Is it just me or the camera angle that makes the left tail light look tipped at an angle, while the right one is square with the world.
Nice find Ryan, but there's a goof in your prose about it. The fender pods? That's gennie Cadillac for 42, 46 and 47. Knowing the proportions and svelt styling offered on those 'war time' icons is the reason I advertised this one in our "cars for sale" pages: I see it nosed and decked, shave the emblems, add a 49 Buick Roadmaster decklid (a pure bolt-on), drop it a couple inches, done. Well, that and a new color but the Lotus cream it's in now isn't hateful either. Some cars "help you" on their own, huh? Note the "bustle" in the Roadmaster decklid. Gives the Caddy a sort of Continental look...
Now see... I thought that too... I even pulled up stock images to verify... But the R&C article mentions they were extended a bit. It also looks like the fender lip might be flared a bit?
I don't think the bumper is 100% level, check the way the fender lines meet the splash apron and the outer up-turn of the bumper. BUT, it might just be the angle of the pic.
Yes indeed the fender openings are both flared. Well, the skirt is flared out back that is, but I'd raise a right hand to the door pods being stock. As we speak (read?) the car I posted is just a few feet away from me. Note that there's not a lot of flat door skin left on this one and it's bone stock: Magazine writers used to embellish a bit now and then, and that was never a deal breaker for us. At the end of the day that's still a badass custom you shared here. Love these Caddys...
The Custom Shops back in the day delivered elegance repeatedly...these never go out of style...I wholeheartedly agree the work and mindset to do this is more than meets the eye... Just photoshopping a car into such a style is a challenge and I do think about the work in reality that would have to be undertaken to achieve the creation... It would be awesome to see the renderings of these classics before they were transformed in the shop. Thanks for sharing this beauty...
I like those Ford tail lights, but I like the big Caddy grill too. An Olds grill on a Cadillac seems like a step backwards to me. I like that Buick better than all of them. Maybe that's because my uncle had one when I was a kid.
George Barris' personal '42. Westergard Caddy...perhaps my favorite (just because). No mistake about these front fenders!
Being from Sacramento, I've always been fascinated the Customs Sacramento plaque on that car. There wasn't much info out there on the "club" or the plaques back when Cleatus and I were looking, so we went straight to the source. Dick Bertolucci said it wasn't a big thing, basically the Northern California response to Barris' Kustoms Los Angeles. The only other photo I've seen of one on a car was the Ed Rincon '51 Merc in one of the first Garage magazines, the Westergard issue I think. Supposedly Bertolucci has more pics in his scrapbooks, but we haven't been back to his house since. My buddy, Scott, has what we think is one of the original plaques he got from Rex Hutchison. Maybe it was Sestito's? If anyone has additional info on this topic, please post it or shoot me a PM.
Oh my, this issue of the sweet Cad custom opened the floodgates of pix of like rigs. That Lotus cream mild custom is so smoking hot, it hit my hot button of subtle color choices and let the magnificent styling take care of the impact. That black Buick is mind blowing also. Westergard's work is so amazing as well. Sam Barris's 42 is so wonderful, he also had such tasty looks. Thanx for all the great coverage of this custom coolness.
'lobo, the Lotus Cream car is bone stock except for the spotlights. The 49 Roadmaster is also stock except for the wire wheels, and I only posted the Buick to see the decklid profile. It bolts on the Cadillac and latches down into an identical opening shared by the 2 cars. The Caddy is swept and almost fastback, the Buick sports a bit of a bustle and makes a big custom difference when used on the 42-47 Caddy convertible. Oz Welch did a 46-7 conv and did a bustled decklid on it, seen here from Rikster's site: But yeah, as-is what's not to like. The General had their shit together in those days.
Ok, this and I'm done. Forgive the quality, it's a picture of a picture from Hemmings Classic Car mag, but I present for all interested a 49 Roadmaster decklid. See the difference?
is it possible they extended the fender AWAY from the body? almost looks like they brought the rear tip of the pods out, to straighten the line?
Love the "Panoramic" rear window. I'm always surprised it wasn't used on more padded tops. great custom overall. Torchie