The Mass Production Of Sports Vehicle
The GSM Dart was among South Africa's earliest mass-produced sports vehicles; it's estimated that 116 of them were made over a five-year period, making them extremely rare but surprisingly still accessible. GSM, which proudly refers to the fact that all cars feature lightweight fiberglass bodies, stands for "Glass Sport Motors."
Utilization of Fiberglass
When fiberglass was originally utilized to construct cars in the middle of the 20th century, it was regarded as a material that was almost magical. Prior to this, many supercars had bodies manufactured from hand-formed aluminum alloy, which was extremely expensive and was much lighter than steel. It was also affordable and easily molded into intricate compound designs.
The Establishment of GSM
Bob van Niererk and Willie Meissner, two recent mechanical engineering graduates, established GSM in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1958. The two guys were close friends who had attended Stellenbosch University together and shared an ambition of creating a sports car that was distinctively South African.
Bob and Willie's Thoughts
The dream was consequently put on hold, but Bob and Willie's thoughts about it never left. When Willie wrote Bob from England in 1956 to inform him about a great new material called "fiberglass" that was changing the low-volume sports car manufacturing industry, everything changed.
The Design of GSM's First Car
The two men's design was their other issue. Although it may seem straightforward, building a car's body is difficult, especially if you desire it to perform well on a racetrack.
Fortunately, Verster de Witt, a skilled South African automotive engineer working in England with Triumph on the Avalanche sports car, became friends with Bob and Willie. Then he gave them a big lump of plastic and told them to start playing. When the crew reached model number 13, they felt they had something special, and this design would later serve as the basis for the GSM Dart.
The Car’s Most Notable Victory
The 1000cc GT class victory at Manufacturers Hatch in 1960 was undoubtedly the car's most notable victory; Bob recounts this event in greater detail below, and I highly recommend reading it. Bob had to build the car by himself from the ground up, win his class, and convince the financiers to sign the contract.
Affordable Costs
Nobody is certain; however, many GSM Darts and its UK-made Delta brothers are still in existence. Even though they are no longer available for purchase very often, it's interesting to note that the costs are still quite affordable for a vehicle with such a unique past.
The Last Vehicle Before the Closure of Plant
The GSM Darts you see above is a 1964 version, which makes it one of the last vehicles produced before the plant closed down later that year. This vehicle sports a 1500cc which was before Ford Dolomite inline-four engine, making it larger than many prior vehicles. It also features front drum brakes and a detachable hard top.
Purchasing of the Vehicle
The vehicle was purchased by the present owner in 2001 and was imported into the UK, where it is currently road registered. The owner spent almost £25,000 refurbishing the vehicle for antique racing between 2009 and 2011. A freshly constructed 1500cc Ford pre-Crossflow engine was fitted, and when it was dyno tested, it produced 118 horsepower at the rear wheels.