the collections of the designers and builders themselves – the first such significant showing of handcrafted cars from this era at a museum in the world.
Fabulous Fiberglass at the Savoy
Nine Cars In Chronological Order
Car 1: 1958 Thor Coupe by Vilmar Gudmunds and Jerry Ball
Car 1: 1958 Thor Coupe by Vilmar Gudmunds and Jerry Ball – confirmed
Owners: Richard and Gina Brown
E-mail: picturecars@yahoo.com
Phone: (985) 788-5126
Pick up Address: Slidell, Louisiana
1958 Thor Coupe: One of Postwar America’s Earliest VW Specials
(Overview: 350 Words)
Nik Gudmunds and Jerry Ball completed the Thor in 1958. Little did they know that they were making history by using a VW chassis and drivetrain. The VW Beetle first started to arrive in the USA in 1949, and by late 1955 Volkswagen sales were strong enough to establish a sales office in Englewood, New Jersey.
While many people became enamored with the production version of the Beetle, others saw it as a great platform to build a more stylish and sporty car using the VW chassis and drivetrain. This trend started strongly in Europe with individuals, small companies and coachbuilders (including Rometsch, Denzel, Beutler, Dannenhauer and Stauss, Hebmuller, Steyr, Kohlruss, Wendler to name a few) producing stylish examples.
This trend continued in the USA as well, where it was usually individuals who were using the air-cooled VW drivetrain and/or were re-bodying VW Beetles to their own sports car styling and taste. Individuals, that is, like Nik Gudmunds and Jerry Ball.
These two young men best illustrated what you had to do if you wanted to design and build your own sports car. They started out with a sketch on paper, and quickly translated it to a scale model in balsa wood. Next they created a set of blueprints that would help them build the structure they needed to create a mold for the body.
Once the structure was built and the molds finished (this process alone can take 1000-2000 hours) they laid fiberglass into the mold and with much effort, they pulled out their first body. Eventually two running, driving coupes were built and a third “roadster” body was created. The roadster body remains unbuilt to this day.
Nik Gudmunds and Jerry Ball designed and built the “Thor” in 1957 and finished it in 1958. Their work is a great example of the effort it took to design and build a car of your own. Gudmunds and Ball’s Thor is one of the earliest examples of an American designed VW-based sports car – a “VW Special” built in America.
Read the full 3-part story on the website UndiscoveredClassics.com
| Technical Specifications: 1958 Thor Coupe | |
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Reference: Undiscovered Classics website
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Newly Restored 1958 Thor Debuts at 2023 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
Car 2: 1962 Shark Roadster by Henry Covington and Glen Gums
Car 2: 1962 Shark by Henry Covington and Glen Gums – confirmed
Owner: Geoff Hacker
Contact Person: Geoff Hacker
E-mail: geoffrey.hacker@gmail.com
Phone: 813-888-8882
Pick Up Address: Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, March 2025
1962 Shark: One of the Most Streamlined Cars in the World
(Overview: 200 words)
In the late 1950s, Industrial designer Henry Covington, of St. Petersburg, Florida, set forth to build a car based on the aerodynamic principles of Dr. Augustus Raspet – a close friend and noted aerodynamicist. Covington collaborated with fiberglass expert Glenn Gums of Glenn Industries to build his prototype.
Six Tiburon (Spanish for “Shark”) coupes were produced by Caccicraft of Tampa, Florida in 1961 and early 1962. Sadly, Henry Covington passed away in May, 1962, and production of the coupes ceased. Glenn Gums moved ahead producing the Shark roadster in 1962. Several design changes were made including modifying the coupe body into a roadster, installing doors, adding a front grille, modifying the rear grille, changing the taillight design, and exposing the headlights.
