CMC 2 the return of a missing manufacturer

I read someone out of Minnesota bought everything and is going to start back up? I didn't think anyone would want the name....is it just me or did they not really have that good of a name?

FiberFab perhaps? I think they were CMC cum-Minnesota... I don't know, it looks like a pretty rough way to try to make a living to me!

CMC had a big reputation for shysterism. If you expressed interest in their products they would hound you on the phone and by mail until you bought something, then would hound you even more with "incentives" until you made your final payment, whereupon you woldn't hear ANYTHING from them unless you called them (repeatedly).

After you hounded them for a few months, they would finally ship your product - the only catch was that they only shipped, say, 75% of what you ordered and then wouldn't return your calls or letters. Kurt Scott of Kit Car Magazine wrote a lot about them, mostly to warn people away from them. Eventually, they went into receivership, although due to numerous federal lawsuits against them on the part of unhappy buyers they ended up in court and had to make good on the unshipped parts they owed everyone (which is truly amazing for a Florida company with the really lax business laws down there at the time). I don't know if everyone got everything they ordered or not (probably not!)

I had heard that most of the principles had quickly started up another company using the same molds and basic pieces from CMC (and business systems) and find it interesting that the ad copy (including some pictures) that CMC used to use was used by "Street Beasts" - I wonder if there is a connection there??????? CMC was down near Miami and I thought Street Beasts was up North somewhere. Fiberfab (an earlier incarnation of CMC) was up in North Dakota, or somewhere like that, and shared pretty much everything with CMC - molds, pieces and business systems.

Gordon

It is hard to figure out who is who sometimes when the name changes are probably intentional .....I read my information in Kitcar magazine the nov.-december issue and I think they were calling it something like classic motor 2.....but it is definitely the comany that was in North Dakota that the article was referring to.....just thought it was interesting

Here's the deal ....

Fiberfab was originally founded in England then was relocated to N.Dakota....
CMC decided to buy out FiberFab,the competition ...
All went well for a while in Fla until they got too big for their britches with too much many models of different kit cars being manufactured under the same roof. Thus they had to eventually rob Peter to pay Paul, also had problems with subcontractor/vendors thus the less than complete shipment of kits. Eventually after hundreds of complaints from unhappy buyers, the Florida Attorney General shut them down.

Street Beasts was started up by couple of the former cronies from CMC
they did show good faith by creating a spin off comapany " Innovative Street Machines" suppling the shorted customers with the necessary b/o components and up to complete kits at no charge . I was one of them that was able to get the items at n/c. Street Beasts seems to have straightened their act as they are a successful company to date .

As far as someone restarting up CMC I have not heard of this

Look in Kit Car Builders December issue. There's an article about Street Beast/Innovative Machines/CMC. Also, a nice shot of Jerome Smith's finished flared speedster on the back cover.

Yeah, it was either that or go to the slammer for mail and wire fraud.
gn

Hey!
Reading this thread made me go back through my 4 inches of Classic paperwork (no kidding, there) and I found that the company that shipped me all of my missing stuff (after CMC went bankrupt) was "Auto Resolution, Ltd". Interestingly, from my paperwork it seems that, while they sent most, but not all, of my missing parts, all of it was shipped COD!!

There were also a number of names they went under during that period: CMC/Fiberfab, Classic Auto Replicars, Champion Auto Works and Auto Resolution, all at the same address in Florida. Most of what they shipped was of the cheapest quality you can imagine (like sending a set of primered Nerf bars and a plain metal (no primer) roll bar when I ordered Chromed ones) but at least I got almost everything. Still, it took over four years of wrangling to finish.

gn

Alan,
Your right on, but actually they didn't create Auto Resolution, Ltd out of good faith. They were required to, by the Florida State Attorney General.
-=theron

Theron

I stand corrected and you are right ........ thanks !

FiberFab was a Minneapolis Minn based company and CMC was Fla. based when I delt with them in

Now for the ultimate trivia question.....where did Fiberfab start from?

I found this site today: www.fiberfab.us Interesting. Comments say
"Limited Production to occur at our US Facility! LATE 2003".

for you FF people check out this link and below i posted info answering the trivia question, (following answer from this web site)

www.geocities.com/fiberfabcars/



HISTORY OF FIBERFAB:
The text is from an official Fiberfab brocure for dealers, so it should be pretty accurate.

1951-1957 Warren G. Goodwin manufactured replacement body panels, sun visors, cab enclosures, etc.
1957-1963 Designed and built severa1 models of kit cars, thereby founding the kit car Industry.
1964 Fiberfab, Inc. .formed and incorporated in California.
1964-1969 Deve1oped and marketed four djfferent mode1s to fit TR3, MGA, Austin Hea1ey, VW, and a frame to uti1ze v-8 components. Peak sales vo1ume approaching two (2) million dollars.
1969 September, founder passed away.
1969-1971 Fiberfab tied up In estate and almost went under.
1971-1974 Former Plant Manager and Eastern Distributor combined forces and salvaged key mo1ds, etc. , and started to turn the company around: ..
Nov. 1974 A.T.R. Inc. , a Pennsylvania corporation, acquired ownership of Flberfab.
Three new models have been introduced, bringing the line to 9 models with approxlmate1y 30 drfferent power plant. installation options.
Presently deveJopong other chassis appllcatjons as wel1 as working with severa1 organlzations deve1oping battery-powered e1ectrlc drive vehlc1es.

If you go to the Intermeccanica website and then go to company history they have a note in the 1976 area that Frank R. sold the speedster to his partner who later sold it to Classic Motor Carriage in Florida.

A few years later the Company Intermeccanica was formed in Vancouver.....

The history of IM gives some perspective on other beginnings?

Somebody was robbing Peter to pay Paul? I haven't received a dime!
Whazzzz up?
MM

Paul...You know the old saying ...."The checks in the mail!"

The only thing you get from robbing Peter to pay Paul is a sore Peter.:)

BD