Rare American Sports Car: The Fiberfab Jamaican II V8

This is a Fiberfab Jamaican II, it was built in 1983 using a Fiberfab tubular steel chassis and a sleek, lightweight fiberglass body. Power is provided by a 5.7 liter Chevrolet V8, and the car rides on all-independent suspension.

Fiberfab was an American automotive company that started out building bodykits for cars like the Corvette. By the mid-1960s they were offering kit cars, some of which had custom chassis and bodies, typically fitted with either British or American engines and running gear.

Fast Facts – The Fiberfab Jamaican II

• The Fiberfab Jamaican II was a wider, longer version of the original Fiberfab Jamaican that had been developed to accommodate a V8 engine, and to fit onto the new Fiberfab steel chassis.
• The original Fiberfab Jamaican had been released in 1968, some say it was partly influenced by the Lamborghini Miura. It was essentially a kit including a new fiberglass body that could be fit to the chassis of a TR3, TR4, MGA, or (big) Austin-Healey.
• Many Americans wrote in to the company requesting a V8 version of the Jamaican, and so they developed a new body and chassis that could be fitted with a Corvette V8 and running gear.
• The car you see here is said to have been built in 1983, it uses the Fiberfab chassis and a Jamaican II body, and it’s powered by a 5.7 liter Chevrolet V8, and it has independent front and rear suspension.

The Fiberfab Company Of California

The story of Fiberfab is undeniably one of the most fascinating, and at times tragic, stories in the history of 20th century kit cars.

The beautiful design of the Jamaican has been compared to the Lamborghini Miura and there are some similarities, though the two cars are notably different.

The first seed of what would become Fiberfab began as Sports Car Engineering (SCE) in 1957 founded by amateur sports car racer Warren “Bud” Goodwin. He sold the company for a profit just a year later to Du Crest Fiberglass, but he remained interested in starting his own sports car company from scratch.

In 1964 he got his wish, founding the Fiberfab Company with business partner John Hebler in Palo Alto, California. At first the company offered lightweight fiberglass body panels and bodykits for Corvettes, Mustangs, and Jaguars – targeted at people who wanted to lighten their cars for better performance and improved looks.

In 1966 the company launched a line of complete fiberglass body kits including the Apache, Aztec and Aztec II, and the Centurion. The company began producing the Valkyrie in 1967, a kit car based on the Ford GT40 that they claimed was the fastest car in the world at the time, with a top speed of 180 mph. Each Valkyrie is said to have come with a parachute as standard.

The Murder Of Jamaica Goodwin

In 1967 Fiberfab was turned on its head when the company founder Warren Goodwin shot and killed his 28 year old wife Jamaica Goodwin. The exact circumstances are murky, however he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to twelve months imprisonment.

The interior of this Jamaican is quite well equipped by kit car standards, though it could probably do with a refresh now.

Warren Goodwin would never set foot outside of prison again, he died of a massive heart attack just a few months into his sentence in late 1968.

Despite this tragedy Fiberfab continued on, releasing the Fiberfab Jamaican in 1968, a car designed by Chris Bebee that some say was influenced by the Lamborghini Miura.

Fiberfab would go through a few ownership changes over the succeeding years, interestingly the company is still in business today and their website claims that the company is now under new ownership, and that they’re planning to build new turnkey cars.

The Fiberfab Jamaican

The Fiberfab Jamaican was developed in 1967, before the tragic murder of Jamaica Goodwin and the subsequent death of Warren Goodwin. Perhaps as a sign of respect for her the company named the car in her honor, and it would carry her name for the rest of its production run.

This vehicle is powered by a Chevrolet V8 which is mated to a three-speed automatic transmission.

The Jamaican was developed as a fiberglass body that could be fitted to the chassis of inexpensive secondhand British sports cars of the era, including the Triumph TR3, TR4, the MGA, or the (big) Austin-Healeys.

The sleek styling ensured the kit was a success, but the company was inundated with requests for a more American version, that could accommodate a large V8 and the subsequent increase in power.

As a result of these requests Fiberfab developed a new steel chassis and a new Jamaican body that was both wider and longer. This new chassis could comfortably accommodate most V8s then in production, and an alternative form of the new body was developed that could fit over a VW Beetle chassis for those who wanted to build one on the cheap.

