When hearing the word "fiberglass", most people think of the Chevrolet Corvette, an iconic American sports car with humble beginnings. When Chevrolet wanted to dip a toe into the sports car pond, it knew the production numbers would be low and took advantage of fiberglass' simple and inexpensive construction technique to create a sporty body to sit on top of Chevrolet sedan underpinnings. A cottage industry of limited production sports cars, do-it-yourself kit cars, and replicas soon began and still thrives as a result of the material's ease of use.
Invented in the 1930s, fiberglass was first used as heat insulation before crafty designers and engineers came to recognize its potential as a structural material for everything from car bodies to boats, airplanes, shower and tub enclosures, furniture, lighting, and other products of modern design.  Victress Body, Photo Courtesy Kettering University  Ed Roth's Outlaw From Corvettes to dune buggies, the most iconic fiberglass customs and production cars of the past half-century will be on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum beginning February 27, 2010, through October 3, 2010. Together, they offer an interesting contrast to both the mainstream cars stamped out of metal that populate our motoring landscape and those made of carbon fiber, the newest wonder material to be embraced by today’s innovators.  The Infamous Dale
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