EyesOn Design 2026
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Sunday June 21st, 2026 (Father’s Day)
The Emergence of the American Postwar Sportscar (600 words)
“The Greatest American Car Story NEVER Told”
Undiscovered Classics: 2015
In the late 40s’ and early ‘50s, if you wanted a sports car in America your options were mostly European. And making this choice meant evaluating a high purchase price, problems with parts availability, and complicated maintenance. It was during this time that a critical phase of automotive history took place – the emergence of the American sports car.
American sports cars, desired by enthusiasts, didn’t exist until a number of enterprising young men and small companies began to create them. Many were built using original designs, some were influenced by European styling, but the chassis and drivetrains were almost always American – easy to find and inexpensive to maintain
Sometimes just one car was built, but in many cases five, ten or more examples were produced. And it didn’t stop with sports cars – they built their own concept cars, custom cars and hot rods. The only limitation was the imagination to conceive it and the talent to build it – and Americans in the postwar era had an abundance of both. They were driven to achieve and succeed.
These cars allowed enthusiasts to satisfy their desire to own an affordable American sports car. Individuals got their hands dirty and went out and built what they wanted.
For a few short years, handcrafted cars met the need of affordable American sports cars – and they had an impact on the styling and design of what took place in postwar Detroit too.
This was confirmed by Walt Woron, founding editor of Motor Trend magazine, when he wrote about the topic of handcrafted cars in a November, 1951 editorial titled “Amateurs are Creating New, American Designs.” He said,
“It has been freely admitted by top Detroit automotive designers that many innovations on production cars are the result of watching the developments of these enthusiasts who build their own custom cars, sports cars and hot rods.”
It’s been forgotten that over fifty American sports cars were already on the road, both as one-off designs or in limited production by the time the Corvette began appearing in showrooms in the fall of 1953. Early American sports cars bear names that few recognize such as Glasspar, Wildfire, Victress, Meteor, Devin, LaDawri, Kellison and others.
Because these cars were built in small numbers and by many different individuals and companies, their history has been fragmented and difficult to categorize. For these reasons, these cars have been mostly forgotten except by the most dedicated of automotive historians.
Handcrafted American sports cars are often seen as quintessential “Americana” – the best of what Americans could do. These cars showed what individuals could achieve when they brought forth their creativity, design, engineering, innovation, tenacity, and handcrafting expertise. But walking this path was not for the faint of heart.
Period magazines reported that building a car using an available fiberglass or aluminum body took an average of 2000 hours. That’s fifty weeks at forty hours a week and two weeks off for good measure to complete a car in a full year. If you use a modern rate of $50 an hour, labor alone would top $100,000 before buying your first part.
Car enthusiasts, collectors, and automobile aficionados are beginning to appreciate the importance of these early postwar American sports cars. Handcrafted sports cars have been recognized in classes of their own at concours events held at Amelia Island, Pebble Beach, as well as showcased in museums, magazines, and auction houses too. For these reasons, we call this…..
