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Aptly called “Captain Curiosity” in 2008 by Classic and Sports Car Magazine (UK, Worldwide), and “The Snipe Hunter” in Tom Cotter’s 2010 bestselling book, “Corvette in the Barn”, Geoff Hacker has been the king of automotive snipe hunters for the past many years, bringing back to life dozens of rare and historically interesting cars that most enthusiasts either never knew existed or had written off as extinct.
Geoff’s been passionate about cars since “driving” his first one, a plastic hot rod pedal car, down a hill in the backyard of his Carbondale Illinois home when he was five years old. Things were never the same.
His parents were students of Buckminster Fuller, famed designer and inventor, as well as creator of the famous Dymaxion car of the 1930’s. Geoff grew up hearing stories of the Geodesic Domes (which his parents helped build in Southern Illinois) and the Dymaxion car too. Ultimately, this led Geoff to locating and purchasing two long lost streamlined teardrop cars of the 1930’s.
His grandfather sold Chevrolets from the 1950’s thru the 1980’s, and many a weekend Geoff spent at the Keystone Chevrolet in Chicago learning more about cars from his grandfather, Morrie Hacker.
With his grandfather’s help and his mother’s support, Geoff bought his first car at age 14 which was a 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood, serial number 556044492 (currently in Arizona) and restored it under the guidance of lifelong friend and famed Packard/classic car collector Paul Terhorst. He kept this car, his first car, for twenty years before parting with it to another collector.
At age 17, his family moved from Chicago Illinois to Clearwater Florida where Geoff found and purchased an obscure fiberglass car called a “Shark”. Immediately after the purchase, Rick D’Louhy tracked Geoff down and provided key details on the cars’ history. This led to a fast friendship that has lasted more than 30 years.
Ultimately, the purchase of the “Shark” began a three decade quest researching the history of the car, locating other examples, and discovering the family that designed it and others related to its building and fame. This car ultimately debuted at the Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance in March 2007.
In its entirety, this experience led to a greater appreciation of unhearalded fiberglass cars, sports cars, and the families which designed and built them.
Geoff soon became good friends with Jon Gruel who had been researching an obscure fiberglass sports car called a LaDawri Conquest.
After locating the family that designed and built the Grantham Stardust, Jon asked Geoff to turn his attention to helping locate the family of Les Dawes who had designed and built the LaDawri Coachcraft company in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Jon and his group had been looking for Les Dawes for over 25 years.
After several weeks of searching, Geoff located Joan Dawes, the wife and partner of Les Dawes who together with his wife created the LaDawri marquee. It was from this foundation that in the summer of 2006 Geoff moved forward in his research project with Rick D’Louhy in documenting the rich and interesting history of fiberglass cars.
Some of the other notable automotive historian achievements in the past few years include:
- Locating and documenting America’s first postwar sports car. – 1947 Kurtis Omohundro and its nearly identical 1948 twin brother.
- Tracking down the first legendary “LeMans Coupe” designed by famed Strother MacMinn and celebrated in Road and Track Magazine by owner/editor John Bond – Road and Track cover car from August 1960
- Locating, securing, and beginning restoration on America’s most famous race car transporter of the 1960’s – the Cheetah Transporter (also known as the Moon Transporter) built by Norm Holtkamp and Troutman and Barnes, and later owned and modified by Dean Moon.
- Receating the first belly tank on the salt flats with guidance from Bill Burke who built the original wing tank in 1946.
- Support and design of the following shows celebrating Forgotten Fiberglass sports cars of the 1950’s:
- 2007 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
- 2008 Palo Alto Concours d’Elegance
- 2008 Barrington Councours d’Elegance
- 2010: Amelia Island Coucours d’Elegance
- 2010: Petersen Automotive Museum’s “Fantasies in Fiberglass” 6 month exhibit from Feb 2010 thru Nov 2010
- 2011: Milwaukee Masterpiece Concours d’Elegance where Forgotten Fiberglass sports cars were recognized as the featured marquee for the Concours – the first time these cars have achieved this recognition and respect.
- Worked with Automodello to create first Forgotten Fiberglass car to appear in model form: Victress S1, debuts at Milwaukee Masterpiece Concours d’ Elegance in August 2011.
- Geoff and Rick are currently researching books in the following areas: Forgotten Fiberglass Volume 2: 1956-1970, Forgotten Fiberglass Volume 3-Foreign cars, America’s Postwar Sport Customs (America’s first postwar sports cars), Teardrop Cars of the 1930’s (America’s first Concept cars), American Racecar Transporters, Cool Microphone: Vintage Microphones from the 1930’s thru the 1950’s, and VAMI: Vintage Automotive Magazine Index, 1947-1960
- For more information about
Forgotten Fiberglass research and projects completed by Geoff Hacker and Rick D’Louhy.
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