Used 1952 Piranha Speedster - Vintage Sports Car Hot Rod Classic for sale in TAMPA, FL

1952 Piranha Speedster - Vintage Sports Car

Based on the styling and build quality, this fiberglass sports car was built in the early 1950s by an unknown but talented builder. We've been able to track down the history through the early 1970s when legendary hot rod builder Vern Tardel bought the car to acquire the high-level Ford Flathead V8 engine that was installed. After many years, the car was sold and went through several hands before we bought it in 2006. Ownership history before the early 1970s is unknown.

The car is similar in size to American sports cars of the day with a wheelbase of 100 inches and a track of 58 inches. When we found the car, it had a full complement of Stewart-Warner early "wing" gauges (very deteriorated) and indications of both a trunk and rear mounted spare tire. At this time, this car has been prepared for a new owner to complete the restoration more easily from a strong starting place.

In preparing the car, we removed the body from the frame, cleaned the chassis, and strengthened the body overall - both from the inside and the outside. On the inside of the body we added additional fiberglass and structural rods to keep the body panels flat and strong. On the outside, we added additional fiberglass and sealed the body with Duratec - a high quality polyester sealant. This preserves the quality of the vintage fiberglass underneath and gives a nice foundation for future work.

Final bodywork remains to create the finish desired. The car retains its original design and the well-built/modified Ford frame. Brand new whitewall tires are mounted on freshly powdercoated 16 inch Ford wire wheels.

We gave the car the name "Piranha Speedster" and asked automotive artist and designer Dan Palatnik to create renderings on how the car might look when restored with different "treatments" or appearances. The renderings of this car were seen on the TV Show "AmeriCarna" hosted by Ray Evernham in 2015 which appears on the Velocity TV channel. Several of these renderings are shown below. The Piranha Speedster is now ready for a new owner to take over the helm and steer the restoration to their liking. When completed this would be a vintage sports car one would be proud of.

American Sport Specials are coming into their own. More and more they are seen at vintage races, rallys, tours and on the fields of the finest concours in the world. Most recently a class of these sports cars appeared at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the 2015 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. This may be your chance to own something quite rare - an American Special -- with all the flair of European design, but with American power and at a reasonable cost.

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