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Hi Gang… One of our good friends in Europe, Hans van Ingen Schenau, has decided to sell his LaDawri Daytona race car and I thought I would share the history of this beautifully restored car with you. This may be … Continue reading
Category Archives: LaDawri Coachcraft
Mike Machado Behind The Wheel and Ready To Begin The Restoration of His LaDawri Conquest
Hi Gang… It’s great to see restoration plans being put in place for another LaDawri Conquest – this one owned by Mike and Bobbie Machado of Gardnerville, Nevada. Recently, Mike bought the LaDawri from good friend James Long of California, … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Undiscovered Classics is not an individual effort. It’s a collaborative, team effort that started before we got involved as folks like Fred Roth, Jean Poirier, Frank Cornell, Bill Hoover, John Gulow, Jon Greuel and others gathered information and … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Most people don’t know that LaDawri Coachcraft sold a body who’s design was inspired by the Lotus 11 sports/race car. Les Dawes called it the “Firestar Mark II” – a very catchy name and evoked the space age … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Great news! The folks at Reincarnation Magazine did a superb job and featured some great photos and an excellent article on Steve Miller’s 1960 LaDawri Sebring. The story and photos are by Joe Greeves and the finished product … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Le’ts go Ladawri! Conquest, that is… Here’s a great article about a car I’d love to find. But Rick and I are finding too many out there gang. Who wants to find this one? – it’s a beauty! … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Anything was possible in the 1950s concerning car design. It was early in 1958 when 17 year old Jim Webb showed his completed design – a custom sports car that debuted at the Oakland Roadster show, and won a top … Continue reading
It is interesting to note that there probably aren’t two identical Wildfires in existence today, simply because each builder customized his car the way he wanted to. Therefore, you’ll find Buick Wildfires, Chevrolet Wildfires, Ford Wildfires, and a host of … Continue reading
Hi Gang… One of the challenges we have here at Forgotten Fiberglass has to do with the very reason that the cars we study are so special – their rarity. And because of this, the number of cars under restoration … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Today’s story is brought to us by good friend Chris Wolfe of Denver, Colorado. Chris forwarded several magazine articles I’ve not seen before and it’s from his generosity that we owe our first story of his today. Thank … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Today is the latest installment of our series of stories on our quest to put all the ‘glass catalogs of the 50s and 60s online for everyone to enjoy. Les and Joan Dawes started their company in Canada … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Well…I’ve been looking for this car for 10 years and the trailer keeps getting colder and colder. Back in 1954, Merrill Powell of Victess Manufacturing penned a beautiful design for a 94 inch wheelbase coupe and called it … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Behind every unrestored fiberglass car lurks stories and possibilities – as creative and powerful as the mind can conceive. You just have to have the courage to see what was and what can be again – and what … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Recently, we had the honor of presenting our 1957 LaDawri Conquest at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance. Click here to review the recent story about our experience with our car at the event. But Amelia is … Continue reading
Hi Gang… We think about Bill Devin offering the greatest amount of bodies for any fiberglass sports car manufacturer of its era. They offered 27 different body sizes for various chassis, engine, and drivetrain combinations. That’s quite a bit – isn’t … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Recently, we had the honor of presenting our 1957 LaDawri Conquest at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance. Click here to review the recent story about our experience with our car at the Concours. It participated as … Continue reading
————– Note: This is the third in a series of articles here at Forgotten Fiberglass that showcase a story called “The Glassmakers 1960” published in Sportscar Graphic in May-June 1960. In this 1960 article, Almquist, Devin, Kellison, LaDawri, and Victress were showcased. We have … Continue reading
Hi Gang… As I mentioned recently gang….we’ve not been idle here at Forgotten Fiberglass, of late. In fact, today marks the next release of logos for each of the car marques within our vintage ‘glass entourage. And today I’m pleased … Continue reading
Hi Gang… It’s 1957 and you’ve just turned 24 years old. What do you want to do? Why not start a car company! That’s exactly what Les Dawes of Canada did, along with the support and participation with his new … Continue reading
Hi Gang… How many times do you get to talk to the original builder of one of our early specials? Not very often, but with Jon Greuel’s help, I was able to locate Curtis Hillman and learn more about the … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Wow! Full pages ads for fiberglass sports cars? Simply amazing. By 1960, the second generation of fiberglass sports cars you could build yourself was beginning to take force in the industry. Glasspar, Woodill, Allied, Venus, Grantham Stardust….these were … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Where O where is Jim Webb of Berkeley? I’ve been searching for him and his family for many years now, and I’ve found everything but Jim. Thanks to Hugh Nutting who was a friend of his, we have … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Building a fiberglass sports car early in one’s life usually has long-term implications. That’s what happened to Keith Kaucher when he first came across a LaDawri Castillian in shop class in the late 1970’s, and ultimately resulted in … Continue reading
Hi Gang… Happy New Year! Let’s talk LaDawri ! And why not? After all, finding the Dawes family in 2006 was what set Rick D’Louhy and me on the path of researching the early history of fiberglass cars. And… we hope … Continue reading
Hi Gang… How many automobile designs do you know are patented / copyrighted? Well….if you know at least “one” then you can add a few more to your list – some of our wonderful fiberglass cars of the 1950’s. Research … Continue reading