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1968 Fiberfab Jamaican

Warren 'Bud' Goodwin was a designer who created several unique and innovative sports car bodies during the 1960s, including the Valkyrie, Avenger, Aztec, Azteca, and the Banshee. He was also the owner of Fiberfab Corp. of Sunnyvale, California, a company that was formed in 1964 and specialized in automotive body design. The company's history dates to the early 1960s when they built parts and body panels for the Ford Mustang. Their first full kit car was the Aztec GT, and several variations of the design followed throughout the mid-1960s. Near the close of the 1960s, they introduced the Jamaican designed to utilize an MG, Triumph, or Austin-Healey chassis. The Jamaican II were V8-powered cars with a chassis designed and manufactured by Fiberfab. Approximately 250 to 300 examples of the Jamaican II were built.

The Fiberfab Jamaican had both elegant and aesthetic lines, with a sharp, wedge-shaped front end, a raked windshield, and a fastback roofline. The hood has dual air scoops and there are additional scoops located behind the front doors. The windshields were sourced from the 1965 Chevrolet Corvette while the rear windows were from the Porsche 911. The side windows and some of the hardware were from the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. The bodywork was formed from fiberglass. Since these were 'kits,' specifications vary considerably.

In 1967, Goodwin was convicted of the manslaughter death of his wife, Jamaica K. Goodwin. Mr. Goodwin died in prison a year later due to a heart attack. The company went through several new owners before shuttering its doors. In 2003, unsuccessful attempts were made to re-launch the company.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe

Warren 'Bud' Goodwin's Fiberfab company was in the business of making fiberglass kit cars. And he was good at it. His 2-door coupe - the Jamaican (likely named after his second wife, Jamaica) - was created in 1968 and was set up to 'sit on' a big 6-cylinder Austin-Healey donor car. Goodwin - a mysterious character is an understatement at best - based it on a design by Chris and Russell Beebe, mimicking the Lamborghini Miura. The Beebes also built the molds. Goodwin was based in Palo Alto, then Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, California, and his production were prolific, however, the business was not healthy. He died of a heart attack in prison in December 1968. But put this aside and enjoy this fabulous, iconic car - underneath is an Austin-Healey 100/6, a 1956 BN4.