Next in this "Spotlight" post I would like to do the cars built by George Cerny's custom shop. Not much has been written about George Cerny and the customs he has built. His customs where always very elegant, well built and designed. I have collected all the photo's I could find about the customs he created. Hope you will enjoy them. If somebody has more information or more customs he created please post. One of the best known George Cerny creations is the Buster Litton '49 Ford HT. The custom was also known as the "Panoramic Ford". Cerny did not created this cracefull custom alone. In fact thee project was brought to him in a later stage. First the car was chopped by the Barris brothers. Looking at the extremely flowing roof lines I think Sam Barris must have been working on this. Hard-topped. After it was chopped Litton drove it to Cerny who added his trademark Olds rear fenders ('51 units in this case) and '51 Studebaker front fenders with stock Studebaker(chrome) headlight bezels)and '49 Ford bumper up front. At the rear the 51 Olds taillights where not frenshed adn the chrome trim pieces ad nice detail. The side trims looks to be 50-51 Buick, and the fenderskirt a cut down 50-51 Mercury which complements the front wheel opening flare. The flow of the top is extremely nice Side profile shows simple lines. The Studebaker front fender give it anice speed boat look. Hubcaps are 53 Caddy Sombrero's Chevy grille in custom opening Interior was rather wild on this custom. Wonderful tuck&roll with rather wide rolls. Headliner was also done in the same style. Not sure if this is Buster in this photo or not... most likely it is.
Detail photo shows how the top portion of the doors where welded to the body and where cut at the botom corner. In this photo it shows the car with the side windows in place. Cars where getting ready to head to a custom car show. Behind the Litton car is the Barris built Chuck deWitt Ford, next to it the Louie Bettancourt '49 Merc originally built by Ayala and redone by Barris. I always loved this low angle photo.
Second car is the '49 Chevy George built for and together with his brother Carl. Olds grille up front and the two piecee windshield was also replaced by and Olds single piece windshield. Wonderfull flowing chop with slightly angled foreward B-pillars Trademarkt Oldsmobile taillights ('50) and Olds bumper where modified to fit the rear. Paint on this beauty was a really dark Mettalis maroon Very stylish interior
A rather mild custom by Cerny was this unusual (for a custom) '51 Kaiser built for Dave Chavis. Mild body dechroming, frenched headlights and unique exhaust pipes. Detail photo of the exhaust pipes folowing the rear wheel opening just above and paralel to the side trim. Wonderful simple grille (Kaiser unit) and frenched headlights.
Another mild custom was this '51 Oldsmobile for Johnnie Luna. The most extensive modification on thi car where the Packard taillights. George at work on the rear fenders.
Another Cerny car that was shown a bit more in the magazines and books is his own '50 Plymouth Station wagon custom. Again a rather unusual car to start with, but George tallents made him create another wonderful custom out of it. Chopped top, frenshed headlights. '53 and '54 Chevy parts wher used for the grille (later replaced) and strange chose but beautifull '36 Dodge taillights. The top was chopped 3 inch in the front and 4 in th back. rear window post where leaned forward. Rounded corners on the doors. Peacked headlights Later the car was redone with added side trim, Pontiac grille, different headlights and hubcaps.
Any Rikster thread on customs deserves at least 10 stars. The building behind the '49 Chev is the old Angeles Abbey in Compton. It still stands, although it's now behind a cyclone fence and covered in grafitti. Countless So cali customs were photographed there in the fifties and sixties. I was very disappointed not to be able to get a shot of my last car there. Thanx, Rikster, you're my new hero. cp
Look at those wonderfull taillights. The dip in the rear trim is a very nice tough as well. Geroge Cerny taking a look at his very healthy engine. But I think I like the original version just slightly better.. here is one more picture. Last car I have so far is this 47 Studebaker convertible with Caddy grille. I'am not a 100% sure if George Cerny did this car. It is listed as beeing built by a George Arny, but all other information indicated it was built by Carny. (So I assumed this was a typo)
Way to go, Rikster. Allways been a fan of that little wagon. I understand it was used for hauling newspapers in the weekdays and for racing in the weekends? The paintjob was yellow with purple flames on it.
