The car you see here is one of the betterknown woodill survivors, it was originally built by larry frank in california in the 1950s larry kept the car until his passing in 20. The truth, however, is that a boat builder had a lot to do with all this. Aug, 2012 gas monkey garage meet the monkeys sue martin duration. A childs version of the vehicle called the brushfire was also. Our value guide is constantly growing with pricing information and. The car shown here 1955 woodill wildfire corvette special. Woodill wildfire series i technical specs, dimensions. Its worth taking the time to read each of the captions on the photos above.
Woodill wildfire roadster 1952 woodill wildfire roadster 1952 download image. Feb 22, 2011 as i remember, woody woodill was a dodgewillys dealer in calif. One of the first true kit cars to be available, the wildfire used a glasspar fiberglass body, and. We will in time, try and cover all brands sourced in the united states, canada, and mexico. R woodill, the wildfire was offered between 1952 and 1956 as a package tailored to the owners specifications.
No matter, the wildfire never really did become a production car as only about 15 were built, plus 100300 kits woodill claimed the higher number. The wildfire model is a cabriolet car manufactured by woodill, with 2 doors and seats, sold new from year 1952 to 1958, and available after that as a used car. Woody woodill and his woodill fiberglass body corp. So, when barn finds reader richard b sent over a link to this one i knew we had to present it for your consideration. Woodill became one of the most sucessful dodge and willys dealer in the u. Trend book 8 comments mitchell philip on december 4, 2011 at 12. Someone like wayne carrini of chasing classic cars. Are you trying to find 1952 woodill wildfire values. The images shown are representations of the 1953 woodill wildfire and not necessarily vehicles that have been bought or sold at auction. The woodill wildfire was an american sports car built by dodge and willys dealer blanchard.
Woody woodill s father was an early american automobile dealer, handling maxwell, overland, willysknight and dodge. I wanted the doors, decklid, and hood to open and shut like those on a quality steel automobile, woodill said. Glaspar the fiberglass boat company built the cars. These fiberglass cars are rare today since only 300 were ever produced. Woodill wildfire classic cars for sale autotrader classics. Tustin, ca 19521958 the woodill fiberglass body corp. Woody woodill, is considered, by most enthusiasts, to be the genesis of production american fiberglass sports cars. Perhaps the most comprehensive value guide for older classic automobiles and their suggested currentmarket values. In addition to north american brands we now have values for many british. Find out how much a 1953 woodill wildfire is worth and woodill wildfire used car prices. Here is the 1954 woodill wildfire, promoted by a downey, california, dealer named b. Although production was low 3 in 1952 and 711 in 1953, the car was slated to be willys answer to the sports car, until its ultimate acquisition by kaiserfrazer corporation, which has. May 05, 2015 1955 woodill wildfire roadster posted by nsm insurance group on tuesday, may 5, 2015 in 1950s, articles, event recap, news, vehicle spotlight, wildfire, woodill postwar america saw a number of attempts by wouldbe automakers to produce new, and often novel, sports cars. Fiberglass find 1953 woodill wildfire scd motors the.
While he was able to realize his dream, only a handful were ever built and very few remain today. Mary lowry writes with an insiders precision about the raucous camaraderie and dangerous work of wildland firefighting, but also with an artists insight into a lonely young womans determination to test herself, to belong to something, and to. Arguably the first production fiberglass bodied sports car. Dec, 2014 we have featured a couple of woodill wildfires over the years, but havent seen any on the market recently. Before stumbling upon this 1955 woodill wildfire here at the barrettjackson festivities in scottsdale, we werent even aware that such a car existed. Com is believed to be the only classic automobile value guide providing classic auto values for u. As i remember, woody woodill was a dodgewillys dealer in calif. The vibrin plasticbodied woodill wildfire designed for late model willys or 3948 ford chassis, is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful home product sports cars. Robert woody woodill, it wore a relatively familiar looking glasspar fiberglass shell that was laid over a custom frame, a willys straightsix and various other willys bits. Woodill wildfire classic cars for sale classics on autotrader. Auction results and sales data for 1953 woodill wildfire. And by mid to late 1953 woody started offering the woodill wildfire as a kit to buyers interested in building their own american sports car. In the 1970s larry did a full rebuild of the wildfire making it a performance powerhouse with. Original ownerbuilder 1954 woodill wildfire 283 fuel injection out of 300 fiberglass bodied wildfires built from 1953 through 1956 approximately 25 survive today.