Six Shark roadsters were produced between 1962 and 1965 bringing total production of Tiburon
Coupes and Shark Roadsters to twelve. Both the Tiburon and the Shark were designed to take full advantage of contemporary aerodynamic knowledge, including a belly pan that was nearly the length of the car. Ultimately, this design led Road & Track magazine in 1966 to recognize Henry Covington’s Tiburon (coupe) sports car as the most streamlined car in the world.
| Technical Specifications: 1962 Shark Roadster | |
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Reference: Undiscovered Classics website
More Information
This car will appear at Amelia in March 2025 and be brought directly from Amelia to the Savoy from the Concours
Jay Leno’s Feature Video on Shark has nearly 700,000 Views – Click Here
Autoweek Video on Shark – Click Here
Car 3: 1965 XKC Special by D. L. Baker and Dennis Kazmerowski
Car 3: 1965 XKC Special – confirmed
Class Assigned: Sports and GT Cars 1960 -1967
Owner: Dennis and Karen Kazmerowski
E-mail: kazandkaz@comcast.net
Phone: (973) 714-3175
Pick Up Address: Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, March 2025
1965 XKC Special: An American Built; European-Styled Sports / Race Car
(Overview: 310 words)
The 1965 XKC Special is a collaboration between two people that spanned over 40 years. Remarkably…the collaborators never met.
So often with handcrafted cars, the attention is paid to the looks and comfort of the car. The chassis and drivetrain is of minor focus. But with many individuals who designed and built their cars at the highest level, the design starts with the performance of the car. And performance starts with the basics – chassis, suspension, drivetrain and more – the hidden elements of the best designed cars out there. The original builder and designer was D.L. Baker from California.
He had started putting together his thoughts on building this car in the late 1950s. It took another ten years for Baker to finish. In the words of the original builder, “The XKC Special took 7 years, 2 wives, 10,000 cans of beer and many good and talented friends to create.” What better story could you ask for?
Dennis Kazmerowski purchased the car around 2016 with its history as well as photos on how it was built. But what really attracted him to the car was what you couldn’t see. The custom-built and highly engineered frame and suspension. After inspecting all of the important components – he purchased the car and whisked it home safe and sound. Then work began.
His plans were to bring back some of the vintage elegance of its original design by returning the front end to more of its original Jaguar style. Other custom features added to the car over the years were removed so that the simplicity of the original design was revealed. It was quite a bit of work, but the car turned out beautifully. The final look of the XKC Special as it stands today is a blend of vintage Jaguar styling combined with a modern stance which results in an aggressive race car look.
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Reference: Dennis Kazmerowski – designer, builder and owner of the 1965 XKC Special
More Information
This car will appear at Amelia in March 2025 and be brought directly from Amelia to the Savoy from the Concours
Click Here For More Information on the 1965 XKC Special
Car 4: 1966 Novetta by Steve Briscoe
Car 4: 1966 Novetta by Steve Briscoe – confirmed
Owners: Steve Briscoe
E-mail: justbriscoe@gmail.com
Phone: (716) 863-7316
Pick up Address: Phoenix, Arizona
1966 Novetta: One Man’s Dream…Creating His Own Ultimate Sports Car
(Overview: 245 words)
In The Words of the Original Builder: Steve Briscoe
My older brother was Wally Cleaver. Not the real one, but he was handsome, smart and cool. So, when he came home one day with ’61 British Racing Green TR3 the die was cast. To be that cool you need a cool car. It was all I thought about. And I drove a few: ’65 Vette, ‘70 240Z, ‘65 Mustang. Their only lack? Exclusivity.
And then I saw an old fiberglass body (a Banshee body by FiberFab) in a friend’s giant collection of cars and parts. That, and a recently seen cutaway of a ’62 Ferrari GTO with its rudimentary frame and solid rear axle begged the question, “How hard can it be to build a car?” I would humbly kneel to the great God Hubris often in the following years. I learned to do fiberglass and where to seek those who really knew how.
I learned metal fabrication and where to find those who really did it. Upholstery? Why not? I was a boy with a dream, the ignorance to follow it and a wife that tolerated it. And now a proprietary tubular steel frame, and coilover suspension rolls cloaked in a hand-formed ‘glass body representing my “Greatest Hits of ’60 ‘s Sportscars!”
