The Guanci SJJ
Note: This piece is a work in progress
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The man behind the Guanci SJJ was John Guanci, a Chicago businessman and certified Car Guy. When in the mid-1970s Guanci surveyed the landscape of high performance sports cars, he decided that America could do a lot better. Even though the 3rd generation Chevrolet Corvette was now 8 years old, a new mid-engined, rotary-powered Vette had just been shelved. There was no replacement in the pipeline. The title of America’s Sports Car looked to be up for grabs.
By the mid-70s, the Corvette was getting a bit long in the tooth (www.FastLaneClassicCar.com)
Guanci was far from the only car enthusiast in the late 1970s to express that opinion. The difference was that John put his money where his mouth was, and he gave us the Guanci SJJ.
America’s newest sportscar: The Guanci SJJ
Work began on the mid-engined supercar in early 1977. Mr. Guanci was a car guy to the core, but he had no experience designing or building cars. What he and a couple of equally well-heeled partners did have was money. Enough to hire the best. He got Can Am race car builder, Bob McKee, to build the SJJ’s monocoque aluminum chassis. The suspension and engineering work, which included nickel cadmium components and disc brakes at all 4 wheels, was done by Dick Kleber, who would later bring his talents to the legendary Vector supercar. The near perfectly proportioned fiberglass body was penned by former Chrysler designer. Mike Williams. Alessandro de Tomaso, of Pantera and Mangusta fame, was also listed as a consultant, though for what purpose it is not clear. Owners of Panteras and Mangustas looking to trade up certainly hoped it wasn’t on the SJJ’s cooling system.
There was at least one element of the Corvette that was deemed adequate. Power would come from the Corvette’s optional 270hp L82 V8. It was mounted amidships - where supercar engines are meant to be (It would take GM four more decades to figure that out)
By the way, while the SJJ moniker came from the initials of his wife, Susan and young son John Joseph. That it also evoked the image of America’s greatest sports car, the Duesenberg SSJ, was a nice bonus.
Duesenberg SSJ Roadster
The first two Guanci’s were completed in time for the 1979 Chicago Auto Show. Spectators were enthralled. As was the motoring press, who gave it generous coverage. Excellence comes at a cost, however. The asking price for the SJJ was $54,000 – five times that of a Corvette! No worries. With sales limited to just 50 cars per year, the Guanci would be a thousand times more exclusive.
Unfortunately, the Chicago show proved to be the Guanci’s high water mark. Not long after, one of Mr. Guanci’s partners suddenly died, putting a big dent in the effort’s finances. Then nation was hit with the Iranian oil embargo, causing gas prices to soar. No new investors could be persuaded to back a V-8 supercar as the nation was skidding into yet another malaise-era recession. Only the two L82-powered cars shown in Chicago were built. One was purchased on the spot at the show by a rich and enraptured visitor. The other remains in the hands of John Guanci.
An attempt to resurrect the mid-engined GT was made a few years later. A third prototype was produced using Buick’s 185hp turbo V6. The price would be an even more eye-popping $63,000, with annual production limited to just 15 cars. No backers could be found, and the Guanci was no more.
Copyright@2020 by Mal Pearson
Sources
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