Ben Mario’s ’47 Buick Convert

So I bought a few issues of Hot Rod Magazine on eBay recently and when they showed in the mail, the seller had included a bonus in the way of a February, 1950 issue of MotorTrend Magazine. The cover story was Ben Mario’s 1947 Buick – a car I had seen before and knew about, but had never really studied. I figured this was destiny and a quick story would be appropriate.

Ben Mario was a custom upholstery guy out of Los Angeles. Through the business, he became familiar with George Barris. One thing lead to another and Ben commissioned George to build him the ’47 Buick you see here. The profile starts with a ’48 Cadillac grille that has been sectioned 3″ and moved back 2″. This, of course, lead to the hood being shortened and reconfigured to match nicely with the new bright work. The rear fenders from a ’48 Cadillac Fleetwood were liberated as well and flow nicely into the full fade-away fronts. The package is capped off with front and rear Cadillac bumpers.

Once the top was chopped 2.5″, Gaylord Kustoms set to work in building one of their legendary tops to match the interior they did in “neutral gray” and white leather. The final touch was a highly polished “purple syphochromatic” paint job. Clean, subtle, and as it should be… Enjoy the work.

Editor’s Note: As in most cases when dealing with vintage customs, more images can be found on Rikster’s site.