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1964 LaDawri Daytona

Roadster

Les Dawes and his wife Joan launched LaDawri Coachcraft from their home in Burnaby, Canada, in 1956. Later that year, they showed their first car - the LaDawri Conquest - at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, where it received immediate acclaim. Dawes moved his family to Southern California, where the business and publicity for sports cars were at its zenith. In a short time, Road & Track magazine featured the Conquest on their July 1957 cover, and from that point, their notoriety soared. LaDawri continued to expand its offerings and, in the summer of 1960, launched its second full-sized sports car - the Daytona. LaDawri Coachcraft operated from 1956 to 1965 and during those years, produced 300 Conquest and Daytona sports cars and bodies.

This car was built on a 1955 Chevrolet chassis with a 327 cubic-inch Chevrolet engine in Illinois in the 1960s. The car stayed in the Midwest until recently, when a new owner purchased it and moved it south where the current owner acquired and restored it.

The LaDawri Company of Long Beach, California, was created by Les Dawes. The company is remembered for its work with fiberglass. They used fiberglass to form elegant creations and bodies for sports and racing automobiles. The bodies were rigid, aerodynamic, and lightweight. There were 19 models available and popular with the kit car community.

The bodies were created to fit a wide range of vehicles. The wheelbase ranged from 76 to 120 inches, and the length from 124 to 188 inches.

There were five sports car models available. There was a roll bar built into the frame and constructed to accept a windshield. Volkswagen, MG, and Austin-Healey were the popular chassis to carry the bodies.

In the sports car body department, the bodies were called the Conquest and the Conquest GT. By the early 1960s, Dawes expanded his offerings by purchasing Victress race cars. Body molds were created, and the Victress S-1A became known as the LaDawri Vixen. The Victress S-5 became known as the LaDawri Cheetah. In 1963, Dawes worked a deal with Ralph Starkweather to produce the LaDawri Firestar MKII.

The business progressed rather well for several years. By the mid-1960s, the fortunes had changed as the kit car market was slowing down. Clark Adams, an aerospace engineer, steeped in to aid the struggling company. A universal body was created that could fit a wide variety of chassis. The resulting product was dubbed the LaDawri Formula Libre.

By 1968, the company was forced to close their doors after suffering a major fire.

by Dan Vaughan