Retro Fiberglass Hot Rods - The Venus

 One of the most beautiful creations of the 1950's fiberglass Specials era was the Venus.

1954 Venus from the cover of Motor Trend Magazine, May 1954

It was a very-low production car, less than ten built, and few still in existence. As was the custom back in the fifties, many of the body "extras" were from other cars, such as the unusual grille configuration which was actually made from parts off of a 1951 Mercury rear bumper.

Original Picture of the Motor Trend Magazine Cover, Above

The styling still holds up well. One of the great advantages of the nascent sports car era is that backyard-builders and  at-home designers could create a dream, and see that dream come to fruition through a combination of a "miracle material" that could be shaped and produced without giant stamping machines or expensive and time-consuming aluminum working. You could literally sketch out a design, make up a wooden frame, pull a reverse plug from the original and make multiple copies of your creation. The 1950's was the height of this home-brewed automotive alchemy.

 If you're interested in the real story behind this fantastic creation, checkout these two links:

Here is a personal history, from a family member of the designer...

The Venus History

And here is a fantastic site on all things Fiberglass from the Fifties, run by the impresario of forgotten history, Geoff Hacker...

Forgotten Fiberglass