# Fiberglass cars **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 31, 2020, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772 "2020-05-31T03:32:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/21 "2020-06-02T02:16:45Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I had friends that played around with kit cars and dune buggies, all based on bug chasses. The point was that VW bugs were, at the time, cheap and ubiquitous. > > Nowadays, if I could find a well running Bug, I’d keep it as is. > > So what we need now are kit cars that’ll transform a corolla or civic. How about a Honda S2000 or a MX-5/Miata? There are Locost (Lotus 7) kits/builders out there making them from both. Though, that is usually a “build a car from stuff you cut/unbolted out of another car” rather than “bolt on a body kit”. Things like the VW conversions discussed here near the latter sometimes, though. On the plus side, the Locosts can be a lot faster than the original 7s, or even the finest Caterham has to offer. Since some people build them out of scavenging a V-8 Mustang, they can sometmes be pretty brutal. > [@N9IWP](#): > > Isn’t it harder now with unibody construction rather than body-on-frame? > > Brian Yeah, that’s why you generally see less of it. Even in the case of the MX-5 based Locosts, they’re usually fabricating front spring perches, and using the lower a-arms from the MX-5 (geniuses design a double a-arm front), then cutting the rear sub-frame out of the unibody and welding that to their tube frame in a way that’s sound. > [@Lamoral](#): > > I drove one of these last year. It was a very well-done conversion, it looked pretty much exactly like the real thing. What I remember from its handling was that the clutch and accelerator were both very stiff - there was no travel in them, your foot was either all the way up or all the way down. I prefer my pedals to have some travel. The shifter, on the other hand, was very loose and had a ton of play in it. Once you got the thing up to road speed, it certainly _felt_ fast, so I get the appeal of it. > > Thing is, I’ve never actually driven an original Beetle, so I don’t know if they’re all like that or what. Hehehehe, this description makes it sound like you drove a Beetle. I’ve driven several of them. No throttle travel, OK but kind of stiff clutch, kind of vague brakes and a very vague shifter. My singer’s mom has a 356 hard top. The only time I was given a chance to drive it was after a hard night of whiskey, two sets and mushrooms, so I refused. I was scared the residuals would screw with my perception and risk screwing up a very nice old car. I’ll have to take them up on the offer if I get another chance. If nothing else to see how different it is from its predecessor. "course, the best thing you can do with an air cooled Beetle other than preserving it was to build a [Formula Vee](https://www.google.com/search?q=formula+vee&client=ubuntu&hs=i9e&channel=fs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDj4Srh-LpAhUCRqwKHaGgDnoQ_AUoAXoECBAQAw&biw=1316&bih=520) out of it. Sadly, we live in a reality where even if such things were street legal, you’d surely die in short order because nobody is expecting something that low and tiny. So, it requires race tracks. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/22 "2020-06-02T03:25:11Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > "course, the best thing you can do with an air cooled Beetle other than preserving it was to build a [Formula Vee](https://www.google.com/search?q=formula+vee&client=ubuntu&hs=i9e&channel=fs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDj4Srh-LpAhUCRqwKHaGgDnoQ_AUoAXoECBAQAw&biw=1316&bih=520) out of it. Sadly, we live in a reality where even if such things were street legal, you’d surely die in short order because nobody is expecting something that low and tiny. So, it requires race tracks. And it’s total bullshit that they’re not street legal, as all manner of rickety two-wheeled death trap vehicles are completely street legal. I have always felt this way. It’s complete and total bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/23 "2020-06-02T05:16:57Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > And it’s total bullshit that they’re not street legal, as all manner of rickety two-wheeled death trap vehicles are completely street legal. I have always felt this way. It’s complete and total bullshit. Well, you might be able to pull it off with an experimental vehicle license in Texas once you bothered affixing some lights to it and somehow got the air cooled engine to pass emissions (hey, you can always grease the right palms, or you could switch to a water-cooled engine somehow). But even then you’d be a complete loon to take it out on the freeway. I’m not saying I wouldn’t, but I’m also not saying I’m not a complete loon. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/24 "2020-06-02T20:15:56Z")
While I’ve not got much real world experience with fiberglas cars, apparently they still do make an appearance from time to time, even new designs. I became aware of this one, the [Bauer Catfish](https://bauerltd.com/), via, of all things, a video game. The game is called Wrench, and you can get it through Steam. It supports VR devices as well as the usual desktop PC + monitor system. In the game, you are the mechanic, and you have the freedom to take apart, reassemble, repair and otherwise service the very detailed car model used in the game, this very same Catfish. I thought it was a made-up car until I learned that (1) the engine is almost exactly the same as the Mazda Miata (MX-5) and (2) The Bauer Catfish car actually exists. Apparently it is one of scabpicker’s “Locosts.” It’s basically a “space frame” of welded tubes, plus fiberglas or carbon-fiber reinforced plastic panels attached all around it, with an MX-5 engine and suspension parts. They actually do race these, I believe at the Mazda raceway in Monterey, CA. It’s because they are lighter than the original Miata, they handle better. In the game, you can purchase and fix up a “stock” configuration Catfish, or convert it to “unlimited” class by adding a Turbo, intercooler and replacing the body panels with CFR plastic. And adding actual racing tires. Then, you can race the car, not as the driver but as the mechanic / owner, standing in the pit stop, watching your baby compete with all the others. Anyway… Fiberglas cars are also found in newly developed virtual reality simulations, in case you are interested in that kind of thing. (And I’m not even mentioning the numerous other games where you get to drive any number of cars, including no doubt some with Fiberglas bodies. I don’t usually play driving games.) ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/25 "2020-06-02T20:29:44Z")
Too late to add: It’s possible to buy one of these Catfish for less than $20k (in reality) which to me seems cheap for a racing car. And being a Miata, you can work on it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/26 "2020-06-02T20:30:16Z")
Here are some modern ones that are available. Donor cars: #1: Mazda Miata 1990-2005 #2: Chevy Corvette 1997-2004 #3: Chevy Cobalt 2005-2010 #4: Subaru Impreza 2002-2007 #5: Not stated ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/27 "2020-06-02T23:50:26Z")
Thought of this thread tonight on the way home from work, when I saw one of those late 60s style dune buggy conversions. Hadn’t seen one for a while. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/28 "2020-06-04T00:14:12Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Apparently it is one of scabpicker’s “Locosts.” It’s similar, but technically not. The [Locosts](http://www.kineticvehicles.com/) are specifically trying to be a Lotus 7. It’s in the same spirit, but not exactly the same. Cool kit, though. > [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Here are some modern ones that are available. > > Donor cars: #1: Mazda Miata 1990-2005 #2: Chevy Corvette 1997-2004 #3: Chevy Cobalt 2005-2010 #4: Subaru Impreza 2002-2007 #5: Not stated Damn, I wants me a Factory Five 818 (#4). Bad. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2020, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/29 "2020-06-04T02:56:47Z")
I was thinking about how the old kit cars were based on the VW because it was so common, inexpensive, etc. What could you probably find a fair amount of today, used, that would give some performance but not be too expensive. So I googled. > **[EasyRods 57 Chevy Belaro Replica Car Kits and Fiberglass Hot Rod Kits -...](http://www.easyrods.com/index.html)** > > EasyRods is a manufacturer and retailer of high quality fiberglass hot rod and 57 Chevy replica car, bolt-on kits. They are the creator of the The gallery pictures are a total hoot! Camaro + Bel Air = Belaro. Or you can turn a 1989-97 Thunderbird or Cougar into a 49-51 Ford mashup. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/30 "2020-06-04T19:05:25Z")
I came by to mention the Factory Five 818 but I see i was ninja’d. I had a Subaru that I was thinking of turning into a donor car but ended up trading it in for my new car. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/31 "2020-06-04T21:00:31Z")
I was interested in the Fiero Lambo kit as a kid, enough so that I drove up to Vancouver with the primary purpose of visiting a guy making one. It was disappointing enough that my interest stopped there. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2020, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/32 "2020-06-04T23:56:44Z")