From the Aston nose, Maserati hood scoop, Corvette windshield, and TZ2 front flares, to its Ferrari hips blended into a bold Porsche 904 style spoiler, it’s one of one. A friend asked recently, “What would be your absolute dream car?” I answered without hesitation. Novetta.
| Technical Specifications: 1966 Novetta | |
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Reference: Steve Briscoe – designer, builder and owner of the 1966 Novetta
More Information
This will be the car’s first appearance at a major event
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Car 5: 1969 Lola T70 MKII Coupe by Karl Schuetz
Car 5: 1969 Lola T70 MKII Coupe by Karl Schuetz – confirmed
Owners: Karl Schuetz
E-mail: BDMALCO@AOL.COM
Phone: (973) 224-3184
Pick up Address: Lincoln Park, New Jersey
1969 Lola T70 MKII Coupe: Karl Schuetz’s First Full Build
(Overview: 240 words)
Karl Schuetz had worked on sports cars for years building his skill and knowledge in all aspects of automobile repair and design. But when a chance presented itself to acquire a vintage Lola T70 body built by Trojan, the original manufacturer, the wheels began to spin. Karl had acquired the body from good friend Dennis Kazmerowski who had located it in long-term storage – hidden away for nearly 40 years.
This was Karl’s first attempt at a full car build and required dedication, perseverance and skill to complete. Building the Lola took him approximately 1000 hours and about a year of weekends and evenings to fulfill his dream.
Here are some of the items he used to complete his car:
Karl designed and built the frame to utilize C5 Corvette suspension components.
QA-1 adjustable shocks
Wilwood pedal assembly, master cylinders, rotors and calipers
Porsche 996 transaxle sourced from G-Box in Colorado
Engine adapter by Kennedy engineering
383 Chevy stroker motor as built by ARC Motor Sports in Rockaway, New Jersey
8 stack FI Sytem by Speedmaster with Holley HP ECM with wiring harness by Holley
Wheels are (2) piece design by Team 3 Wheels from California
Karl also learned to paint to complete his car. The work he completed represents much of what any individual designer / builder had to do to bring an idea, assemblage of parts and a dream to fruition.
| Technical Specifications: 1969 Lola T70 MKII Coupe | |
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Reference: Karl Schuetz – designer, builder and owner of the 1969 Lola T70 MKII Coupe
More Information
This will be the car’s first appearance at a major event
Car 6: 1969 Amante GT by Bill Voegele – Founder of Voegele Industries in 1969 (waiting photo of car #1 owned by family)
Car 6: 1969 Amante GT by Voegele Industries – confirmed
Owners: John Campbell (nephew of founder/owner Bill Voegele)
E-mail: John.Campbell@PWCampbell.com
E-mail: bvoegele@extech-voegele.com
Phone: (412) 965-1052 (Bill Voegele)
Pick up Address: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
1969 Amante GT: Handcrafted in the European Tradition
(Overview: 735 words)
The Gazelle was introduced in early 1969 by the Hebina Plastics of Santa Clara, California. Company founders and designers – John Hebler and John Ubina modeled their car on some of the finest Italian design sports cars of the 1960s. The Gazelle stood only 44” tall and engine choices included VW, Porsche or Corvair. The body had a steel roll bar, side bars and other body reinforcements molded in during the assembly process showing itself to be a well-thought out automobile of very high quality.
Interestingly, the company that produced the Gazelle, Hebina Plastics, was located close to Fiberfab – one of the largest players in the fiberglass sports car body business. This location would ultimately prove to have a positive impact on their success.
Putting together the design, molds, advertising and publicity was no short order for a small organization, but after 3-4 months they were up and running and had sold about a dozen cars. But 1969 wasn’t an easy year for most businesses across America – there was a nationwide recession. Hebina, as with most companies was negatively impacted, but luck would soon be on their side.
Coincidently, Bill Voegele had just graduated from Berkeley in the summer of 1969 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Approaching his mid-30s, Voegele was a sports car enthusiast (as most young men were back then) and he was intrigued by the idea of building your own sports car. He initially began working for Fiberfab with plans on becoming one of their engineers, but after a few short weeks, he found reason to leave. One of those reasons was the high quality work he saw being completed on the Gazelle at Hebina Plastics just down the road from Fiberfab.
