1962 Kellison J5

American sports car racing specials grew in popularity during the fifties and sixties thanks to the ingenuity of hot rodders, fiberglass kit car builders, and weekend warriors. In 1954, a former U.S. Air Force pilot named James Kellison joined the growing list of 'kit car' builders, which included Byers, Devin, and Glasspar, with his eponymous Kellison Engineering based in Folsom, California. His company initially produced attractive coupe and roadster body styles before venturing into an array of racing, sports, and show cars. In the mid-1960s, Kellison created the Sandpiper SP-1 for the growing 'due buggy' craze. According to Kellison's sales literature, the company went on to become the 'largest manufacturer of dune buggy bodies in the world.'

The popularity of sports cars were attributed to personalization, affordability, and configuration. On numerous occasions, racers demonstrated the potency of lightweight construction, a streamlined shape, and finely tuned mechanical components with cars like the Scarab and Devin SS. Lighter, lower, and powerful, these homegrown specials often kept pace (or outpaced) the machinery produced by the Italians and English. While many manufacturers from 'across the pond' used sheets of aluminum hand-hammered into svelte bodies, the repertoire of many builders in the 'new country' turned to fiberglass. Sprayed up or hand-laid in sheets, fiberglass proved to be a superior product. The molds could be created quickly, modified, or copied from existing cars. It was easy to make multiple copies in a variety of sizes, and material and setup costs were low. Even Chevrolet was using fiberglass for its Corvette sports car.

Kellison Engineering & Mfg. Company was one of the earliest and most successful users of fiberglass for sports car body manufacturing. They produced strong, lightweight, streamlined bodies that were low, sleek, and attractive. The shapes benefitted from Kellison's aerospace engineering background, as they were over-engineered and bestowed with details such as a low frontal area, sealing strips, wheel wells, firewalls and dashboards molded in. The Kellison coupes incorporated stock glass and sealing strips from Studebakers and Buicks, and they were designed to accommodate a variety of chassis. Kellison even offered its own four-inch diameter twin-tube chassis. As such, the Kellison cars were powered by a variety of engine and drivetrain combinations.

The Kellison J5 was an evolution of the previous J4, with an extra inch added to the 39-inch roof and an extended wheelbase from 98 to 102 inches, accommodating additional length in the doors. A J5 R version was available as a lightweight racing option.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2024