We get a lot of kit cars to profile here on Barn Finds. Some are outrageously garish, while others are nice enough to consider the possibility of owning one. This is one of those kit cars. Take a look at this 1970 Fiberfab Avenger GT-12 for sale on Craigslist in San Luis Obispo, California. While the lines are meant to mimic the iconic Ford GT-40, the Volkswagen Beetle chassis forced changes that altered the lines a bit. Still, this kit car has a few good things going for it, namely lightweight and a low center of gravity. Is it worth the now $13,500 asking price to put one of the coolest kit cars ever in your garage? Thanks go to Numskal for the tip!
The kit car era was one of the most fascinating periods in all of American history. These neat project vehicles would have never happened if the convergence of body-on-frame construction, an American population with disposable income, and the use of fiberglass hadn’t all collided in a period that roughly stretched from the fifties through the nineties. While kit cars have been built using the frames and parts of such vehicles as the 1939-40 Ford, Chevrolet Corvette, and the Chevrolet Corvair, it was the simple and inexpensive Volkswagen Beetle chassis and engine that became the backbone for the kit car industry. Millions of iconic Beetles were built and they subsequently filled the used car ads and junkyards. That made for a whole lot of cheap entries into the build-your-own-car market.
Enter one of the most enduring kit car makers of the era: Fiberfab. Established in Palo Alto, California in 1964, Fiberfab got its start making replacement body panels for other cars. It wasn’t long before the company was offering several different full vehicle kits to car enthusiasts all over the United States. A dizzying array of offerings were produced over the company’s history and there were even legal troubles ranging from copyright infringement to manslaughter charges for one of the founders. Little remains of the original company. What does linger is a large number of kit cars in various states of repair scattered all over the country.
The car you see here didn’t wander far from Fiberfab’s southern California headquarters. While advertised as a GT40 replica, the body kit has several differences to accommodate its Volkswagen roots. It is a situation similar to how the car drawings we made as a kid kind of resembled the cars we were drawing. If you ignore the GT40 overtones, the design does have several positive attributes. One cannot deny the low and wide stance gives it the basic requirements for good handling. Add to that the fat that an average Beetle weighed in the neighborhood of 2,000 lbs. The new body cut 500 pounds from that figure. Customers could also step up from the Volkswagen flat-four engine to a Corvair flat-six or even a Porsche powerplant of their choosing.
Before you revert to thinking that this is just another kit car, consider the possibility that this might be a quite sporty car to drive. First off, the power-to-weight ratio is very good for the time. Second, is that the weight it does have is exactly where you want it to be. Third, the VW chassis was capable of good handling. I recall stories where people would take their Myers Manx dune buggies to autocross and flat clean house. Part of that was the size of the vehicle, but it had to get around those cones too. Maybe this car has potential.
At a $16,995 price in the ad and a $13,500 price in the headline, it appears the seller is ready for this car to move on. The car is advertised as having a cammed 1,660 cc VW engine under the rear hood and is in need of basic tuning and brake work. All of the electronic bits and pieces work and it is said to be a fun weekend cruiser. To be fair, it does appear to have been well put together from the GT40-inspired paint job to the black vinyl interior. After having profiled several other kit cars, I must admit that this one is quite appealing. It would even be more appealing with a hotter engine. Hopefully, it finds a buyer soon. The seller does mention that they are looking for a good cash offer.
Would you own a kit car? Have you ever built one? Please let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
Probably a fun drive around the track.
Never seen one of these. 😎
Also, if the VW/Porsche/Corvair motive power doesn’t trip your trigger, go find the Avenger GT12’s stablemate, the Valkryrie, which came with a custom frame and V8 (not sure about the range of choices, but I believe that most were finished out with SBC’s).
Would love to have one, but not at the price (prices) listed.
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Noticed this happens frequently with “Barn Finds”! Especially true when “they” list an Ebay ad! I am assuming “they” want you to pay for “premium” membership!!!!!!
Not sure I agree and, anyway, “membership” is a few bucks a month, about one martini at the local watering hole. Worth every penny IMO. SMH.
On shaky ground with that opening slur, my friend. Some, not me, may take offense to that. And “thanks to “Numskal”? Really? I use my real name, why would someone use Numskal?
The car? Meh, never cared for many “kit” cars, a cheap knockoff for some poor schmuck that can’t afford a real one. I know, isn’t a half a loaf of bread better than none? In this case, no. Throughout history, it always amazed me how many renditions the VW went under. Without question, the most popular basis for most kit cars, but in the end, as swoopy as this rendition may be, it’s still a VW,, a FIVE FIGURE VW, that is.
For a general note the FIBERFAB cars had excellent fiberglass and body shapes. I never have seen any instructions but there was a parts list of things you would need to assemble one. For example this car, the rear window is out of a Mustang 2+2, A 1965 I believe. There can be many reasons a car maker even a kit car maker can fail and with FIBERFAB I believe that while you could assemble one and make it into a wonderful car there were certain things that were beyond the capabilities of the average builder. The biggest of those was hanging the doors, side windows and winders, door locks, and last but not least is the windshield wipers. That is something the factory could have done easily with jigs and I think if FIBERFAB had done that they would still be around today in some form.
Hanging a door properly with home mechanic tools requires a number (min 4 plus the builder) friends to help. They are a total pain in the ass to get right. Then you get to the door internals which are not as bad but still take some time to get right. What impresses me the most about this one is the interior. This one is done well and looks to be very well thought out. That is the second area where most kit cars fall down. I had a JAMICIAN that set on an Austin Healey 3000 Chassis. Drop dead good looks but what a pain to put together.
This is an excellent example of what can be done. I hope it has a good home. In real life they are very beautiful cars. Vision out is not as good as my S2 Lotus Europa but if you are wiling it is a very fun drive.
I fell in love with the Fiberfab creations at the age of 17. By the age of 19 I had a turbo Corvair and all of the brochures I could find to build one of these. I even made the trip to their location to see what I would be getting into. Only problem was the money. Just couldn’t save enough to purchase the Kit. I did end up building two “Dune Buggies” others had given up on. One a Manx style and the other a 30’s era Ford pickup version. Ended up trading the pickup for a MINT ’67 Mustang with a factory 390 and auto. VW’s always seemed to have the majority option in the Kit Car industry. Another company that had a great V8 chassis ensemble was KELMARK. Check it out…
I have the only Fiberfab Jamaican in New Zealand.
Fantastic little car goes like a rocket and set up for hill climbs.
Subaru flat 4’s are a newer engine option…
I’d love to try one of those with a Corvair Corsa 140. Or even better, Corvair with the six carb conversion.
You asked if any reader had built a kit car. I haven’t, but I did build a sports car from plans in a 1950’s Mechanics Illustrated. Using a 1932 Ford frame and flat-head v8, I formed the body with conduit tubing and then covered it with aluminum screwed on. Having z’d the frame and with a dropped front axle, it was so low I could lay my had flat on the ground while sitting in the driver’s seat. Fast and fun. I always wonder what kind of car the folks who denigrate others’ efforts have built. Since they never offer a picture of their efforts, my guess is they never have built or assembled a car themselves. Makes it easier to find fault with the work of others.