By Dean Larson

I’ve got a knack for finding Byers SR100s. It was back in March of this year when I found a very crusty looking SR100 on Los Angeles Craigslist, and I’ll be the first to admit, I had no idea what I was looking at. Like a few others (including the car we’re looking at today), the seller assumed it to be a very early Cobra kit car, and I was none the wiser. Thankfully, the knowledgeable folks in the classic fiberglass community set me straight, and I learned the potential beauty that was hiding in that desolate roadster project.

More recently, in July I found a stunning SR100 in a very nice period-correct configuration on eBay. The matte-black Byers was free of any serious defects and wore a handsome set of silver wire wheels, primitive side pipes, and only the necessary trim work. As perfect as the exterior was, the driveline was really the star of the show. A flathead Ford V8 powered the roadster with Thickstun heads and a Navarro intake with dual carbs. The interior was also done nicely, but not at all over done with some plain black leather seats and a single gauge pod. With the looks and simple charm of this roadster, I’d take a fall afternoon drive in this Byers over a date with (name a prominent female celebrity) any day.

Production estimates vary quite a bit on the number of SR100s built. Twenty-five is the most common figure, but some sources claim up to 50 bodies were built of this Jim Byers design. Nonetheless, these were built 60 years ago, so finding them for sale at all is rare. But low and behold, while perusing Craigslist ads across the continental U.S. today, I stumbled upon another Byers, which honestly looks to be the offspring of the previous two SR100 finds.

On Eastern Connecticut Craigslist titled under “Cobra Kit Car Early,” and appearing to be in the back of a semi trailer, we have another SR100 for sale. Like the earlier Byers on eBay, the car wears a coat of faded matte-black paint, but admittedly it’s not wearing it as well. The car, instead, has more in common with the first Craigslist find, including its early Corvette chassis, stripped windshield and abandon-project status. It’s clear this car will need to be brought down to the chassis and rebuilt, as there are a couple clues that indicate poor build quality. The muscle car mirrors, questionable grill construction and flat-towing lights for indicators are a few that jump out. But don’t write this car off as parts just yet. All the fiberglass bodywork is present and looks to be in decent shape. The Vette chassis is also a decent-performing platform and keeps the car well within its era. It also looks like a handful of Stewart Warner gauges occupy the dash space — a nice bonus indeed.

Placing an appropriate price tag on this Byers project is not easy. The multicolored Craigslist Byers we found earlier was clearly cheap at just $3,000 and was quickly purchased. Bidders also showed up for their chance to own the Byers on eBay, but bidding slowed at just over $27,500, clearly not enough to make a sale. So where does that put this example? While it does belong somewhere in middle, this car is probably priced a bit high at $10,500 and the seller will probably be talked down a few thousand by a brave "byer."