|
In the beginning race cars were either steel or aluminum. Steel was heavy and aluminum was expensive. Grass roots drag racers needed parts that were lighter than steel and cheaper than hand formed aluminum. Enter the world of Fiberglass reproductions.
One of the pioneers in the field of fiberglass drag race components was Anderson Industries, also known as Ai Fiberglass. Ai Fiberglass was opened in 1962 by Dave Anderson and his dad in a small shop in Curtis Bay, Maryland.
|
Early 60's NHRA, US Nationals
Indianapolis, IN
|
Mid 70's NSRA Nationals, South
Winston-Salem, NC
|
Ai soon became THE place to buy your light weight fiberglass parts.
Some of the first items made were for 1948 Anglias, 1950 Austin's and later '55 Chevys. The first body produced was the Model T roadster used for the growing Fuel Altered class. The above display with the Anglia was built and used in the spring of 1964 for the Performance Manufacturers Show at The Disneyland Hotel.
Anderson Industries was among the small group of performance companies who exhibited at the first SEMA show held in Anaheim, California.
|
|
By the late 60's, street rodding was coming on strong and Anderson Industries expanded the product line to include components for all Fords from 1923 to 1940. All of the molds were made in house, usually from original steel parts borrowed from local hot rodders. The 1970's brought dozens of additional molds to supply the builders in the new NHRA Pro-Stock class. Street rodders weren't left out; molds for early 1930's Chevrolet, Dodge and Plymouth were added to the tooling library. Anderson Industries displayed their products at many NHRA National events from the US Nationals in Indy to the Gater Nationals in Gainsville. The Street Rod events were also a big part of the show schedule beginning with the second NSRA Nationals in Detroit and regional runs including Gatlinburg, TN.
|
Western Nationals
NSRA Del Mar, CA |
Murray Adams & Frank Morawski
NHRA Columbus, OH |
The Ai decal could be seen on drag cars from coast, even though some customers thought it said A1. Whether A1, or Ai, or Anderson Industries, the hand laid fiberglass parts were flying out the door of the new shop now located in Elkridge, MD.
|
|
Moirin & Rich Venza, Vivian Levering & Mike Ottavi
Gatlingburg, TN
|
|
Richard Venza became a partner in the early 70's, helping in the marketing and sales of the popular product line. Venza then went on to be involved in several performance companies from Speedway Motors in Lincoln, Nebraska to The Eastwood Company in Malvern, PA where he developed the entire line of Automobilia and die cast collectibles for almost 10 years.
|
|
Shop Shots During the 1980's.
|
Shop Shots During the 1980's.
|
When Anderson Industries became available in the late 90's, Venza again stepped back into the Ai Fiberglass world, and purchased the company. It was at this time that a fresh new beginning was felt to be in order and Rod 'n Race Fiberglass was born. Reacting to the market demands, new molds were made for a narrowed drag race Topolino Coupe, dubbed the "Outlaw". A Street Rod version of the popular Fiat Topolino coupe was tooled, complete with working doors, and in a stroke of luck, a rare Topolino Sedan Delivery was located in France, purchased, imported and new molds were crafted.
|
|
NSRA Nationals East at York, PA 1997
|
NSRA Nationals East at York, PA 1997
|
In June 2007 a new chapter in the history of Anderson Industries, Ai Fiberglass, and Rod 'n Race Fiberglass began. Venza sold the company to a younger and equally dedicated man named Eric Young. Venza will continue to be the voice at the end of the telephone line, and will maintain the thousands of pieces of information and data relative to the 1,000 molds from which the company produces parts. The shop has been relocated to a new location in Berkley Springs, West Virginia. There Young and a fully qualified group of fiberglass technicians will continue the 45 year tradition of producing the widest variety of fiberglass automotive parts in the country.
|
