This 1955 Woodill Wildfire (chassis WW9915) is said to be one of about 30 remaining out of the original 100 or so built. Restored in 2011, the car has been shown at several concours since and was an award winner at the 2013 Goodguys Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. One of the first fiberglass sports cars, B.R. Woodill was a successful California Willys dealer who decided to build his own car after deciding that an XK Jaguar was too expensive. Find this one here on eBay in Fenton, Michigan for $65k OBO.

​Deep blue over caramel looks great, but we don’t know if it’s correct to the car’s original spec as vintage photos are mentioned but not included in the listing—chances are they’re black and white anyway. A correct Lincoln Zephyr rear bumper is included but was left off for a cleaner look, and overall it’s an attractive if not groundbreaking example of period American sports car styling.

​The cabin is bare bones but nicely tailored with tight fitting carpets and upholstery. The view over its molded-in dash is reminiscent of a carnival ride car, but that’s how they did it in the pioneering days of composite coachbuilding. Seatbelts are notable for their absence, but we’d fit some appropriately vintage looking items immediately even if only occasional, light traffic drives were planned.

​The three air cleaners seen peeking through the hood feed triple Rochester carbs sitting on top of an Offenhauser intake manifold, itself mounted to a period correct 322 CI Buick V8 running an Isky cam. Designed around a custom frame and 1939 Ford suspension and transmission, this particular car’s gearbox isn’t mentioned but is probably the old FoMoCo 3-speed. The car looks quite tidy underneath, and we bet those side pipes exiting just forward of the rear wheels sound fantastic.

​Like most early American designs, sports car in this case means swoopy and low with handling and braking performance following much lower on the list of priorities. Unlike a six cylinder C1 ‘Vette, though, this one should be plenty fast to boot. Sometimes a great soundtrack and looking cool are more than enough—it’s all about context.