About Tough to Crack car puzzle #135: Invader GT

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In the early 1970s, a young student called Bruce Weeks from Oakland, California, tried without sucess to assemble a fiberglass kit car on an old Volkswagen beetle chassis. The task proved too difficult, and he was forced to abandon the project. But the dissapointment didn´t stop this courageous guy; he designed his own fiberglass kit, and he sold it under the Invader moniker. His company, called Autokit Industries, produced a reasonable number of kits during the 1970s, and even sold its product´s license to some other companies around the world. One of the less known licensee companies was the Spanish based Tecnipol SL from Madrid, which produced around 25 complete cars prior to their early bankrupcy in 1973.  The Spanish company didn´t sell the Invader as a kit; they assembled the cars and sold the product ready to enjoy. The body shown in our pictures is one of these Spanish cars... but is basically brand new, as this car was never completed and has been "parked" beyond a paint booth for almost 40 years (photo 2). This one wasn´t an easy puzzle, but at least two of our reades have been able to give us a right answer. Till Jauernig has told only the marque and the model, but Don Siemers´s answer has been really accurate. "Invader GT by Autokit. Built in California and Spain. Principal manufacturer was Bruce Weeks. Design thought to be ripped off from David Loring. Model in photo appears to be curved windscreen rather than flat.  Unlike most VW based kits the Invader did not require shortening the chassis. Probably a GT series three "E" edition". Not a lot to add. The car is a late series -due to its higher windscreen-  and its Spanish origins could be discovered due to its flat nose without filler neck, as in contrast to the US model, the Madrid produced cars have the fuel tank located in the rear. Well done Don, the postwar T-shirt is yours!

( photos & text Francisco Carrión )   

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