Guanci SJJ-1
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The Guanci SJJ-1 is an American mid-engine sports car produced by the Woodstock, Illinois- based automobile manufacturer Guanci Automobiles . The vehicle was produced in three copies between 1979 and 1981; serial production did not materialize.
Model history
The SJJ-1 goes back to the American industrialist John Guanci, whose company manufactured industrial ovens in the 1970s. Guanci privately drove European sports cars such as the Lotus Elite , but was dissatisfied with their poor build quality and decided in 1977 to develop a comfortable and reliable sports car with American technology. A role model for this step was the American car manager John Z. De Lorean .
Development work on Guanci's sports car began in 1978. The SJJ-1 development team included Bob McKee, Mike Williams, Steve Norcross and Dick Kleber. They constructed a massive ladder frame made of welded steel elements. The drive technology and the chassis were obtained from General Motors . The engine was installed in front of the rear axle at right angles to the direction of travel. The first prototype was powered by a 5.7 liter eight-cylinder General Motors engine that developed 220 hp. The second vehicle received a six-cylinder, turbocharged Buick engine with a displacement of 2.8 liters and an output of 189 hp. A third car was retrofitted with an eight-cylinder engine from the Oldsmobile Aurora. A three-speed automatic transmission from General Motors served as power transmission.
The body was designed by John Guanci and Mike Williams. It consisted of fiberglass-reinforced plastic and was very similar to the structure of the Maserati Merak designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro . On the gently sloping front section there were hydraulically operated pop-up headlights ; Below that, a narrow cooling opening ran across the entire width of the vehicle, into which two chrome-plated decorative struts were embedded. The first prototype, like the Merak, had free-standing struts behind the driver's cab that sloped towards the rear of the vehicle. The rear side panels of the later cars were glazed. An independent design feature was the large, straight air inlet behind the doors.
The first two prototypes were presented to the public at the 1979 Chicago Auto Show; further show participation followed. In a 1981 interview with Motor Trend magazine, John Guanci claimed that he had invested a total of $ 600,000 in the development of his car and that he plans to produce about 50 cars per month. The start of series production was set for 1982; the purchase price for an SJJ-1 should be US $ 63,000.
In 1982 Guanci decided against starting series production for economic reasons. The reason for this was General Motors' unwillingness to deliver engines at a discount.
By 1982 three copies of the SJJ-1 had been made. All vehicles still exist. The first prototype, which is equipped with a 5.7 liter eight-cylinder engine, is now in the Netherlands , the other two cars are owned by John Guanci.
literature
- Jeroen Booij: Chicago Bull . Presentation and driving report for the Guanci SJJ-1. In: Classic Cars, issue 10/2011, p. 72 f.
