Although hundreds of kit car companies have cranked out fabulous fiberglass flyers over the years, only a fraction of them built more than a handful of cars before slipping into oblivion. One of the few companies to leave a mark on the industry was Kellison Engineering, started in 1958 by former Air Force pilot Jim Kellison, who built the handsome J-4 coupe. Kellison made a staggering number of models, some of which he designed, some he bought from other manufacturers.
Kellison passed away in 2004, leaving behind thousands of wonderful kit cars to carry on his name. Over the years, the cars were sold by Kellison Engineering, Kellison Inc., Allied Fiberglass (under the Astra name), and Lincoln Industries. All four companies were located in California in the '60s and '70s. There were many variations on Kellison bodies, with alternate grilles and trim commonplace.
In 1970, Kellison shut down Kellison Inc., and opened a successful book store. But he couldn't stay away from the aroma of curing fiberglass, so in 1976 he started building the Stallion, one of the first-generation of Cobra replicas, before trading in the kit car industry for the jewelry business in 1980.
Here is a list of all the Kellison models we know of, but be aware that the model designations changed from time to time to suit which models were in production. Also, the Astra model designations were not always the same as the ones Kellison used.
J-1: A small coupe designed to fit on Austin-Healey Sprite and Crosley chassis. It had a "double-bubble" top like some Fiat-Abarth models and Zagato-bodied Ferrari's.
J-2: An attractive roadster from the late-'50s, the J-2 was scaled to fit a 102-inch wheelbase, was 169 inches long, and sold for $380 in 1959. It was a longer, open version of the J-4 coupe.
J-3: Visually similar to the J-2 roadster, but shorter, and intended for a 98-inch wheelbase. The retail price was $400. These bodies were also used on a small number of racing cars in the '50s.
J-4 Grand Turismo: Kellison's first production kit, this handsome coupe had a 98-inch wheelbase and was sold in kit and turnkey form. The basic kits started at $365, and a completed car was $6,700 in 1960. This had a tubular steel frame and was powered by a Chevy 283ci V-8 with a four-speed transmission. In addition to a fully decked-out interior, it came with a three-piece set of fitted luggage. The J-4 body was also used on many road racers, dragsters, show cars, and Bonneville cars. A customized version of this body was used on a show car built by Frank Collingwood, which won the International Show Car Association Championship in 1966. Although normal production bodies had inner panels, firewalls and extra reinforcement, Kellison also made lightweight Competition Bodies with no inner structure. Hundreds (maybe thousands) of J-4 bodies were sold, and are the most common Kellisons found today.
J-5: A version of the J-4 with quad headlights and a 102-inch wheelbase that came out in the mid-'60s. The roof was raised 1-inch for more clearance, and the doors were extended. In 1966, the Hardcastle and Beattie racing team built a J-5-bodied dragster powered by a blown Hemi, which ran an impressive 10.02 quarter-mile at 143.85 mph.
J-6 Panther: Later versions of the J-4 with angular grille, a more pointed tail, trunk lid, higher roofline, and other detail differences. It could be easily attached to a '53-62 Corvette chassis.
K-2: A shorter roadster with an 86- to 88-inch wheelbase intended to fit smaller foreign sports car chassis like the Triumph TR-3 or VW. It looked like a smaller J-3.