I'm trying to figure out what frame was used for this 50's/60's fiberglass special. The "story" is that it is a late 50's Thunderbird frame -- but all the other stories about the car haven't been true, so why should this one? It has a 99" wheelbase. The engine was pulled years ago, so I don't have that to go by. The car is described as a Ford.
So it's looking like a late 49-53 Ford frame. That crosses Thunderbird off the list of possibilities (production started in 55). Does this picture of the rear help at all?
This seems to be an advertisement for the car -- from the September 1961 issue of Car and Driver magazine. The description, shape and instruments fit. The address in Ohio also shows up as a fiberglass boat manufacturer, "Fiberglass Unlimited", a company that ceased operations in the 70's. I wonder if this is the only car that Ben Shoemaker made?
A lot of those kits were built on early 50's Ford Chassis back in the late 50's and early 60's. you might poke around here http://www.forgottenfiberglass.com/ and see if you an find out more about the body and or the car it's self.
Mr48chev, I agree, Forgotten Fiberglass is a great resource for cars like this -- and that's where some of the questions started. Unfortunately, they weren't able to ID the car. Another person started a thread on the Nostalgia Forum on the Autosport Bulletin Board. Again, lots of speculation, but no one was able to pin the car down.