It’s not known exactly how many examples of the Jamaican II V8 were sold, they’re now the most valuable and sought after of the Jamaican variants, and they offer performance on-par with many American V8 production cars.

The Fiberfab Jamaican II V8 Shown Here

The car you see here is a Fiberfab Jamaican II V8 that’s said to have been built in 1983. It’s powered by a 5.7 liter Chevrolet V8 which is paired with a Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission.

The beautiful lines of the Jamaican have been winning it fans for decades, and they remain popular today in kit car circles.

The new owner may want to make a few changes to the car, the windshield wipers are currently non-functional, that Lamborghini badge on the dashboard needs to go, and the automatic transmission would ideally be changed out for a four or five-speed period-correct manual box.

The fiberglass bodywork is finished in red, it has black vinyl and cloth upholstery, and it’s equipped with chrome side mirrors, 15” Enkei wheels shod with 235/60 Mastercraft Avenger G/T tires, and a push-button AM/FM radio.

The interior of the car is spartan but relatively well equipped by the standards the kit car world, the odometer shows 13,000+ miles but true mileage is unknown. The Chevrolet V8 is topped by a four-barrel Quadrajet carburetor and the car independent suspension front and back, consisting of a combination of Chevrolet and Ford parts.

This car is currently being offered for sale on Bring A Trailer out of Ada, Michigan. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Bring A Trailer

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Yamaha XT500 – The Motorcycle That Won The First Two Paris-Dakar Rallies

The Yamaha XT500 will probably always be best remembered as the motorcycle that won the first Paris-Dakar Rally, all the way back in 1979. Then just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, it won the event again a year later in 1980.

In the decades since these wins, the XT500 has become a popular choice for those looking for a vintage enduro bike thanks to the fact that they’re hard to break, easy to get parts for, and a lot of fun to ride.

Fast Facts – The Yamaha XT500

• Yamaha released the XT500 in 1976, it shares much the same engine and drivetrain as the road-going Yamaha SR500 and the TT500 off-roader.
• The engine is a simple single-cylinder with a single overhead cam, it has two valves, a 5-speed transmission, and a chain drive to the rear wheel.
• The XT500 would remain in production from 1976 until 1989, and it would win a slew of races including the Paris–Abidjan-Nice, the Paris-Dakar Rally (twice), and the 1977 FIM Motocross Luxembourg Grand Prix.
• The XT500 you see here is listed as being a former stunt bike that has since been fully restored and only driven in dry weather since. It has matching engine and frame numbers, and it’s being sold out of Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom.

The Big Desert Rallies

In the 1970s the age of the big international desert rallies had arrived, races like this had existed before of course, but there was something new and somehow more extreme about races like the Paris–Abidjan-Nice Rally and the Paris-Dakar Rally.

Above Video: This clip shows footage of the 1979 Paris-Dakar Rally, including the race-winning Yamaha XT500 in action.

In these events there was very little support, most of the entrants typically didn’t finish due to crashes or mechanical breakdowns, and initially at least, there was very little media coverage. People didn’t do it for the fame they did it for the challenge.

Though it wasn’t explicitly designed for desert endurance racing, the Yamaha XT500 would turn out to be perfect for it. The reason for this was almost certainly the toughness and mechanical simplicity of the engine and drivetrain.

The XT500 would win the Paris–Abidjan-Nice Rally and the first two runnings of the Paris-Dakar Rally, after which the larger adventure bikes began to dominate, bikes like the BMW R80G/S which would win in 1981, 1983, 1984, and 1985.

The Yamaha XT500

When the Yamaha XT500 was released in the mid-1970s the world was in the midst of the two-stroke enduro craze, and a four-stroke motorcycle like the new Yamaha must have seemed a little out of place.

Above Image: This episode of Harry’s Garage focusses on the Yamaha XT500, and Harry discusses its history and importance.

As we look back on this point in motorcycle history now it’s possible to identify the XT500 has a link between the iconic but primitive scramblers of the 1960s and the more modern enduro bikes of the 1980s.

