The
TDX, why did I build it?
The
TDX, why did I build it?
In 1952, I was fascinated with the new material, fiberglass
reinforced plastic.
I decided to learn about it and make a body for a sports
car I had started building in 1951. The car was completed and entered in
a SCCA race in 1954. (No, I didn't drive
it.) It ran against some really great cars like Ferrari, Jaguar,
Allard, etc., and it was doing pretty well until it was flagged for throwing
water because of an overheating problem. It was in fifth place
when it had to pull off the course. Although that was the first and
last time the car ran in competition, the new fiberglass material so intrigued
me that I decided to go into the business.
After more than a decade of working with fiberglass in
projects for children's gasoline powered cars
and
parts for transit buses, I firmly believed that it could be used
for more than a body or shell for full sized vehicles. I designed
a fiberglass bus body structure that used no metal frame and was supported
only by the strength of the fiberglass reinforced plastic itself.
Unable to convince anyone that the design was feasible, I decided to prove
it by building a car for myself using the concept. I included
several of my inventions in the vehicle so I could not only prove the structural
concept, but also show some of my other ideas for auto performance and
safety.
I called my car the TDX. Why call it the TDX?
Pretty simple. The " X " was in common use for experimental cars.
And since it was good enough for Mercedes to use the name of the car makers
daughter, Mercedes, I used my daughters nick name, "Teedee"
By 1968 the TDX had already been on the road for about
five hundred miles and was still as strong as ever, structurally and in
performance. Motor
Trend decided to include it in an article they did about plastic
cars. At that time, the TDX was Americas first V8 powered, full size
plastic chassis / body monocoque passenger car. Today, reinforced
plastic materials are used in structural applications for everything from
race cars to aircraft.