“The Greatest American Car Story NEVER Told.“
Class: Fabulous Fiberglass – 1950s thru 1970s
Total Cars 13: 11 Cars Judged / 2 Cars Display Only
1950s
- 1952 Glasspar G2 (Owner: Tom and Barb Chandler; Elkader, Iowa) – display only not judged
Appearances: Debuted at Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2024 - 1952 Glasspar G2 (Owner: Ron Strapel, Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania)
Appearances: Debuted at Hershey: Fall 2025 - 1953 Woodill Wildfire (Owner: Dan Chandler; Madison Heights, Michigan)
Appearances: Debuted at Lime Rock Historics 2020, Orphan Car Show at Stahls Museum Fall 2025 - 1953 Woodill Wildfire (Owners: Vic and Connie Oliver; East Syracuse, New York) – display only not judged
Appearances: Debut at EyesOn Design 2026 - 1953 Maverick Sportster (Owner: Tom and Barb Chandler; Elkader, Iowa)
Appearances: Pebble Beach Concours (2023) and Debuted at Amelia Island Concours (2021) – award winner - 1954 Allard Clipper (Owner: Tom and Barb Chandler; Elkader, Iowa)
Appearances: Debuted at Des Moines Concours d’Elegance in 2025 – award winner - 1955 Almquist Sabre (Owner: Tom and Julie Kubinec; Cazenovia, New York)
Appearances: Debuted and received award at Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2023; award winner at Detroit Autorama in 2026 - 1958 Thor (Owner: Richard Brown; Slidell, Louisiana)
Appearances: Debuted at Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2023; appeared at Fabulous Fiberglass Exhibit at Savoy Museum in Spring 2025; currently on display at the Edge Motor Museum in Memphis, Tennessee - 1959 Byers SR-100 (Owner: Pete Shanley and Traci Kokoskie; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Appearances: Debuted at La Jolla Concours d’Elegance 2020
1960s / 1970s
- 1961 Var (Owner: James Harkenrider; Milford, Michigan)
Appearances: Debut at EyesOn Design 2026 - 1966 Novetta (Owner: Steve Briscoe; Lebanon, Tennessee)
Appearances: Debuted at Fabulous Fiberglass Exhibit at Savoy Museum in Spring 2025; Tennessee Motorama 2026 - 1968 Meyers Manx SR-2 (Owner: John McIver; Northville, Michigan)
Appearances: - 1976 Cimbria (Owner: Bob Cicerone; Troy, Michigan)
Appearances: Debuted at Fabulous Fiberglass Exhibit at Savoy Museum in Spring 2025
The Cars in the Class
Car 1: 1952 Glasspar G2 – not to be judged
Click Here To Review History of Glasspar via Silodrome (Undiscovered Classics Partner)
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1952 Glasspar
Model: G2
Owner: Tom and Barb Chandler
Town: Elkader, Iowa
Car 2: 1953 Glasspar G2
Click Here To Review History of Glasspar via Silodrome (Undiscovered Classics Partner)
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1952 Glasspar
Model: G2
Owner: Ron Strapel
Town: Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania
Car 3: 1953 Woodill Wildfire
Click Here To Review History of the Woodill Wildfire
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1953 Woodill
Model: Wildfire
Owner: Dan Chandler
Town: Royal Oak, Michigan
Car 4: 1953 Woodill Wildfire
Click Here To Review History of the Woodill Wildfire
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1953 Woodill
Model: Wildfire
Owner: Vic and Connie Oliver
Town: East Syracuse, New York
Car 5: 1953 Maverick Sportster
Click Here To Learn More About This Car
Click Here to Review Maverick Sportster Pebble Beach Concours Presentation Portfolio
Click Here to Review Maverick Sporter Press and Publicity
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1953 Maverick
Model: Sportster
Owner: Tom and Barb Chandler
Town: Elkader, Iowa
Car 6: 1954 Allard Clipper
Click Here To Review History of The Allard Clipper
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1954 Allard
Model: Clipper
Owner: Tom and Barb Chandler
Town: Elkader, Iowa
Car 7: 1955 Almquist Sabre
Click Here To Review History and Video of This Car on YouTube
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1955 Almquist
Model: Sabre
Owner: Tom and Julie Kubinec
Town: Cazenovia, New York
Car 8: 1958 Thor
Click Here To Review History of the 1958 Thor
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1955 Thor
Model: Coupe/Targa
Owner: Richard Brown
Town: Slidell, Louisiana
Car 9: 1958 Byers SR-100
Click Here To Review History of the 1959 Byers SR-100
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1959 Byers
Model: SR-100
Owner: Pete Shanley and Traci Kokoskie
Town: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Car 10: 1961 Var
Click Here To Review History of the 1961 Var
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1961 Var
Model: Roadster
Owner: James Harkenrider
Town: Milford, Michigan
Car 11: 1966 Novetta
Click Here To Review History of the 1966 Novetta
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1966 Briscoe
Model: Novetta
Owner: Steve Briscoe
Town: Lebanon, Tennessee
Car 12: 1968 Meyers Manx SR-2
Click Here To Review History of the Meyeres Manx SR-2
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1968 Meyers Manx
Model: SR-2
Owner: John McIver
Town: Northville, Michigan
Car 13: 1976 Cimbria
Click Here To Review History of the 1976 Cimbria
Display Plate
Year / Make: 1976 Amore
Model: Cimbria
Owner: Bob Cicerone
Town: Troy, Michigan