The engine in the XT500 would prove to be remarkably useful for Yamaha, they fitted it to the SR500 street bike and the TT500 off-roader, as well as the XT500, more of a dual sport bike.

This engine has a single cylinder with a single overhead cam operating two valves, there’s a single carburetor in and a single exhaust out, and power is sent to the rear wheel via a 5-speed gearbox and a chain drive.

Though they didn’t know it when the engine was being designed in the mid-1970s, it would prove to be Yamaha’s most enduring engine design.

It’s has now been in production, with upgrades over time, from 1976 to the modern day – it’s still used in fuel-injected form in the Yamaha SR400.

The 1977 Yamaha XT500 Shown Here

The bike you see here is a Yamaha XT500 from the second year of production, 1977. Though details are scarce the listing notes that it was originally used as a stunt bike before being fully restored in 2006.

It remains a matching-numbers bike and it’s noted that it’s only been ridden in dry weather since its restoration.

It’s finished in the white/red/black livery this model is known for, it has seating for two, and it’s fitted with cross-spoke wire wheels fitted with Continental and Trelleborg “knobbly” tires.

The bike is road legal of course, making it a highly-useable vintage dual sport bike.

It’s currently being offered for sale on Collecting Cars out of the UK, and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

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from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/yamaha-xt500-motorbike/
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The Polydrop Teardrop Camper – $16,990+

The Polydrop is a geometrically designed camper that is said to have a 70% air resistance reduction when compared with a standard teardrop camper, it includes an outdoor kitchenette in the back, and its creators describe the interior as being like a space capsule.

The Teardrop Camper Concept

The fundamental concept of the teardrop camper is nothing new, it’s been around for decades after having been originally designed to offer a smaller and cheaper camper trailer that can be towed by a wide variety of vehicles due to its low weight.

The team at Polydrop claim a 70% air resistance reduction when compared with standard teardrop camper designs.

Teardrop campers are generally set up with a double bed and some storage space inside, more advanced modern designs can have fold-out kitchenettes in the rear, solar panels on the roof, and their own battery-powered electrical systems.

The “teardrop” name comes from the look of the side profile of the camper, they’re generally shaped in this way to offer lower aerodynamic drag, even when towed behind smaller cars.

The Polydrop Teardrop Camper

The Polydrop Teardrop Camper is a new take on the age-old concept, the design team eschewed the more traditional curved lines of the classic teardrop camper in favor of a geometric design somewhat akin to the Tesla Cybertruck.

It’s important to note that the creators of the Polydrop, Kyung-Hyun and Jieun, actually completed their design and built a prototype in 2017 and took it on a road trip – two years before the launch of the Cybertruck. So this is no simple copycat.

The interior has a double bed, storage space, ventilation, and the higher-end models have air-conditioning, a solar roof, larger battery banks, and more.

The Polydrop does in three versions, the entry level P17 Essential for $16,990, the mid level P17A1 All Electric for $28,990, and the high end P17X Explorer for $34,990.

The entry level model comes with all the basics including the outdoor kitchenette with a two-burner stove, a refrigerator, and a built-in battery system for powering your devices.

The two higher end models have a number of more advanced features including air-conditioning and heating, solar panels, a much larger battery system, a built-in sound system, and plenty more.

Depending on which model you choose the least time on delivery can be anything from six to ten months, and each model has a series of optional upgrades that you can choose from at the time of ordering.

Visit The Store

Images courtesy of Polydrop

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Barn Find: A Citroën DS Discovered In The Catskill Mountains Of New York

This 1970 Citroën DS is a true barn find, having been rediscovered in a rundown wooden barn on a property in the Catskill Mountains in New York State.

The Citroën DS is a car that is today regarded as one of the most beautiful of its time, and certainly one of the best-looking four-door sedans ever built. When it was released in 1955 it was one of the most technologically sophisticated passenger cars in the world.

