Hard on the heels of the LaDawri Daytona project car covered a few days ago, we have this much spiffier 1957 Victress C2 coupe, beautifully and correctly prepped as a vintage racer. It is available here on craigslist for $135,000. It is located in Greenville, South Carolina, but sports a California license plate in photos. It is also seen lounging around at Laguna Seca, and the seller notes it raced during the Monterey Historics. While the craigslist advertisement is brief, full details on the build can be found here where we also learn that it’s for sale due to the owner’s age and retirement. T.J., thanks for passing along this great find!
Victress Manufacturing was founded in 1952 by two college pals who saw a future in fiberglass. Their first car was based on European car designs, including the XK120, but its unique look quickly gained the Victress notoriety. It was featured in Hop-Up magazine and played a part in the film Johnny Dark. The addition of Merrill Powell to the company’s roster – he trained at the famous Art Center School of Design in Los Angeles – was instrumental to its success. It was Powell who designed the C2 and C3, both best sellers. This particular car was acquired as a barn find in Southern California. It was built to VARA rules, with a bored-out 283 cu. in. Chevy V8, custom cam, solid lifters, roller rockers, cross-ram intake, dual Holleys … you get the idea. Jaguar suspension, brake, and steering components, a Girling dual master set-up, and a Borg-Warner T-10 close-ratio four-speed round out the mechanicals. The fuel bladder was new in 2022.
If you’ve ever built a race car, you’ll know the process is time-consuming and costly, with the added complexity of following a certain set of rules. This car’s build should be acceptable to most vintage race organizations, perhaps with some updates applied. Its logbook accompanies the sale. And if the track isn’t your thing, head to the concours circuit – both Pebble Beach and Amelia Island have featured 1950s American fiberglass, including several Victress models.
I can’t decide if this car is appealing because the Victress C2 is such an attractive style, or if this particular example’s racing legacy is more exciting. Either way, the new owner will be in for many adventures – on or off track – albeit at a price. Have you ever seen another well-prepared fiberglass racer? Let us know in the comments.
Badass
Crazy cool car with a heckuva power plant under the hood and what appears to be a very sophisticated suspension mechanism for something built as a 1957 era car.
Has to be a heartbreaker to sell this piece of race archeology but it’s apparent the good times it provided can continue which is all anyone that appreciates it would really want for it.
GLWTS, and hopefully the new owner will keep the seller up to speed on how well it does in whatever venue they compete.