Introduction

The author at the wheel of a 2018 Acura NSX

My name is John Mellberg, let me tell you a little bit about my background. 

By trade, I am a Software Developer with more than 25 years in the field. I have also been a lifelong Car Fanatic, Artist, Writer, Musician, and amateur Kit Car Historian.

The roots of my interest in cars begin in the city of my birth, Detroit Michigan. My father was a Car Designer, working at the GM Tech Center under the great Bill Mitchell. His career spanned from 1968 to 1972, starting at Chevrolet Advanced Design Studio, then Cadillac, and ultimately Pontiac. He too was a car guy, as one might expect. He always owned Pontiac muscle cars or sportscars, GTO's, Trans Am's, even a Fiero. So, I grew up steeped in that world. It's in my blood.

Another major influence on my obsession with the automobile was our family friend Bob Shaw, who was an entrepreneur, car collector, and noted expert on pre-war Bugatti's. One of the most formative experiences in my life was when I was maybe 8 years old. Bob came by our family home with the original Alpine Renault A310 prototype, which he'd purchased right off the Geneva Auto Salon's show floor. Getting a ride in it and going over every detail was life changing. 

He also created a beautiful Ferrari Testa Rossa replica, through his company VIP, called the TR350. He also commissioned his own "Special", based on the Brooks Stevens designed Studebaker Hawk GT racecar. His car collection was enviable by any standard. He owned a Cisitalia, a number of Bugatti's, 2 Alpine Renaults, a Saab Sonnet, and one of a handful of street prepared Ford GT40 homologation cars. The man is a hero. Bob regularly provided me with UK Kit Car publications from publishers like Peter Filby when I was an 80's teenager. He too enjoyed Kit Cars, especially "frumpy" English ones! Having those would help later...

From an early age, I have followed all things automotive. Whether it was European exotics, Japanese Domestic Market cars, obscure specialty and tuner cars, and of course component cars. It probably helped that I grew up with access to my father's unmatched library as a resource. It included a full set of Automobile Quarterly hardbound editions, Kodansha's Car Styling, and most of the major car magazines. For obvious reasons I had a deep love of design, so that has always been a part of my passion for the automobile.

After an ill-fated attempt to follow in my father's footsteps by going to art school, and a stint as a singer/songwriter in a Punk band, I became interested in the emergence of the internet. I decided to obtain the necessary hardware and learn Graphics software and HTML. I had two goals, to share my sci-fi and automotive artwork in an online gallery, and to publish an e-zine on the subject of kit cars. As it turned out, I had a talent for it. 

Such was the birth of "Rare Component Cars" (RCC) which, in its original form, was a bi-monthly online publication that ultimately consisted of 3 separate websites. I had a US edition, one for the UK, and an archive for storing content from past "issues". My focus was on kits that were original designs, ranging from dune bugs to 3-wheelers, to aspirational exotics from a historic perspective and anything I liked old or new. 

The e-zine was published from 1996 until 2000 and became widely known. I never made money from it though, that wasn't really my goal. I wanted to share my knowledge and interests, meet likeminded people, and just have fun. In that way, it was very successful. I had online friends and contributors from all over the world helping me with my research. One of my 3 sites, the content archive, was even hosted by the late Shannon Larratt of priceofhistoys.com. 

While it wasn't lucrative, it did enjoy some accolades, including a nod from well known automotive journalist Harold pace who mentioned RCC in his Petersen's Kit Car monthly column. It was linked reciprocally to most of the other kit sites on the net at the time and well regarded because of the unique content it had. It was a labor of love and it helped sharpen skills that would lead to my professional career.

RCC Mission Statement

Rare Component Cars is devoted to specialty cars, kit cars, replicas, home builds, and fiberglass "Specials" throughout history. It focuses on the rare and unusual from the beginnings of fiberglass cars, in the 1950's, up to the present day, covering makes from all over the world with an emphasis on "original" designs. The overarching goal of this publication is to catalog and preserve the rich history of independently produced automobiles.