UGLY on Steriods - 1950s Custom on evilbay

The Taditional nazis that exist today are pathetic. Apparently model A's and frame laying copy cat Mercs are the only thing that is considered trational. If you really want to "Dare" to be different in this age, you can build a shoebox or a 53 Chevy like every other "rougue" out there. I'm not saying that theres anything wrong with 53's, shoeboxes, mercs and A's but people need to stop copying what they see on discovery channel and build interesting enough to actually look at.

 

^It isn't who did it first, but who did it best. But fame and media celebrity are blind to outstanding design and craftsmanship... ask Snooky or the folks who do reality TV. Gary

 

I'd own that in a heartbeat and I would drive the shit outta it.

 

Well, it was innovative. It has historical significance. A lot of talent and craftsmanship went into creating it. In 1959 it must have been pretty cutting edge. I appreciate all those things. In fact, I would like to check it out in person.

But, I still think it's ugly as hell. That's just my opinion...and I don't have to like it just cause it was built in the 50's. I think the front end styling is incongruent with the rest of the car. Oh well, there are a lot of production cars that I think were butt ugly too.

I'm not into laying frame or 4" whitewalls.

 

not my cup of tea, teets up for creativity.

 

There are still threads on customs here.

 

Nope...cant even drink that thing pretty
if beauty is in the eye of the beholder,, than that beholder needs to see an optometrist

 

i don't like it,but hey, thats just me.........

 

The fact that it was built "back in the day" doesn't automatically make it cool. Guys have been building train wrecks since day one. Personally I think it's a disaster.

 

Ford built the Edsel in '59. Wilhelm built this. Which one got better press? I don't care for the windshield and don't like the spoke wheels but it is way cooler than anything I've built. It was built 53 years ago. Appreciate it for what it was.

 

If this aint cool then what is???
I think its bad ass!
And it looks evil to,i would drive it all day long

 

First things first, Joe WIlhelm was a first class craftsman.
I feel this was another attempt by customizers to answer the challenge of the El Matador, built by Bill Cushenbery.
Barris had the Crespo coupe and Joe Wilhelm had this. It was sorta the forerunner of the Ridler award, when the top builders went for the prize.
Every time one of these old customs come up, we get a flood of Fugly comments and references to drug use which is insulting to the builder. From what I know, Joe Wilhelm was a stand up guy. Stick to the facts.
Many opinions against the style but it still needs to be in a hot rod type museum so we can record the true history of the hobby. My Opinion.

 

I would love to own that car...

I like it.

Its not the prettiest thing that was ever built but its not nearly as bad as the Batmobile, the Moden Gracian, Ala Kart, the '57 AMBR winner, etc...

 

Yep, and I'm pretty sure that out in one of the hundred or so boxes of magazines I have stashed in the sheds that there is at least one with that car on the cover.

Not great looking by todays standards but built in the era of when you looked at the custom car show judging sheet and built a car to score points and that car has all the modifications that would have added points at the time.
As John said, it's a history lesson and a good lesson in why More isn't always good when it comes to customizing. Take a look at any of our favorite customs and you will see that while they have several modifications a high degree of restraint was also used in the build. The Sam Barris Merc is the best example of that. The best looking car in the show didn't always win the show.

 

Wilhelm was quite a builder... as famous as Troy Ladd or Foose is today.

You youngsters have to remember that many old customs were simple excesses in design... these guys were trying to out design the stuff Detroit was building but on 30-40 year old platforms. Most guys didn't have the benefit of looking back 50 years for the best looking cars and then COPYING THEM... they were ground breaking designs in the day.

While most of us on this board love the best the old school builders have to offer, you still have to admire the talent guys like Wilhelm had... building cars with gas torches, lead filler and a body hammer. Most never saw a mig/tig welder, planishing hammer, english wheel or ANY of the body shaping tools we have today. They cut steel with a tin snips NOT a 4" grinder or a shear... their body grinders weighed 40lbs... no DA's... no board file (except manual)...

Sure... many designs may have missed the mark but we only see that coming from today's perspective.

These guys were pioneers... you should only sneer at these cars if you have done better. All you styling experts with a Crystal ball need to go buy a '78 Pinto, 20 lbs of lead and an arc welder and have at it...

 

I didn't read any of the posts following the first few but I think version with the wheel covers looks neat. I think the builder took the front and rear windshield a little too far and that's what's throwing the proportions off.

I'd cruise this thing, for sure.

 

Our history, the history of Hot Rods and Customs would not be complete without a couple of dead ends, styling wise.

And there are some that deserved to be dead ends, but were the start of a fad or style instead.

This is an important car for its place in history.

But that is not the only reason I like it...

 

I think it a little much, but I do like and appreciate it. I think it will buff out! I think its funny here lately. One guy sez it sucks and then everone follows, then Someone has the balls to voice their honest opinion and then everyone follows. come on guys dont be afraid to tell us what YOU think.

 

Very well said.

 

I'm glad John Denich jumped in when he did, 'cause otherwise I was going to blast a bunch of "traditional" guys that don't pwn a magazine collection... Is it ugly? Ya, that would be my vote. Is it significant? HELL YES! It was all over the magazines in the late fifties and early sixties. Would I be proud of it if it was mine? Absolutely 100% YES! 'Course, I would always be looking for the right caretaker beyond myself that would love it to it's fullest. History isn't always pretty, but it is the one rock solid thing that we can say is never changing. It's very much a part of that.

 

I like it, its badass. I'd drive it just to see the weird looks I'd get.

 

I dig it.

 

History, yes, and some hard work for sure. Remindes me of when you were a kid and you pulled your mouth and eyes in different directions with your fngers making a face

 

I like it mostly because it brings back memories of that era and the cars I tried to emulate in my teenage years through model cars. Lots of talent and imagination went into it's construction. Yea it has a certain ugliness to it but it's pretty representative of the time and you are not going to see many others at your local car show.

 

Ugly is ugly no matter how you try to gloss over it saying that it is history or thats how they built them.

All that does not change the fact that some people never became automotive designers for a reason.

 

You, as well as many others on here should know your American Hot Rod and Custom Car history a bit better before you comment!

 

The history part is not debatable.

It has its place in automotive history, and it has earned it.


And whether or not its ugly or not is a matter of personal taste, so that is kinda useless too...

 

Not the prettiest but I'd drive it all day long... and be smiling from ear to ear all the while.

 

That would be one long ride.