In the frothy fiberglass years of the 1950s, advertisements for inexpensive kit cars populated every car, hobby and DIYer publication on the planet. Count Dick Jones among the entrepreneurs trying his hand at carving out a berth in this environment. Backed by Jim Byers, who began his career building the Victress, Jones came up with the Meteor SR-1 (sports roadster). It was introduced at the 1953 Petersen Motorama in LA. This car in turn became the basis for Byers’ design, the SR-100. In the end, fewer than thirty Meteors were built – most in kit form. This one is for sale here on HiBid, with the price currently sitting at only $26. There is no reserve, no title, and no engine; the car can be collected from Baldwin, Wisconsin (weekdays only!)

The car has apparently been in dry storage, because what we can see of the frame is rust free, and the fiberglass is in fairly good shape, judging by the photos. Meteors have carried several engines through the ages, lifted from Pontiacs, Corvettes, Mercurys, Mustangs … you name it, it’s probably been in there. This car retains most of its steering mechanism, a dual master cylinder set-up, remnants of wiring and fuses, a driveshaft, and off to the left the battery tray.

The seats are covered in plastic but it hardly matters what’s in there now – the new owner will be making this car his own from stem to stern. The steering wheel is nothing fancy. That’s the gas tank right behind the seats, slung under the rear cowl. A couple of gauges are present; the instrument panel appears to be cheap veneered board. The same material is found in the trunk and lining other cavities. No top or side curtains were ever provided. Windshields are tricky on kit cars. Jim Byers created a fiberglass channel to situate a wraparound Corvette windshield on his Byers SR-100 but in my opinion the result is overbearing. Here is a photo of what’s likely the first Meteor produced, showing a frameless windshield better suited to the car’s delicate lines.

No doubt, the car is artfully designed, and perhaps it missed accruing credit for that: the Byers SR-100, patterned substantially off the Meteor, was called “the most beautiful car in the world” by none other than John Bond, editor and owner of Road & Track. Placing a value on this car is difficult; the very low production numbers mean few comparables are available. But a Meteor’s price should approximate a Byers, and for that, we have a very recent data point: this restored Byers SR-100 sold for $56,500 just a week ago. No doubt the HiBid Meteor will gather momentum as the auction nears its close, because the current price is way too cheap. Have you ever put together a kit car? Tell us your experiences in the comment section.