- Glass Sport Motors
Infobox_Company
company_name = GSM
company_type = Former
key_people =Bob van Niekirk co-founderWillie Meissner co-founder
foundation =1958
location =Cape Town ,South Africa Glass Sport Motors (GSM) was a South African motor manufacturer based in
Cape Town between1958 and1964 . They produced the Dart and Flamingo sports cars. The name Glass Sport Motors is due to their use offiberglass and the fact that they produced onlySports cars .History
The company was founded by Bob van Niekerk and Willie Meissner [ [http://www.boatloft.co.za/gsm.htm Glass Sport Motors (GSM) ] ] in 1958 after Meissner went to England and stumbled upon
fiberglass [http://www.gsmclub.co.za/history.html] ] , a new technology at the time. He wrote a letter to van Niekerk asking him to come toEngland and further studyfiberglass crafting. They came into contact with Verster de Wit who helped them style their first car design and taught them the design process. The pair finally found an attractive design and produced a mould. On returning toSouth Africa , they built the first prototypes of the GSM Dart.The Dart
The Dart was GSM's first production model. The car used a variety of engines including
Coventry Climax andFord Anglia 100E and 105E units fitted into a ladder type chassis with transverse springs at the front and coil springs at the rear. Most cars had a glass fibre open two seat body fitted, but some coupés and fastbacks were also produced.The Dart was also manufactured at
West Malling ,Kent ,England by GSM Cars where it was known as the GSM Delta due to 'Dart' being a registered trademark ofDaimler sports car.The Flamingo
The Flamingo coupé [ [http://www.boatloft.co.za/flamingo.htm Flamingo ] ] was produced by GSM from 1962. It was powered by a 1.7 litre
Ford Taunus engine. Although similar in appearance, the Flamingo is a very different car.External links
* [http://www.gsmclub.co.za - The GSM club website]
* [http://www.boatloft.co.za/gsm.htm - The GSM section of Bob van Niekerk's website]References
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