Fiberglass & Other Composite Materials

A Guide to High Performance Non-Metallic Materials for Race Cars, Street Rods, Body Shops, Boats and Aircraft.

For many years, race cars of all types have been constructed with lightweight materials in addition to aluminum and steel. These include fiberglass, Kevlar and reinforced plastics.

The application of this space-age technology is also becoming more widely used on street cars as stronger materials are developed, costs become lower and techniques are simplified.

The Corvette has always been built of fiberglass, and cars such as the Chevy Lumina and 1994 and up Mustangs also use reinforced plastic materials in certain body panels.

But the most common automotive application is racing, and the equipment and technology today now make it possible for many racers to repair, and even construct, their own lightweight body panels using these materials.