You’re looking at the second model produced by a tiny custom builder called Victress Manufacturing. When Victress was founded in 1952, it joined an ecosystem of at least a dozen such manufacturers, all specialty shops making slinky sports cars, mostly sold as kits but sometimes as complete vehicles. A new material – fiberglass – was responsible for all this activity. The SIA we see above followed the SI, sitting on a shorter wheelbase but otherwise almost identical to its sibling. This barn find is a 1954 Victress SIA roadster, complete with a factory-provided, optional hardtop; find it here on eBay with an asking price of $48,000. Retrieve it with a trailer from Downers Grove, Illinois, though you’ll need to cope with a couple of tires that won’t hold air before loading it.
This project was built by engineering students out of Madison, Wisconsin, and the car’s files include copious handwritten notes either from the build or from interviews with prior owners. Tantalizing bits of history are jotted on those pages. The engine is an Oldsmobile Rocket V8, said to turn over. The rear incorporates De Dion suspension. This example sits on a custom tube frame, though most used Ford or Mameco Corp frames. The transmission was originally a manual, later swapped to an automatic. The car – painted blue for the occasion – ran at Road America in the 1960s. Over its life, it accumulated just 960 miles.
The design of the SIA aimed to put the Jaguar XK120 to shame, though I’m betting not many Jag owners experienced anguish over its arrival. The fenders were creased in the manner of BMW’s “Buegelfalte” roadster, a 328 produced in the late 1930s. Considerable testing in wind tunnels resulted in a slippery body that actually broke 200 mph at Bonneville in 1953 – no small feat. The seller notes that one windshield is cracked, though most original parts appear to be present.
The interior is a medley of parts borrowed from aftermarket suppliers or cobbled together by the builders. “Factory correct” doesn’t exist in this realm – the new owner can make the cabin into whatever proves most ergonomic. This photo shows the remains of the seating. While production records are difficult to find, best estimates say that just north of 100 SIA bodies were made before Victress shifted to other models. Value is in the eye of the beholder, but I would say this is a stiff price for a project of this magnitude, particularly given the “mutt” quality of most kit cars. What do you think?
Whoa, even X-Files theme won’t cut it here. Many may think I’m full of borscht ( never touched the stuff) but I have seen this car before. Madison, Wis. was the tipoff. In a previous life, I lived and worked in a small town called Lake Mills, Wis. It was right on I-94 about 20 minutes from Madison. We had a truck stop, “Lake Mills Oasis”, and was run by the son of the mom and pop that started it after the war. Mom ran the diner, pop the service dept. They retired and the son didn’t use the service dept. and I got to know him pretty well, one day, he said he wanted to show me something in the service bay. It was this car. I remember him saying something about a kit from Cal. and some students built it, and only a few in the country. And now we know the rest of the story,,,,page 2?
It looks like someone sent their Cobra replica to the dry cleaners with the instructions “Do Not Crease”, and this is what resulted.
Initially, that’s what I thought too. I said, what is this, some kind of Cobra replica? He said no, and I can’t believe I’m seeing this again. I remember it in much better condition, like driveable, although so was I 35 years ago and I don’t recall the top. Most images show very few with a top, so it sat somewhere for a spell. I can’t find any photos of it actually in a race, it was merely parked at Road America. Maybe did a couple laps and scared the heck out them. The guy sold the truck stop in the 80s, and the car was moved. Downers Grove is near Chicago, and not far from S.Wis. and this quite possibly sat in a Wis. barn all these years, clearly after someone had some fun with it.
Howard, I always thought that you from the Milwaukee area. now i find out you spent some time in Lake Mills. now you are getting close to my stomping grounds. We may even know each other I ran a Transmission shop in Farmington in the 80s and 90s called Wrensch’s Repair Service i was a couple miles away from Jacks Auto Ranch on the corner of Hwy B and Farmington Rd in the Town of Farmington. If you would like to talk ,emails is [email protected]
This car obviously has an interesting history, but it’s still a kit car with I guess a stock Oldsmobile 8 and the original Standard transmission is Mia.
I just don’t see $48,000 especially with all the money that will be needed to restore it. $5,000 might be more realistic.
Seems to me, it would depend on if they can document an actual race history. In the vintage racing world, a documented history (provenance) means lots of interest because the only way to run a car like this at Laguna Seca or Road America vintage races is a known and provable history of racing “in the day”. If they can document racing history, the price may not be too out if line, if not, it is way overpriced IMO. OTOH, they may have waited too long, vintage racing is a shadow of what it was 10-20 years ago (old farts dying off). BTW, trivia no one need to know: the Olds 3 speed in those days was actually a Buick 3 speed with a different tail shaft and housing for an open driveline instead of a torque tube.
Looks like it has an old 4 speed Hydramatic in it now
lotta Brit in that side line, Italian in the grill, hood’n rear deck. I love the actual roof line/windshield configuration in the linked, period correct front bumper on our site. A bent8 Olds might make it really scoot (esp w/major pipe frame) ! I dont mind the exposed dor-hinge or auto transmis. Some ‘wire wheels’ might complete the look? Finally – I’d love, lub, lub to get into that rear end to see how it works, what it’s all about.
We’re lucky when we get these limited issues, kits and other weird vehicles here. I even like the boats’n planes, occasional tanks, sno sleds, larger displacement bikes’n all the rest (I wrench/drive them all). Keep em comin !
Interesting body. Looks like a cross between an MGA and a Jag XK120.
Very cool. You can see many different body cues. Some copied for om orc this car. And possibly copied from this car. I’m not a fan of the windshield however. It looks too Kaiser to me. (Not a fan of the dip down center. And yes, an actual log book from SCCA or other group, or pictures of it 9n the track dicing it v up would work also. And yes, vintage class racing, although fun, it seems to be declining. I remember big weekend events at Road America and I still get to Laguna Seca sometimes forvthe historics. But not as big aof deal as it used to be. .
$48K huh? Well, I always enjoy a good laugh early in the morning.
I’m always amazed that some sellers confuse rarity with value and desireable. This project is missing two of those components, $4800. would bring it in to reality.
No wonder it’s so expensive. The ad calls it out as ” finerglass”!
pictures scream flipper. Wonder what he is smoking. I agree rarity does not = dollars. Looking at the wind shield looks like big dollars just to fix that.