http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/11_...ola-restored-car/elcapitola12johnboucher.html http://customrodder.forumactif.org/t2870-1957-chevrolet-el-capitola-sam-george-barris Artwork by Hamber @GaryC. This car is a beauty...I really liked this one on the wild side of my selection.
Hard pick. Right when customs were diverging from "kustoms" to mild customs and wild show customs....just before the whole thing died out. El Capitola is the nearly the end of "kustoms"....a step beyond the Aztec, but still tasteful and many would say Sam's masterpiece as his last work. The Predicta as one of the beginnings of the pure custom show cars and before they went nuts. All the Watson painted mild customs, which in the end, really were the style of customs by 1960 in my opinion. I ended up picking El Capitola (#8) just because at the end of the day, I think it was one of the last "kustoms" as the whole custom car world changed direction.
Voted for #26. It had the least amount of crap stuck to it. I cringe to think of what would have shown up back then if they had today's adhesives. Besides, #26 is a homeboy.
I think one of the most remarkable things about this car, that often gets over looked when just looking at pictures, is the fact that the metal work under all the fuchsia areas stands proud of any of the white areas. So for instance the inner white section of the roof has all been hammer welded back in 1/2" lower than the surrounding Fuchsia coloured areas. Crazy amount of work involved.
I'm going with #11, Watson's T-Bird. I've had several intense discussions with the mods here on the fact that taking a brand new car off the showroom floor and into the shop in the late fifties was "traditional". Now we get into semantics; was taking a brand new car into the shop traditional then but frowned upon today because of the 1965 cutoff?
It will be interesting to see how current voting will compare to the ones cast in 1960. The lack of color kind of leveled out the voting in my mind. If they were all colored photos, it may change our results and the folks that were seeing these cars, were seeing them in color in 1960. So let’s see . What does surprise me is out of 30 cars shown, some have 0 tallies. That says to me that we,as a group, see these cars thru a similar lens, maybe color is not our prime consideration, maybe we’re looking at style, flow, fit, finish and creative workmanship. And in the end isn’t that what the great customizers achieved? Just something to think about. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I'm not a radical 50's custom guy, so I will go with #9. I love the look of American iron the way it was born. Unless you are talking about 29-34 Fords then chopped is best.
In 1960, #7 was a game changer. I like a game changer. Ruffles the feathers and gets 'em to steppin & fetchin'. Then again, I'm an admitted sucker for a bubbletop...
I'm intentionally writing this without reading the comments that came before. Recognizing that this is entirely subjective... Wow. I thought the 70's were a decade to be forgotten! These make me think the 60's (or at least 1960, or the 50's cars they were based on) should be wiped from our memories. Hideous! The best of the lot is a fairly easy pick for me I think - I'd take #15, the '56 Vette (and I'm not even a Corvette guy). Choosing the most hideous of the bunch is much more challenging - too much competition. Having said that, I'd pick the #30, the '57 Ford for that award. I'm also shaken by the Thunderbirds - I've always thought of the early T-Birds as one of the nicest american designs ever, to this day. Not my style of custom, at all... Thanks, Ryan. Great post though. Can't wait for the follow-ups...
I cast my vote for #21. I have always thought of Sam and George Barris as being like two sides of a coin. George was the showman and he also had a vision that was far and above simple customizing. While it may not appear to be wild today, this Studebaker has some radical modifications done to it that are worth studying if you are interested in the extreme alteration of original sheet metal. I feel that the only reason why it is not a hardtop had to do with the customer. There is nothing about the results not to like, because of how far his shop pushed the envelope. Look at as more of a benchmark for what is possible, when you realize that it began life as a Nineteen-Forty Eight Studebaker. I love it!!!!
As quoted from The Beatles White Album, “Revolution 9” Number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9
I picked #15 because I liked it best but I have to remember what the OEMs were pumping out in 1960.....ugly cars! With that in mind I suppose #8 El Capitola or another horrid gook wagon won custom of the year. Bad times for car design in my opinion. In '60 my next door neighbors were rich enough to buy a new car and I [12 years old] was invited to go car shopping with them. We test drove wagons...first a ford, a Plymouth and they finally settled on a 60 Chevy Brookwood wagon. I thought I was gonna die of boredom. Yawn.
Anybody know when we compare our results with those of the 60’s? The suspense is killin me Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Customs aren’t for everyone... mild-semi custom- radical, there’s something for everybody if....and it’s a big if...you like the art of customization. I like a well built Hot Rod, well built, Safe, and thought out. Most of the Hot Rod shows that I attended were boring, after an hour or two, not because the cars went well built, but because there wasn’t a lot of variation. Jus my op. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
One of Detroit’s factory customs. Beautiful bone stock, Then a youngster by the name of Larry Watson showed Detroit what could be. Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
Man I’m glad they didn’t title that song Revolution #973644326774469. Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
This was the car that got me into customs in the early 60’s My uncle was taking my older brother and I to Paulsen Salon for hair a cut. All the rage in the East Bay. While driving through Hayward I spotted this radical Vette and that’s what got me hooked for life. My dad was racing sports cars and a few of his friends had Vette race cars but this one was very special. Still my favorite custom ever. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Jalopy Journal
