other pictures of car 101 are in the ALBUM

A question from Rex in Feb. 2004:

The main question I have is: Was a prototype car built in Fort Lauderdale prior to car #101?

Information I've gathered says that your company started in Fort Lauderdale in 1963 where a prototype car was built, then moved to West Palm Beach area to build production cars. I am also told that only two cars were made on the 80 series chassis. (The prototype car and the
first production car #101)

I purchased a Glassic last summer which is currently being restored. This car has 9000 miles. It is titled a 1963. There is no VIN # on the right front frame and documentation with the car states a VIN # was produced using the motor # due to no VIN # could be found.

The car was purchased in Fort Lauderdale in 1966 by a Michigan car dealer known as "Underwood Motors" and stored in their showroom from 1966 to 1993.

Could this be the prototype car or is car #101 the prototype car? Do you know why there would be no VIN# on this car? Do you know the motor # of car #101 & would that sequentially tell me were my Glassic fits in. I appreciate any info you can share on this.

A picture of my Glassic is on the Glassic Annex I very much wanted to get to the Glassic reunion to meet you although my work schedule will not allow.

THANK VERY MUCH YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND INFO!!!

Rex

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The answer from Joel

Rex -You have taken me back quite a few years - back to the beginning...

Yes, there were two cars (both Phaetons) built on used Scout 80 chassis... The original "prototype" which was built at Plastic Engineering and Chemical Company in Ft Lauderdale where we did our original Master Mold mock-up and our first set of production molds were built there.

Dick Bradley was the engineer... He was "Mr. Plastic" for South Florida at the time (and for quite some time thereafter...) The final mechanical work was completed on the prototype in WPB at Faircloth Truck & Tractor Co., the International Harvester dealership my Father owned at that time (and that was my "play pen" growing up).

That "Prototype" is the car that my Father drove to Ft. Wayne, IN, for the inspection of International Harvester to deside IF they would sell chassis to us for this project... Memory says there were eight or nine "suggestions" made to "improve" the vehicle, all of which had been done before we received the engineering report from Harvester (along with about a dozen additional improvements of our own) but the bottom line is that they felt the project was deserving enough to sell us "running chassis" for production...

During the time we were waiting for the "shipment" of "production running chassis" we went ahead and built another vehicle on a used Scout 80 chassis. Back to the Prototype - it was eventually given to my sister, Elizabeth, and I don't know what happened to it after she found it desirable to sell... She could fill you in on these details of which I am not privy... The other "Scout 80" vehicle went to Lima, OH, and from there who knows...

I can't remember how it was titled, probably NOT as a Glassic because we would not have had a Certificate of Origin on it... It had already been titled as a Scout...

#101 IS the actual FIRST PRODUCTION GLASSIC without a doubt. There is a possibility (though slight) the "Lima, OH" vehicle could have ended up in Ft. Lauderdale and could be yours today... I don't know and I can't think of any particular distinguishing features that would be easily identified... Registration was not the detailed and particular thing back in the 60's as it became later in production, especially when DOT Safety and EPA with the Pollution Solution became factors in the later years of production...

The engine # could have been the ID# because our serial #'s started with 101. (By the way, I know the complete history of where 101 has been throughout it's entire live... My other sister had possession of it when she was given the vehicle originally when it left the plant, later to be possessed by Elizabeth after she sold the Prototype vehicle...)

Rex, I hope this helps in some way. All our records were lost due to water damage and my memory is cluttered with the daily problems of early production problems ..

101 and 122 (Joel's own Glassic at the time) were not titled for some time because we were using "Dealer Plates" at that time and not titling the vehicles until insurance costs on dealer plates became a factor of big expense, then we went ahead and titled the cars... Explains the delay in titling 101 until 1966... Hope this helps... Also as an after thought, you could have the original prototype, because I don't know when Elizabeth sold it, sold it to, or where it went... I haven't heard anything about it since.... You might have a treasure.