The hagerty classic car valuation tool is designed to help you learn how to value your 1954 woodill wildfire and assess the current state of the classic car market. His other new york times bestsellers include the charm school, word of honor, the gold coast, spencerville, the lions game, up country, wild fire, and. Due to the rarity of this unique automobile, vehicles that have sold fluctuate greatly due to condition and originality. Apr 16, 2014 1950s america produced what seems like an endless number of different low production, fiberglassbodied sports cars. The early 1950s was a fascinating period in the american automobile landscape. Interest ran high, so woody set about getting his sports car into production, both fully assembled and as a. The wildfire id plate on this car shows w216b it does not match the cornell record books. These cars were manufactured in downey, califonia in very limited numbers, and could be had complete or in kit form. The hagerty classic car valuation tool is designed to help you learn how to value your 1953 woodill wildfire. What killed woodills dream car was the buyout of willys by kaiserfrazer. When you look at the early history of fiberglass sports cars in america, the path is far.
The woodill wildfire became a pioneer in the fiberglass bodied car setting high standards and becoming a true american sports car. Shown images are of much lower quality, due to resizing. What killed woodill s dream car was the buyout of willys by kaiserfrazer. The idea of a willysbased sports car, based on the relatively new and easy practice of laying up fiberglass bodies, intrigued him. Lets start off this weeks fourlinks with this model of the caravan crash from the first mad max as done by shoey on the australian automotive model builders forum, detailed down to the artwork on the side of the destroyed caravan. The worlds greatest collector car auctions the names barrettjackson, barrettjackson.
Are you trying to find 1953 woodill wildfire values. In late 195354 tony curtis starred in a movie call johnny dark. Woody woodills father was an early american automobile dealer, handling maxwell, overland, willys. Classics on autotrader has listings for new and used 1955 woodill wildfire classics for sale near you. The worlds greatest collector car auctions the names barrettjackson, and all associated graphics, logos, page headers, button icons, scripts, and service names are trademarks, registered trademarks or trade dress of the barrettjackson auction company, llc or its affiliates. Interest ran high, so woody set about getting his sports car into production, both fully assembled and as a highquality kit car. The wildfire also received much publicity in time, life, newsweek, and the car magazines.
There were a number of american specials built during the 1950s, but few were as handsome and unique as the woodill wildfire. Service members returning from duty overseas had experienced the. Gas monkey garage meet the monkeys sue martin duration. This was a woodill wildfire drag racer won class in detroit nationals 1961. Find new and used woodill wildfire classics for sale by classic car dealers and private sellers near you.
The images shown are representations of the 1953 woodill wildfire and not necessarily vehicles that have been bought or. It was originally sold in california in and titled in 1958 with a ca pink slip as a 1958 spcns special construct with the proper woodill vin of 9931. Wildfire is the funniest, saddest, most harrowing, most exuberant novel ive read in years. Produced in the early to mid 1950s, the wildfire was a fiberglass sports car that could be purchased assembled or in kit form. This 1956 woodill wildfire was assembled by the original owner in stockton, california and remained with him for the following 50 years.
Johnny dark is an automobile engineer who designs a radical new car. A replica of this car can be seen in danny kayes latest film, knock on wood. Too bad the guy who bought it lost money, but the value would have been in the original car. Classics on autotrader has listings for new and used woodill wildfire classics for sale near you. The woodill wildfire was an american sports car built by dodge and willys dealer blanchard robert woody woodill from 1952 to 1958 in downey, california.
Original ownerbuilder 1954 woodill wildfire 283 fuel injection out of 300 fiberglass bodied wildfire s built from 1953 through 1956 approximately 25 survive today. For stopping power, the wildfire series i braking system includes drums at the front and drums at the rear. The wildfire used a glasspar fiberglass body and is credited with being the first complete fiberglass car available with approximately 15 produced and another 285 sold as kits. The hagerty classic car valuation tool is designed to help you learn how to value your 1952 woodill wildfire.
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