Fiberglass Renaissance - At a time when today’s sports cars often feel shaped more by software than by hand, it’s compelling to revisit the era when fiberglass first opened the door for everyday enthusiasts to build machines of their own. That environment gave rise to Canadian entrepreneur Leslie Albert Dawes, who founded LaDawri Coachcraft in 1956 and moved the operation to Southern California in 1957, where custom-car culture flourished.
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| The supercharged LaDawri Conquest shown here, assembled in Wyoming in the 1960s, revives a long-forgotten era of American fiberglass sports cars. (Picture from: Motorious) |
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| The LaDawri Conquest embodies LaDawri’s design philosophy, with bodies mounted on donor frames and fitted with whatever components builders could source, ensuring no two cars were ever alike. (Picture from: Motorious) |
One surviving Conquest, originally assembled in Wyoming during the 1960s, captures that inventive spirit with clarity. Riding on a shortened 1952 Ford chassis, it wears a blue fiberglass body paired with matching blue vinyl upholstery—choices that reflect both the builder’s taste and the practical realities of kit-car construction. LaDawri bodies were intended to be mounted on donor frames and fitted with whichever components builders could source, ensuring no two Conquests were ever the same. This particular example channels that philosophy through period-correct engineering, including a C4 three-speed automatic transmission and a Ford 9-inch rear axle equipped with Positraction.
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| The LaDawri Conquest rides on a shortened 1952 Ford chassis and wears a blue fiberglass body with matching blue vinyl upholstery, reflecting both the builder’s taste and the practical realities of kit-car construction. (Picture from: Motorious) |
Lift the compact hood and the car’s ambitions become unmistakable. A Paxton-supercharged 289-cubic-inch Ford V8 sits at the center of the build, fed by a Holley four-barrel carburetor and a HiPo intake manifold that transform the lightweight fiberglass shell into a surprisingly potent machine. Its supporting parts reinforce its handmade identity: drum brakes at all four corners, chrome wire wheels, and a mix of sourced components ranging from a 1950s Chevrolet truck windshield to Lucas headlights, Pontiac taillights, and an integrated roll bar. These mismatched yet intentional choices form a visual language unique to homebuilt performance cars of the era.
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| The LaDawri Conquest reveals its bold intent through a Paxton-supercharged 289 V8 with a Holley four-barrel and HiPo intake that make its lightweight body impressively potent. (Picture from: Motorious) (Picture from: Motorious) |
Inside, the Conquest embraces a similar blend of simplicity and customization. Stewart-Warner gauges provide crisp instrumentation, while a Fenton shifter anchors the driving position and dual heaters offer a surprising touch of practicality for a minimalist cabin. The interior isn’t polished in the way modern sports cars strive to be, but that’s precisely what makes it compelling—it’s a reflection of decisions made by its original builder, guided by function, creativity, and whatever parts were accessible at the time. | LF5lSJ0hidI | mmi0ePBfGzc |
Today, this supercharged Conquest stands as a vivid reminder of a period when American car culture celebrated resourcefulness, accessibility, and the thrill of shaping a vehicle by hand. As interest in early composite-bodied sports cars continues its resurgence, machines like this offer a direct link to that experimental era—one defined by ambition, improvisation, and a belief that extraordinary performance didn’t require a factory badge so much as the will to build something entirely your own. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MOTORIOUS | UNDISCOVEREDCLASSICS | WIKIPEDIA ]Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.