Impressed by their product, quality and design, Bill received financial backing from his father and as shared in a recent interview, “he became his own General Motors.” He asked Hebler and Ubina to stay with his company, and then made several small but impactful design changes.
These included strengthening several structural parts in the car as well as re-tooling the molds to move from single to dual headlamps. He also developed several different styling options for rear quarter windows. Finally, Voegele switched to using isophthalic resins for all fiberglass work – the highest quality resin that was available for this type of work. Voegele wanted the highest quality design with the highest quality of work for a car as beautiful as the one they were making.
There was only one final change he wanted to make – that was to the name of the car. In the words of Bill Voegele…
“I felt that the word ‘Gazelle’ didn’t roll off the tongue well. I chose the name ‘Amante’ because, to me, it represented what the car was to me. I chose it because I was told that it meant ‘lover’ or ‘mistress’ in Italian. I was in love with the car’s design and I was determined to make it special and to make it a legitimate automobile.”
Bill also changed the name of the company from Hebina to Voegele Industries.
By late 1969, sales had started to increase but they were ready for more. They significantly expanded their publicity and ran full-page ads in Road & Track, Car and Driver and other magazines. Professional and stylish ads were created and a beautifully designed brochure helped attract attention and sales of the car. But Voegele wanted more, and his next move was in the grandest sense. He set his target on the debut of his car at the New York International Auto Show. In his own words,
“We tried so hard to establish ourselves. At one point, we thought that our biggest problem was that our car looked so good that people would not believe that it was a ‘kit car’ and so we thought that we needed to pull out the stops and use our remaining money to show the car in the best possible light, at the biggest auto show in the United States; namely, the NY International Auto Show.”
The show was in the spring of 1970 and the Amante GT shined next to the other elegant sports cars at the show such as Ferrari and Lamborghini.
Voegele Industries continued to produce the Amante GT thru the end of 1970 producing approximately 150 cars/bodies. This made Voegele Industries one of the most successfully manufacturers of its era.
| Technical Specifications: 1969 Amante GT | |
| Engine | VW Type 3 , fuel injected, with some modifications….replacing the prior Porsche engine. |
| Transmission | Standard VW 4-speed stick shift |
| Chassis / Suspension | VW Type 3 with front disc brakes and anti-roll bar. |
| Body | Amante GT custom fiberglass body with fiberglass inner linings of all panels and with steel reinforcing (roll bar plus doors and beneath doors. Steel door jambs with piano hinges |
| Additional Information | This particular car was entered in the International Car Show in New York in 1970. |
Reference: Bill Voegele – Founder of Voegele Industries Which Produced The Amante GT
More Information
This will be the car’s first appearance at a major event
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Car 7: 1968 Fiberfab Jamaican by Chris and Russell Beebe
Car 7: 1968 Fiberfab Jamaican by Chris and Russell Beebe – waiting for confirmation
Owners: Chris and Russell Beebe
E-mail: waiting for confirmation
Phone: waiting for contact information
Pick up Address: Wisconsin
1968 Jamaican: Styling Influenced by the Lamborghini Miura
(Overview: 159 words)
Fiberfab was an American automotive company that started out building bodykits for cars like the Corvette. By the mid-1960s they were offering kit cars, some of which had custom chassis and bodies, typically fitted with either British or American engines and running gear.
Fast Facts – The Fiberfab Jamaican
The Fiberfab Jamaican II was a wider, longer version of the original Fiberfab Jamaican that had been developed to accommodate a V8 engine, and to fit onto the new Fiberfab steel chassis.
The original Fiberfab Jamaican had been released in 1968, some say it was partly influenced by the Lamborghini Miura. It was essentially a kit including a new fiberglass body that could be fit to the chassis of a TR3, TR4, MGA, or (big) Austin-Healey.
