Tuesday, April 25, 2017

JC Penney Factory F/X Super Stock factory fiberglass bumpers, hood, fenders, doors, decklid and dash option.(possibly) The answer to the NHRA ban on factory aluminum body parts. One was ordered, and then the NHRA banned factory fiberglass bodies.




The original JC Penny race car named the "Penny Pincher".


It was used to promote the stores line of A/FX automotive products.



Documentation states that in 1965, the factories weren't allowed to use aluminum body parts on the cars anymore. So they offered the '65 lightweights with acid-dipped body panels.

Chrysler interpreted the rules in their own way, and the rules specified no aluminum. However, NHRA didn't say anything about using fiberglass panels on their altered-wheelbased cars, but in order to do that they had to offer fiberglass on their regular (un-altered) wheelbase cars as an option.

 As it turns out, the fiberglass was completed just before the NHRA ruled that fiberglass and altered-wheelbase cars would not be allowed. The fiberglass program was summarily scrapped after the ruling, but for a very short period of time, fiberglass remained an option on the standard, un-altered race cars, and only one was ordered with this option, the car used by JC Penny.

It's a car with aluminum door hinges, fiberglass fenders, doors, hood, decklid, bumpers and even the dash. It also has Corning plexiglass windows. This car may be the only one of its type in existence.

http://carzhunt.blogspot.com/2014/08/illinois-stock-car-hall-of-fame.html

and it sold for only 73k in 2014 at the Barrett Jackson auction. They tried Ebaying it last May, http://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/1965-Dodge-Coronet-/162073407716 and it doesn't seem to have gotten any bids.

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1965-DODGE-CORONET-FACTORY-A/FX-SUPER-STOCK-CAR-162824

the new owner is of course only interested in it as an investment and missed the obvious clue that no one wanted to pay more for it than they did... and tried to sell it for 150k. Well, that didn't last long, and in only 3 years, they've dropped the price by almost half, and now they are only trying to recoup costs, and it's listed for sale with about 10% markup as a finders fee. Still no buyers.

So, if all of this is a fact, why isn't there any history of this car online?

It's supposed to be mentioned in the May 1968 Car Craft, but, I'll have to see if I have that issue to verify that

No comments:

Post a Comment