1964 GSM Flamingo

Legends are pleased to offer this rare, beautifully presented and very original GSM Flamingo, one of circa 140 examples manufactured.

Glassport Motor Company (GSM) was a South African motor manufacturer based in Cape Town between 1958 and 1964. They produced the Dart and Flamingo sports cars. The name Glass Sport Motors is due to their use of fiberglass. GSM narrowly missed being South Africas first sports car maker, beaten by the GRP Protea. A Dart, Flamingo and Protea can be viewed at the Franschhoek Motor Museum in South Africa. 

The company was founded by Bob van Niekerk and Willie Meissne in 1958 after Meissner went to England and stumbled upon fiberglass, a new technology at the time. He wrote a letter to van Niekerk asking him to come to England and further study fiberglass crafting. They came into contact with South African designer Verster de Wit (who was working on the Sunbeam Alpine) 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. One body was made and sold in England to fund Bob's trip back to South Africa. On returning to South Africa, they built the first prototypes of the GSM Dart. GSM's were mainly sold in South Africa and England although several seem to have made it to Canada. 

The Flamingo coupé was produced by GSM from 1962. The original intention was to use a forthcoming Ford V6 but it did not appear in time and so it was initially powered by a 1.7-litre Ford Taunus engine and later by the 1.5-litre Ford Cortina (non-crossflow) engine. Although similar in appearance, the Flamingo is a very different car. The front suspension replaced the transverse leaf springs of the Dart with two wishbones compressing Mini rubber cones, and later small coil springs. The rear was cleverly designed to stop one wheel spinning faster than the other under power through the use of different trailing arm setups on each side. Capable of cruising at 100 MPH with a top speed in excess of 120 the Flamingo was is a formidable GT car from the early 1960’s. 

Specification:

Engine: Ford 1.5 litre pre cross flow

Carburettor: 36DCD7 Weber, cam and branch.

Chassis: 64082

Documentation:

UK Registered.

Full known history.

Long term ownership

South African Veteran and Vintage Dating Certificate.

Out of long term ownership. An opportunity to acquire a standout example of the rare GSM Flamingo, offering a fast and engaging driving experience indicative of early 1960’s  lightweight sports car design.