Many people wrote in to the company requesting a V8 version of the Jamaican, and so they developed a new body and chassis that could be fitted with a Corvette V8 and running gear.
| Technical Specifications: 1968 Jamaican | |
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Reference: The Fiberfab Jamaican II V8 – Silodrome, June 11, 2022
More Information
This will be the car’s first appearance at a major event
Rare American Sports Car: The Fiberfab Jamaican II V8
Silodrome: June 11, 2022
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Car 8: 1974 Kelmark GT – Built by Kerry Griffin (waiting photo of his finished car)
Car 8: 1974 Kelmark GT – Built by Kerry Griffin – confirmed
Owners: Kerry Griffin
E-mail: Gregg – Father: gvgriffin@gmail.com
Phone: (832) 314-2986
Pick up Address: Houston, Texas
1974 Kelmark GT: One of America’s Most Popular Cars to Build
(Overview: 302 words)
Russ Keller and Randy Markham started Kelmark in Okemos, Michigan in 1969 and spent the next five years developing what was to become one of the all-time most popular kits. Their first product, the Kelmark I, was unveiled in 1974. It was a stylish coupe that resembled a cross between a Ferrari 246 Dino and the experimental Corvette rotary-engined show car which was attracting attention at the time.
It was an ambitious project for the two young engineers, with VW and V-8 powered versions offered. In addition to the usual VW-based model, there were two mid-engined models with ladder frames and VW front suspension. One used a VW IRS transaxle while the other opted for a Corvair tranny. Either chassis could be adapted to a variety of engines. The Kelmark I body differed from later models in having side scoops above the door handles and shorter side windows.
After only a few cars had been made, Kelmark shut down and redesigned their kit to make it simpler to build. The doors were re-engineered and the rear deck restyled. New molds were made and production resumed as the Kelmark II. The Kelmark II was split into two models. The Independence was a VW-based kit and the Liberator was V-8 powered. They also sold The Sleeper, a mid-engined V-8 chassis with a VW Beetle body mounted on top! Another conversion was the V8-Vair, a mid-engined version of the Corvair. They also sold V8 chassis kits for Laser 917 and Manta kits.
By 1976 the Independence had been renamed the Kelmark GT. Bill Porterfield of Mi-Engineering built the ultimate Kelmark, a 700 hp big-block Chevy-powered monster that was clocked at 202.7 mph and still driven on the street. Later, Kelmark was owned by Westfall Motors, who put the dormant company up for sale in 1994.
| Technical Specifications: 1974 Kelmark GT | |
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Reference: The Big Guide to Kit & Specialty Cars by Harold Pace 2002
More Information
This will be the car’s first appearance at a major event
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Car 9: 1976 Cimbria: Built by Bruce Morehead – Owner Bob Cicerone
Car 9: 1976 Cimbria – Built by Bruce Morehead – owner Bob Cicerone – confirmed
Owners: Bob Cicerone
E-mail: bcicerone@gmail.com
Phone: (586) 321-5544
Pick up Address: Troy, Michigan
1976 Cimbria: Gullwing Excellence
(Overview: 229 words)
In 1978, Joe Palumbo started the Amore Car company in Milwaukee, WI. Their product, the Cimbria, was the result of his passion. With styling derived from Richard Oakes’ Nova (aka. Sterling), gullwing doors, and a versatile package, it was sold successfully for almost a decade.
The Cimbria was originally designed to bolt to a full length VW Beetle floorpan, but later a custom chassis was made to accept donors from Corvair & Pinto to Porsche. The only required modification to the VW donor pan was lowering the steering box.
Amore claimed the car could be built in 120 hours. The kit came in a basic package for use with VW parts and a deluxe kit, pre-assembled with only the drivetrain left for the owner to mount on the custom chassis.
Over the years, the Cimbria’s original style evolved growing all sorts of gills and intakes. The Mangusta style rear hatch gave way to a Corvette style buttressed look with a flat decklid giving access to the motor.
Unfortunately Amore folded in the Mid 80’s, but Mr. Palumbo stayed in the business with a replica of a Koenig BB512 called the Aldino K/O. The Cimbria also continued on, called the Nereia, and was made by a manufacturer of yachts. A version of it was also sold in the UK as the Eagle SS and is still produced to this day.
| Technical Specifications: 1976 Cimbria | |
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Reference: John Mellberg of Rare Component Cars
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This will be the car’s first appearance at a major event
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