Buster Litton's "Panoramic Ford" is one of my all time favorite customs. Everything on that car looks right to me. Thanks for continuing to bring all of us an incredible look into the history of customs. I don't think that I could ever thank you(Rikster), theFrenZ and all of the others enough. To those who have contributed to a collection of photos and information on the custom car that will probably never be topped........................... THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Chris
Great post.......someone should sneak your post's into the "Art show" archive after a while, so that people will not have to dig for them.........pure art. Chris Nelson Kansas Oh yea, I like the background shot of the lakes. I think that is the Kenz lakester.
I just love the Stude fenders on the Litton shoebox. (same with Keith Weesner's) If I ever build a box, for sure there will be a Studebaker somewhere that is missing it's fenders. Cerney is one builder that was completely under my (weak) radar - I'd sometimes heard the name before, but was largely unaware of his creations. Thanks for bringing more attention for this guy - his work is right up there with the greatest - tastefull part combinations - pure, simple, flowing beauty!
Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't he also the first person to use tinted primer? He may have been the one who invented it. This is an excellent post Rikster. Thanks.
Bravo, Rikster, and thanks. I think this recognition is well deserved. A few observations about the Litton car: - I took a poll here on the HAMB two or three years ago, asking what was everyone's all-time favorite Barris custom. After a little jockying with the Hirohata and Metranga Mercs, the Litton Ford won! - Until this thread, I had never seen a picture of the car with the quarter windows installed. It occurred to me that it was nearly always shown/photographed with them out, and that having them out -- together with the chrome edge detail of the windows -- may be among the reasons it's among the very best hardtopped roofs of all customs. - It may go without saying, but it's remarkable how well the Studebaker and Oldsmobile fender parts integrate with the shoebox' lines, and don't have a Frankenstein look to them. About Carl's Chevrolet: What a tasty piece! I think this car, which is not historically well-known, illustrates how the best of the early customizers did really elegant and restrained cars, that didn't need graphics or lakes pipes or other trinkets to complete the look. About George: As someone mentioned, he was a serious racer too! He ran (usually) Cad-powered cars at the drags and the lakes, including a Cad-powered Olds and his later Cad-powered Plymouth. I recently found a picture of a hiboy Deuce Tudor that George had built and raced (sorry, I can't scan it).
Cerny was one of the greats! I have actually had the pleasure of knowing his son Larry. I haven't seen him in a few years, however last time is aw him he was painting cars out of the back of a shop in Costa Mesa. A talented painter as well. FONZI
Rikster, your knowledge of the old customs and their builders absolutely floors me. I've been around a long time and much of that was, is, spent drooling over the old customs. I just am awed by your knowledge. Absolutely, you are the MAN when it comes to customs and their builders. Thank you, thank you thank you. Please, keep sending in these history lessons for all us custom lovers.
Come to think of it. Many so-cal Hambers may have seen George's son a few years back and never knew it. He had a body shop directly accross the alley from Goodies in Orange. The old Kustom shop on Batavia. FONZI
Great post Rikster. Thanks for sharing. Cerny is definitely one of the greats. Is that a Chevy V8 powering his wagon? How untraditional..
I like the second version of the 'burban. Wasn't the a difference in the b pillar from one side to another? I remember reading about that somewhere, I think it was R&C. One was slanted and the other was straight up and down. Thanks for the great post rikster, I enjoy them. later shawn
Here is one more photo of the Carl Cerny Chevy, a bit brighter this time, so its wonderful simple lines can be enjoyed some more. And the front of Luna's 51 Oldsmobile with Pontiac grille.
I just found these color photo's of the Cerny station wagon. These where on the cover of an '56 Car Craft magazine. I'am not sure how accurate the colors are though. But these are the only color photo's I have seen of this custom.
The Jalopy Journal
