When it was new

Most of the photos are black and white -- but the one color image shows that the car was painted gold.

This seems to explain the gold paint on the steel wheels. (The car had Dayton Wire Wheels, but the back-up steel wheels appear to have been painted to match the body.)

Competition History?

It's hard to tell if the car was used "competitively" when it was new. (None of the original images included safety equipment -- no rollbar, competition belts, etc.) And the only images of the engine seem to indicate it was a stock Mercury Flathead.

However, this photo seems to show the car lined up at a rally checkpoint, or at the base of a hillclimb.

Ben Shoemaker (designer/builder) was an active member of the Tuscarawas Valley Touring Club. Unfortunately, the TVTC has since disbanded -- but I hope to find someone who may remember Shoemaker or this car.

Changing hands in the late-80s

The car was bought in the late 80's as a wedding gift by a woman for her fiance in Connecticut. Based on the "story" that followed the car, it was assumed to be a 1956 Devin SS with history as a SCCA race car.

The marriage didn't last -- but the car did -- staying in storage until early 2011.

Meet the builder

Upon his discharge from service following the Korean war, Ben Shoemaker resumed his floor covering business. But he began to "dabble" in the relatively new fiberglass manufacturing business.

One of his first efforts may have been the design and construction of this car, the Shoemaker Ford Special. According to a 1967 trade publication, Speed & Custom Dealer, Shoemaker built his first fiberglass car from the components of a 1951 Ford. While the article, unfortunately, didn't include any images of this first car, it did go on to say that about 40 bodies were taken from the mold -- and that as late as 1967, Fiberglass Unlinited (Shoemaker's company) was producing an average of six of these bodies each year. (Surprisingly, no other examples of this body style have turned up.)

Most of Shoemaker's fiberglass projects were "one-off" designs, and, until 1960, his fiberglass work was done after hours, while he maintained his floor covering business.

In 1960 he and a partner formed a business to make fiberglass church steeples and observatory roofs. The partnership was short-lived, but it convinced Shoemaker to leave the floor covering business and to pursue fiberglass work full-time.

In 1963 he supplied bodies for the Bobsy Vanguard Formula Vee, a design competing in the SCCA's newly-approved Formula V racing class. Some time later, Shoemaker designed and built bodies for the Bobsy SR3 racer.

Shoemaker continued his fiberglass work up until at least 2001. Officials of the National One Design (sailboat) Racing Association indicate that Fiberglass Unlimited made "many" hulls from their design through the 90's and until 2001.

For sale in the early 60's

The car was listed for sale in a variety of enthusiast publications in 1960 and 1961. The description was consistent with the current car.

Car and Driver -- September, 1961

Hotrod -- September, 1961

Road & Track -- August 1960

Motor Trend -- September 1961





Construction Photos

Based on the dates printed on some of the pictures (remember when pictures came back from the camera store with white borders and a date printed on the bottom?), the car was built sometime before the end of 1958.

Shoemaker built a mold, then fitted it to the frame, supported by a plywood framework. (The plywood frame is still in the car.)

I could tell this was a flathead, but it took some hotrod guys to identify it as a Mercury Flathead. The frame -- based on this photo and of current pictures of the car has been identified as a Ford (1949-1953). And this is consistent with a magazine article from 1967 that states that Shoemaker's car was built using the chassis and running gear of a '51 Ford. (Unfortunately the article didn't include any photos -- but the author described the car as, bearing a "resemblance to todays Cobra constructed by Shelby-American".)

What it looks like now

The engine, transmission, bolt-on Dayton wire wheels, and the SW Tachometer are all gone -- but the body and frame are still together and solid. (The stance of the car is considerably higher than it would be if the Mercury Flathead was still under the hood.)

New to the car is a rollbar (not in this photo), a pair of "over-the-hill" leather seats (described as having come out of a Jaguar XKE) and a push bar (the kind of rear T-bar that is used to push start a flat lakes racer or a sprint car).

The car is sitting on old and partially-rotted tires, mounted on steel wheels. The wheels are painted gold -- presumably matching the gold paint of the car from the 1950's photos.