Customs Lost custom found need help identifying

"dare to be different" " march to the beat of a different drummer "- yes, this is a very strange build - but, if you look back at some of the very strange cars built by some of the big name custom builders maybe not all that bizarre

 

I have to agree with this general observation. I thought I'd just take a second and clarify where I stand and what I said. Based on what I seen growing up this was not all that far off base for some builds. By comparison it's just fine and has it's own personal twist. The grill is very well done. I like the car for what it is though not my Cup of tea. What I don't get is $21,000.oo in 1951 spent on a $1,300.oo Car. So let's back up to 1950 when the average wage for a factory worker was $1.00 to $1.25 per hr. Just to buy that car would take your total pay check without Taxes for 32 weeks. To spend the cost of the build would be another 350 weeks of total pay checks. That's over 6.5 years of income and living on nothing or paying income tax's.
This all sounds Silly, don't ask me why I did it. Somebody check my Math, I gotta go to work.

 

The Henry J was not a unibody. It had a full frame and most of it boxed.

Jim

 

The rear window flips forward for the passengers, poor mans dual cowl pheaton

 

No joke! 21,000 1951 dollars adjusted for inflation is over $200K today. Had they invested it in an S&P 500 index fund, it would be worth $2.5M today.

 

I think most people would think this 1955 concept car is very odd by todays standards, unless they had seen it time and time again over the last half century.

 

Something tells me that it was a circus parade car, which would perfectly explain it ending up in Florida.

 

I agree with Surfcityrocker that it reminds me very much of the Fiat Jolly. Perhaps $21K was spent tooling up to produce a fleet of these to be used at resorts in Florida or something like that.

Restored original Fiat Jollys bring some pretty impressive coin.

I'd like to see some better pictures of it, stand back and capture the whole car at a 3/4 front and rear view, and a full side and full front pic where the whole car is in frame. I'm curious to know what it actually looks like.

 

It’s strange looking, I would not go as far as calling it ugly.
Wayyyyyy uglier stuff was built back then by the “big names” in the industry.

To me it kind of has a European flair to the styling.

From the pics it looks like all top notch work.

Would love to know the history on it. Who,what,where,how .


Cool. Hope you figure it out and keep us posted.

 

Sometimes "just because I can" doesn't always mean "I should".

 

I'm in the crowd that likes it. But then I like all the weird cars, the dare to be different group or the lone wolf ones. I'm tired of seeing the same thing over and over again at the shows that you see driving daily on the streets. If this was at a show, it would attract my attention.

I even like the back glass idea too. Flip it back and you got easy back seat entrance and you swing it forward once seated to avoid getting hit by bugs or just the wind in travel and when you get to your location flip it back over for easy departure without doing the contortionist limbo under it.

The $21,000 price doesn't sound right though for back then.

As someone else mentioned above before I even saw the text it also reminded me of a jolly but then I just saw a jolly on tv(chasing cars) not long ago so it was already possibly put into my little mind recently.

 

we must also remember that even in original form Henry J's are an odd looking car

 

I think that someone may have exaggerated on cost. In the '60s when I was little some the magazines used to print the cost to build rods and custom and 7K was an expensive magazine car.

I also think that sometimes we forget that the word custom doe not necessarily mean something that would have been popular. Lots of what you saw for example in Popular Mechanics was not necessarily "Popular" just what the magazine featured. Remember they also ran features on hover cars built with vacuum cleaners and the like as well.

 

either 21k is something thats grown over time or the fella who had it built wasnt making the average wage... its hardly a new concept for a wealthy fella to walk into a shop and either say something dumb like "cost isnt an issue." or get spotted as being wealthy and uninformed. if 21k is accurate i would guess it would narrow the search field considerably. as far as the look, i wouldnt buy it...but i wouldnt buy half the customs ive seen... i wouldnt buy some of moriaritys creations...that does NOT mean that i dont think theyre some of the coolest rides ever created! just not what i would personally want to own, big difference!! i think this things cool as all get out! i would bet there was a custom top for when the rear wind screen is flipped back. this things awesome!

 

Definitely built at Stevie Wonders Body and Custom Shop.

VR&C.

 

Hay, this made me wonder, did you ever get your Avitar finished and photos posted up? I lost track of it some time ago.

 

It took someone from Down Under to finally fix the first photo. Thank you mgstumpy!

Bob

 

Admit it. This one is the fugliest on anybody's list. But it was made for a high camp, slapstick TV show so it's that way for a reason.
With the Henry J you have to factor in the reason it was built or assume the reason if you don't know. I think there are a number of posts that have that cover pretty well. Remember now, different opinions are why we have horse races and politics.

 

My guess would be paper mache.

 

Well, it wasn't really made for the show, it's an actual concept car with a new coat of paint and some bat-gadgets.
http://1966batmobile.com/history/futura/

 

do you use that type of torch?? like it?

 

idk if this is an insult but if it is its hilarious....hahahaha

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^
No, no , no, not an insult. His comment made me vaguely remember the build photos of his Avitar and at that time I thought "What the Hell are you thinking". I followed along for a while then lost track. I'm very open minded and try to look for what I do like even if at first glance I turn up my nose. Voodoo's Shoe Box is different to say the least. I'd just like to see if it ever actually got finished. The Stevie Wonder comment right next to his photo of a not done project just seemed a little over the top. I suspect the Shoe Box isn't done or the avitar would most likely reflect it. If that is the case and your knockin someone's finished work,,

 

There is nothing like a cool custom...and this is nothing like a cool custom.

 

I still think it's a circus car, likely from the Clyde Beatty circus. Beatty was using a Henry J in 1951 as a clown car.

 

Now that you mention it, I think I have a foggy memory of that.

But back on topic (sort of) Rember the car on Fantasy Island that was a beach shuttle? I owned a Volare wagon like it right about that time. It was a slant 6 with a 4-speed I picked up on a new car dealer lot, fresh from the factory.

 

not an insult but a slight knock for the over the top comment...thats what i thought...still hilarious

 

Too bad it wasn't covered in rust and crap. Everyone would be shouting about "patina" and just drive it.

 

Hope it gets lost again. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 3.46% per year during this period. In other words, $50,000 in 1950 is equivalent in purchasing power to $522,224.07 in 2019