Fiberglass Sports Cars

	Fiberglass Sports Cars
	The Forgotten Era, 1950 - 1965

1959 Greuel Special
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	Tom Greuel with his Special I was a high school junior or senior when I designed the car. Around 1958, Dad did most of the work making the design come to life. We used wooden lath over wooden bulkheads to make the body. The wooden laths were covered with meshed wire and plaster over which parting agent and wax was used to prevent the polyester resin from sticking to the plaster. We used only fiberglass cloth and not matting to construct the body. It was made in one piece except for the hood and we where able to lift it off the mold by one of us being on each end. The frame, which was from a ‘41 Ford was shortened at least 2 feet and the engine was lowered and moved back. The frame had transverse springs, similar to the rear spring on an older Corvette. We lowered the springs into the frame so far that the distance between the axles and the frame was only about 2 inches. The body was so light that it didn't bottom out too often. The engine was the original ‘41 Ford flat head which didn't have a lot of power. The top speed was around 100 mph. The car handled extremely well for it being amateur built. It had a 3-speed Ford transmission with a modified floor shift. The drive shaft was only about 3 feet long. I graduated from good old Bemidji High School in 1959 and joined the Navy on June 19, 1959 and completed service on December 20, 1963. We completed the car before I graduated and I drove it for a few months before I went into the Navy. Jeanne, your Dad and David drove it more then I did. Your Dad may have a tale to tell re going to International Falls from Bemidji at a record breaking speed. Jeanne told me recently that she and her friends used to cruise Bemidji when she was in high school. The car was sold in 1972 with a cracked engine block. I told Dad it was ok to sell the car as I was with the FBI in Washington DC and did not have the means to store or repair it.

	Jeanne Greuel (Wilkinson) in the Greuel Special Jeanne had (has) a reputation for driving very fast. Tom had by this time gone off to the Navy. He was probably on a slow ship to China.
	Jeanne Greuel (Wilkinson) in the Greuel Special Little girl is Kathy Greuel (Wittmann) Jon, I was there the day the people came and got Tom’s Car. I remember they had to use the old truck to push it up onto the trailer and that the guy was from Bemidji, MN. Kathy

	Hi Jon, I and Tom shortened the 1941 Ford frame when I was home on leave. We hacksawed 2 feet out of the center and zed the frame and put it back together. Tom and I both welded on it. When I got out of the Navy, Tom went in to the Navy. I went to BSU and had MGA Twin Cam until I sold it when I was in my 3rd year in college. I had a number of cars then, a Renult, a Ford 4 door, and a Pontiac Grand Prix ( fast car, I had it up to 140 MPH). I also drove Tom's car. Some times to school and a few times to International Falls when I was student teaching up there. Once when I brought it to college and a group of people were gathered around it someone asked me what engine it had in it and I replied that it had a V12 with 12 carbs and a tuned exhaust on it. One guy did not quite believe my lie and asked me to start it up which I did. He said "gee that doesn't sound like a V12". At which point I asked him how many V12's he had heard? Luckily I had to go to class at that point and did not have to pull the hood off to show him, but from that point my joke was passed around that it was known as a V12 powered car. I used it in a number of parades to haul around some queens and famous people who were more important than me. I even used it to pull a float or two. Once Tom and I had a Gimkana type race in the back yard at Wolf Lake resort where I raced the MGA against Tom's car. Tom's car was much faster than the MGA. This race course is laid out and you race against the clock with part of the course being a mock garage you park in and out and could be laid out in a a supermarket parking lot. I entered other races of this type in New York State with the TR4 and was surprised to see how well the Corvette did in this type of race. Lots of smoke from the tires. Dad Jerry Greuel
	Jerry Greuel pulling the "Vet's Club" float sometime between 1959 to 1963, while he was attending Bemidji Stae University. Does anyone have more pictures from this parade?
	Please contact me if you have any information regarding this car.