34. Kellison J6
In the late ’50s and early ’60s, fiberglass body construction stopped being a high-tech process exclusive to established manufacturers. Suddenly, it became something you could do in your garage. This influenced numerous small companies to start offering their plastic bodies on a regular car chassis. The process created a unique and interesting design. Most of those companies produced just the bodies, often with crude designs and a poor fit and finish, but not Kellison.
Established in the early ’50s, Kellison produced several successful kits for installation on popular models. However, in the early ’60s, the company introduced the J6. The J6 was available as a kit or a fully built car, making Kellison a boutique car manufacturer. They based the J6 on a Corvette frame, but Kellison didn’t just re-body the ‘Vette.
They moved the engine further back in the chassis, changed the suspension, installed larger brakes and added a different interior. All that made the J6 handle better and go even faster since the J6 body was somewhat lighter than a stock Corvette. This conversion was popular, so they built over 500 bodies. The J6 was successful in the hands of private racing teams since it offered Corvette power in a better-handling package.