Fast Facts – The Citroën DS

• The Citroën DS was released with much fanfare at the 1955 Paris Motor Show. The car received a wildly positive reception with show-goers, who placed 80,000 deposits for the car within the first 10 days. This is a record that stood until it was beaten by the Tesla Model 3 in 2016.
• By the standards of the mid-1950s the DS was revolutionary, it used a unique hydropneumatic independent suspension system, it had disc brakes, a semi-automatic transmission, power steering, and stunningly beautiful styling.
• The DS would also see much success in motorsport, winning a slew of rallies including the 1959 and 1966 Monte Carlo Rallies, the 1969 Rallye du Maroc, and the 1974 1974 London-Sahara-Munich World Cup Rally.
• The car you see here is a 1970 Citroën DS that has been sitting in a barn in upstate New York for almost 30 years. The car is largely complete, however it will require a full restoration.

The French Car That Changed Everything

The revolutionary nature of the Citroën DS has been written about ad infinitum over the past 67 years. Its design was so advanced at the time of its release in the 1950s that it would still look modern 20 years later when it was being sold in the 1970s.

Here you can see the Citroën tucked away in the back of this barn, it’s been sitting there undisturbed for 27 years and counting.

The DS was designed and engineered by a two man team made up of Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni, and French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre. Their design was both beautiful and aerodynamic, so much so that it’s still studied by automotive design students today, almost 70 years later.

Inside the DS you’ll find comfortable seating for five adults, ample trunk space, and plenty of headroom. The ride quality of the car was better than anything else on the road in 1955 thanks to the use of a hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension system developed internally at Citroën by French engineer Paul Magès.

This hydropneumatic system allowed the ride height to be changed and gave the passengers such a smooth journey it was likened to flying on a magic carpet. The fact that the car could be elevated for use on rough roads came in very handy in rural France, and in the world of cross-country rally.

When it was first unveiled at the 1955 Paris Motor Show the reaction from the public was overwhelmingly positive. The company is said to have taken 743 orders in the first 10 minutes, 12,000 orders by the end of the first day, and 80,000 orders by the time the show completed after 10 days. A record that stood until the release of the Tesla Model 3 in 2016.

Above Video: This clip by Richard Hammond from the old Top Gear takes a look back at the DS, and why it is such an important car.

Over the course of the 1955 to 1975 production run almost 1.5 million examples of the Citroën DS were built across factories in six countries. Today they’re among the most collectible classic sedans on the road, with many owners still using them regularly.

The Citroën DS – Specifications

The specifications of the Citroën DS changed significantly over the course of its 10 year production run however some elements remained throughout, including the hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension system, the front wheel drive layout, the use of disc brakes, and the fundamental proportions of the car.

When it was first released it was powered by an OHV four-cylinder engine sourced from the earlier Traction Avant model, producing 75 bhp at 4,500 rpm. Unusually the gearbox was mounted in front of the engine with the differential in the middle, this placed the engine behind the front axle line meaning the DS is technically a front-mid-engined vehicle.

The interior of the DS is no less unusual that the exterior, the single-spoke steering wheel has become famous in its own right.

An uprated 1985cc engine was introduced in 1965, followed by the 109 bhp 2175cc engine, In 1970 Bosch electronic fuel injection was introduced, this further increased power and reliability, and in 1973 the 2347cc engine was introduced – in fuel injected form it produced 141 bhp making it the most powerful engine ever offered in the DS.

The DS was initially fitted with a Hydraulique four-speed semi-automatic transmission, this was a hydraulic gearbox with no manual clutch. The driver would shift to the desired gear and ease back on the accelerator pedal, the shifting would then complete automatically.

Later versions of the car received a fully automatic transmission, and a more traditional three-pedal manual gearbox.

A number of different body styles were offered over the years including the original sedan/fastback which was followed by an optional wagon/estate version and a much more rare convertible model.

This car is a 1970 Citroën DS21, this means it’s fitted with the more powerful 2175cc inline-four cylinder engine, compared to the 2.0 liter unit in the DS20.

The 1970 Citroën DS Shown Here

The Citroën DS you see here has been sitting untouched in a barn for almost 30 years, it’s located in the Catskill Mountains of New York State and the listing notes that the car is largely complete.

The seller explains that the engine isn’t turning over by hand, which is perhaps not too surprising, and they can’t physically get in to see under the car to examine the condition.

It’s clearly a project car that’ll require a full restoration, and it could make a rewarding project for the right person (or the right team).

It’s currently being offered on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $5,900 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or make the seller an offer you can visit the listing here.

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