1961 GSM Delta
Offered by H&H Classics | Epsom, U.K. | June 5, 2018
Bob van Niekerk and Willie Meissner founded the Glassport Motor Company in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1958. Fiberglass sports cars had been on sale in the U.S. and U.K. for a few years by this point, but Niekerk and Meissner decided to open the doors for such cars for the South African market.
Their first car was called the Dart. It was a sporty little roadster with an optional hardtop. It was a good enough car that the British took note and GSM began exporting them to the U.K. (or assembling them in England). The problem was that Daimler already sort of had the whole “Dart” thing cornered, so GSM called the export cars the Delta. And that’s what we have here.
GSM didn’t build their own engines, instead based the Dart/Delta around other cars. This car originally had a 1.0-liter engine but now sports a 1.5-liter straight-four. Production records are sketchy, but it is thought that 122 Darts were built as well as 76 Deltas. Restored a while ago, this car shows well and should bring between $24,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Update: Not sold.