| Convair GT |
| Copyright © Angus Dudley | |||
 The
initial Roadster body had been designed as a racing car shell. The
design was very aerodynamic considering that no wind tunnel testing was
carried out. The shell was originally available as a fully intact unit
with no apertures cut for doors, bonnet, boot, headlights or wheel
arches. This allowed serious racers to reduce drag to an absolute
minimum by only having those features they desired. Some only had a
driver's door and no boot, for example. Headlights were necessary if you
wanted to race in a "Sports Car" category but were not demanded for
other classes. |
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 Even with this
attention to detail, numerous customers were enquiring about a hard top
- Coupé - version of the shell. By 1959, Convair had decided to develop
the idea into an actual mould. This was made by fixing a specially
designed hard top to a
completed Roadster body. The curved windscreens were made to order for
the new model, now termed the GT. Again, no wind tunnel testing was
carried out and the body was designed by eye only. The roofline was
quite high in comparison to the small body, but was required as racers
might want to wear a helmet - not obligatory in those days. |
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Sadly,
the development of this car occurred around the time that Terry
inherited a garage business in Newark and the company was split up. Only
6 bodies were ever built. Considering the body was designed in response
to amateur racers' demands it is surprising that virtually all the bodies
ended up on standard Ford chassis and never saw the track. The photographs included here are of the GT which is currently on display in the Haynes Motor Museum near Yeovil. The bodies were built to the same standard as the Roadster model, which was of very high quality according to pundits at the time. It even included a rear number plate molding - unusual for a 50's Special. The "eyebrows" above the front wheel arches were provided to strengthen the area, which had been found to be a weak spot on the Roadster model. |
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This site was last updated 02/24/06
