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1953 Victress S1A coupe roadster vintage racer LaDawri (Berwyn)
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For Sale or trade a vintage racing car Victress S1A, a super rare car
that can be yours for a fraction of the price. Complete barn find car.
Oldsmobile Rocket V8 engine turns over, DeDion custom rear suspension setup. Tubular custom frame. Super rare, catalog item hard roof. PM for more pictures and answers.
The car is mostly intact as found with all components present. Interior will need new carpet and seats upholstered. Clean title and some historical drawings and notes are also available.
It was built by a team of engineering students out of Madison WI in early 60's. The pic where the car is blue is from when it was raced at Road America briefly. They only put 960 miles on the car since it was built. Originally built with a manual tranny that was later swapped with an auto.
It is possible you may not have heard of the Victress S1A Roadster. It is the creation of early 1950s American ingenuity by men with the dream of making their own car.
These American Specials rarely come up for sale and this one looks to be in good condition with some remaining work needed, which will allow the new owner to make it their own.
The California based Victress Manufacturing Company was founded in 1952. The first model, the S1A, was designed by Hugh Jorgensen and William “Doc” Boyce-Smith. The Victress S1A was built on many different chassis designs and were usually powered by a small-block Chevrolet engine.
A Victress S1A was featured in the 1954 movie Johnny Dark which starred Tony Curtis and Piper Laurie (see the poster below).
Less than 50 Victress coupes were sold in the 1950s and the only Victress distributor was Hellings Company in North Hollywood.
In 1961 the molds were sold to Les Dawes (LaDawri) who rebadged the Victress as LaDawri and renamed the models. If you see a LaDawri it may remind you of the Victress.
The Victress S1A debuted in 1952. Like all Victress S1A roadsters, this car is highly collectible and would make a great vintage rally car, superb vintage race car, a unique classic or a terrific driver. Cars of this type are now welcomed at the most prestigious car shows. Approximately 100 bodies were produced ever with far fewer survivors remaining.
Since the S1A was fitted on a variety of chassis no two cars were alike. From the factory they came with either a Ford frame or a custom unit from Mameco Corp.