This Lost American Supercar Tried to Replace the Corvette in the 70s

When thinking about American sports cars the Chevrolet Corvette is the first name that comes to mind. Its place of pride in the U.S. market has held steady for decades seemingly uninterrupted. There have been stages in history though when the Corvette's cultural power wasn't so strong with other cars threatening to steal its throne. In the mid-70s as the Corvette struggled to find its place in a changing automotive landscape amid new environmental regulations one man attempted to create something that would take its place: the Guanci SJJ, an experimental prototype dreamed up by a businessman with no automotive experience.

The SJJ didn't make it to production and of course never ended up taking the Corvette's place. The few cars built were consigned to the archives of automotive history and today even hardcore enthusiasts are unlikely to know it exists. Let's explore the unique history of this lost sports car.

Meet the Guanci SJJ

Guanci SJJ was built in 1979 and unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show the same year. Brainchild of Chicago-based businessman John Guanci who had no previous experience building cars but recruited a team of experienced designers and engineers to make his dream happen. Goal was to create a car that merged American power and dependability with the aesthetic design and driving characteristics of European cars.

Newly-assembled team at Guanci included race car constructor Bob McKee, automotive designer Mike Williams who'd previously worked with Chrysler, and fiberglass expert Steve Norcross. Thanks to Guanci's investment the team quickly began work on a prototype. Williams created a design inspired by iconic European sports cars which Norcross translated into reality through fiberglass molds.

McKee meanwhile took care of the mechanical aspect making sure the new creation was as fast and reliable as it was good-looking. Alessandro de Tomaso famous for founding the brand that brought us the Pantera and Mangusta was also recruited in an unspecified consultant role.

Team worked around the clock to have a car ready in time for the Auto Show. In the end two cars were able to be presented. When it came to choosing a name Guanci combined his family's initials, his wife Susan and children John and Joseph, naming the car the SJJ. This also had the incidental effect of evoking the name of another iconic American sports car from the past: the Duesenberg SSJ made famous by Hollywood actors Gary Cooper and Clark Gable.

But despite enjoying good popularity with show-goers the cars had an eye-watering price tag of $54,000, nearly $250,000 in today's money. This made even deep-pocketed prospective buyers skeptical since Guanci had no established reputation in the industry. The two prototypes presented in Chicago plus a third car built in 1982 would remain the only Guanci SJJs in existence.

The Design and Components

Team at Guanci may have designed the SJJ to beat the Corvette at its own game but it did borrow its engine. More specifically the optional 5.7-liter L82 V8 unit available in the third-gen 'Vette. This engine produced 250 horses and was installed in the first two SJJ prototypes. For the third car Guanci struggled to source another L82 engine and opted for a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 sourced from a Buick Riviera instead.

Not a lot of in-depth info available about the mechanical aspect of the SJJ but we know it had fully independent suspension with custom shocks. Aside from the L82 engine it also borrowed a handful of other components from the Corvette like front uprights and brakes. It was however designed entirely from scratch despite rumors stating it was based on other models like the De Tomaso Pantera. SJJ did take visual inspiration from several models of the era but wasn't fully based on any of them specifically.

What Happened to the Guanci SJJ?

Shortly after the Chicago Auto Show the sudden death of one of John Guanci's business partners shocked the small company's finances putting it in an even more precarious position. At the same time the American automotive industry struggled to find its feet among difficult economic circumstances and no backers could be found for a V8-powered supercar that cost five times as much as a Corvette. Company's last manufacturing effort would be the third SJJ prototype completed three years after the first two.

One of the two prototypes exhibited in Chicago was bought on the spot by what would remain the company's only customer, an unnamed visitor to the show. Other two remained with the Guanci family for decades. The V6-powered car was sold at auction in January this year for $27,285. The Buick engine however had been swapped out for an Oldsmobile L47 V8 unit which powered the Oldsmobile Aurora and also produced 250 horses.

How the Guanci SJJ Came to Be

America's Sports Car Landscape of the Mid-1970s

Time period when the Guanci SJJ emerged was defined by the American automotive industry as the "Malaise Era." Between the early 70s and mid 80s the industry was at a crossroads adapting to new constraints regarding safety and environmental impact. Corvette which up until the early 70s had proudly held the title of America's Sports Car was going through a difficult period. Model's third generation the C3 was nearly a decade old and new stringent emissions regulations had lowered power outputs. A mid-engined rotary-powered version was rumored to be in the works for a while but nothing eventually came of it. Would be another four decades before a mid-engined Corvette would make an appearance.

As both car enthusiasts and industry executives began to wonder what would fill the Corvette-shaped hole left in the market one man stepped up to the challenge. He hadn't sold or even built a single car before but didn't see this as an obstacle in the slightest.

John Guanci and the Development

Man responsible for the SJJ's creation John Guanci didn't have any previous experience building or selling cars at all. Businessman from the Chicago area whose company at the time specialized in building industrial furnaces, Guanci first developed an interest in cars during a passenger ride in a friend's Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. After buying one of his own he began to explore European cars with his next purchase: a Lotus Elite.

He set out to merge the American and European automotive worlds setting up a brand-new business in Woodstock, Illinois: Guanci Automobiles Inc. Of course the story of Guanci Automobiles didn't evolve as planned with the company folding shortly after the three cars were built. Guanci SJJ however still remains a testament to entrepreneurial spirit and automotive innovation. In this way it's carved itself a place in American automotive history however small.