The Fiero itself looks pretty cool, honestly. It may have been considered rather lame at the time, and so used as a basis for these kits, but if I had one today I’d just keep it as-is. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/33 "2020-06-05T01:11:51Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > The Fiero itself looks pretty cool, honestly. It may have been considered rather lame at the time, and so used as a basis for these kits, but if I had one today I’d just keep it as-is. I liked them as well. I don’t remember the “Mera” version at all. > [@](#): > > Additionally, starting with the 1987 model Pontiac dealerships offered an upgrade in the form of an “option” that changed the original body to a Pininfarina Ferrari 308-type body, called the Fiero Mera. Corporate Concepts completed the “Mera” transformation and none were sold as kit form. The Mera body change was offered only on new Fieros, sold through Pontiac dealers and is considered a model in its own right. Only 247 Meras were produced by Corporate Concepts before production was halted when Corporate Concepts was sued by Ferrari.[11][12] > **[Pontiac Fiero | 1987](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Fiero#1987)** > > 1987 saw changes to the front and rear fascias on the "base coupe" with the SE and GT models keeping the same "Aero" nose. The new non-aero noses lost the black bumper pads of the earlier models and had a smoother look. The four-cylinder engine's power rating increased to 98 hp (73 kW) with some major modifications which included a roller cam, redesigned intake manifold, distributorless ignition system (DIS), open combustion chamber cylinder head and upgraded throttle-body fuel injection system. ... Check it out—looks like a pocket Ferrari 308. [https://www.google.com/search?q=pontiac+mera&rlz=1C1CHBF\_enUS798US798&sxsrf=ALeKk03FufLdpCUno2EVLuUi8ULazXPcsA:1591317044522&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi9mKf5tenpAhUSXM0KHeGODh0Q\_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=1366&bih=657](https://www.google.com/search?q=pontiac+mera&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS798US798&sxsrf=ALeKk03FufLdpCUno2EVLuUi8ULazXPcsA:1591317044522&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi9mKf5tenpAhUSXM0KHeGODh0Q_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=1366&bih=657) No wonder the kit mfrs are trying that angle. 😃 Some of these Corvette ideas are interesting. A wagon, really? [http://www.kitcarlist.com/corvette-kits.html](http://www.kitcarlist.com/corvette-kits.html) ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/34 "2020-06-05T14:52:50Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Nowadays, if I could find a well running Bug, I’d keep it as is. Yeah this is the problem. Popular donor vehicles for these things are now collectible classics in their own right. As I approach my fifties I’d be seriously tempted to try my dream kit car but it requires gutting either an MG Midget, Austin Healy Sprite or else some crazy fabrication work. Not really a realistic proposition. > [@scabpicker](#): > > "course, the best thing you can do with an air cooled Beetle other than preserving it was to build a [Formula Vee](https://www.google.com/search?q=formula+vee&client=ubuntu&hs=i9e&channel=fs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDj4Srh-LpAhUCRqwKHaGgDnoQ_AUoAXoECBAQAw&biw=1316&bih=520) out of it. Sadly, we live in a reality where even if such things were street legal, you’d surely die in short order because nobody is expecting something that low and tiny. So, it requires race tracks. Ah yes, another drawback to my daydream car [Westfield XI - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westfield_XI). Note the height relative to bystanders and the modern COMPACT car. Street legal but the drivers head is at the height of a trucks axle. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/35 "2020-06-06T22:45:20Z")
Yeah, the Bradley GT. An ex-roomie of mine put one of those together using his old Bug. It took him almost a year and, frankly, it hardly got out of its own way. I think he referred to it as “The Thunder Chicken.” So…he held onto it for a few years. In the early 90s, he was making some decent money and he decided to upgrade it. (BTW, the body was looking pretty bad at that point, but he got it refinished somehow.) He dropped some super-duper reworked VW engine into it…you know, the kind you put in a nice dune buggy. After that, it ran like a bat out of hell! It was scary to ride in it, though, because the handling was so squirrely. Last I heard of it, he was working on some suspension and steering upgrades. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772/36 "2020-06-07T01:25:17Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > It’s similar, but technically not. The [Locosts](http://www.kineticvehicles.com/) are specifically trying to be a Lotus 7. It’s in the same spirit, but not exactly the same. Cool kit, though. Sorry! I should have known, with the play on words indicating Lotus and not Miata. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fiberglass-cars/854772.md?page=1)