Folks Of Interest BOB HIROHATA Interview ~ 1977

Not 1 mistake made on that car. That's not very common with the amount of mods done. Any of us that really love these things knows what I mean. I learned of this car for the 1st time in the late 60s. I was a kid reading a retrospective of kustoms from that time which included the R&C Dream truck. The Hiro Merc and the Dream Truck bit me and gave me the incurable virus, but it was the 1st version of the truck I really liked. We lost all those great books in a house fire in 69.

 

Was browsing through some history... saw that no one added pictures of the Hirohito Merc before the restoration..

 

I think I would of maybe drove this car around a Lil in this condition before the restoration.It even looks good like this.

 

So cool

 

This car is timeless. Not dated at all, cool then and now .....

 

real cars, real people, great story---that indy trip would make a great book/movie...

 

Axle,

Again, thanks for Posting this. I've got the Issue somewhere in my Archives, but it's a great thread for those who've never seen/read it before. And, the pix are uber'-kool too !

Jonnie www.legends.thewwbc.net

 

There is probably not a more recognized Mercury in the world than The Hirohata mercury,,Lord knows how many men were inspired to build a Merc after seen the car as a kid in a magazine. HRP

 

Its my crazy lotto car... You know the 100 millon dollar lotto and it offer him stupid money for the car... I'm a Hot Rod guy, but this car is PERFECTION in my mind. It defines an era.

 

I'm pretty sure it still wouldn't be enough. He was offered crazy stupid money for it long before it was restored and long before old customs had any value again.

 

If I remember correctly, that pic was in the Rodder's Journal and was taken the day it rolled down the road under it's own power after Jim finished the mechanical restoration but before starting the body work. I'm with you though, I woulda driven it just like that for a while "working out the bugs."

 

Time to get some good old Custom Car threads on top.


I took these photos of the Hirohata Mercury at the 2011 GNRS.
We had organized the Customs Then & Now exhibit and owner Jim McNiel had
just unloaded the Merc from the trailer. I had met Jim in 2009 when we
organized the Mercury gathering at the Sacramento Autorama, so it was
really great to see Jim again. We talked for a while out there on the parking
lot in front of the NHRA museum. He parked the car at a nice spot so that I
could shoot some great photos of it.
And this was so much better than the indoor photos I was able to take in
Sacramento and thought I had to take at the GNRS. Any Custom Car looks so
much better outdoors in natural light with a nice back drop, than sitting on a
concrete floor with poor indoor lighting and odd reflections.
This photo shoot sure made my day back in January of 2011.

Take a good look at the perfect lines on this Custom Car Icon. The way the
top was chopped and hard-topped. And how the Buick trim was added to
match the shape of the top and side window trim.
I especially like the way the taillights look in this photo.






I also took this front 3/4 view with the NHRS museum building in the background.

Can you imagine the impact this car must have had in late 1952 when the car
was first shown. All the body modification work so well together. And then
the color choice so different than the mostly dark organic colors most
Customs were finished in back then. It must have made a huge impression on
the people who saw it back then.... and it still does today.







A lot is going on in this photo of the front of the car. And most of it is at least
for the time very unique in styling. The Barris shop really tried to create new
ideas in as many cars as possible. But on the Hirohata Mercury they sure
went all the way. Perhaps George Barris took a good look at the 1951 Lincoln
and liked the 3 inch longer front end so much that he decided to extend the
front fenders on Bob's Car, and did the same on the hood as well. To get the
front end a bit longer to get better proportioned with the new very
streamlined rood and hard-topped side window openings.
The use of 1951 Ford parts for the grille is another really great choice.
The simple one bar grille it just enough accentuated with the small ribs on
the top and it also nicely echoes the trim in the side scoops on the rear
quarter panels. One of the trick that make the front bumper look so good -
and is often overlooked - are the sectioned bumper guards. This is a
modification that was done after the car had been finished and showed for
some time. I'm not sure who suggested this modifications. But I guess the
one who did felt the stock, rather tall guards interfered with the flow of the
grille to much. It is a bit hard to see in this photo, but if you look at the front
3/4 it is very obvious.

 

Thanks Rik! Makes me want to go home and paint mine seafoam....NOW!

 

best outside, natural photos of the Merc in many years. Thanks for all you do for preserving "custom car" history.
Curt R

 

Great pics Rik,like I have called this car before........undisputed.

 

my all time favorite merc,,,,,

 

God, even after knowing about, and seeing pictures of this car for over 30 years, it still gives me a chill up my spine when I see pictures of it, that nice!

 

I like many other customs a lot, but the Hirohata Merc keeps rising to the top as my favorite. It's hard to explain how all the different elements just work together to make this car perfect for my eye. Thaks Rik for bringing it up again.

 

" undisputed " Jeff, really? This build has to be the most over hyped, over photographed kustom of the last sixty years, largely at the hands of George Barris and Robert Peterson. Had builds from cities like Wichita, Toledo, Joyzee & Nu Yak seen anywhere near the hype this has, the history of Kustoms would read much differently today.
At least the Bettancourt and Welch Merc designs were sober, and that colour didn't look good on fifties appliances, to say nothin of automobiles.
Having said that, I'm glad McNiel rebuilt it, and that people are still passionate about today, at least they're thinkin about kustoms

'' Beware the irrational however seductive ''

 

Yep......I still call it that.Is it my favorite of all time ? Not sure.......I do love other mercs probaly a little bit more simple but just something about this car.Even though the Barris brothers are not my favorite custom builders this car just moves me.The engine,interior the roof,etc just flows for me.Maybe be cause I got to see it at a young age up close and personal or maybe cause Jim helped me a lot with my car ? Not totally sure what it is but I just does something.I LOVE the colors.

 

Yeah, Jeff, I taste what yer sayin, but I've never seen the Hirohata for all the hype it's enjoyed It's like a hot babe ya see from across the room, but when ya get her into range ya see the ''high water marks'' on her and how she's put together
The Charlie Lopez Merc (first iteration) kinda holds the same kinda fascination for me as the Hiro does for you- is it a great Merc design? er, um, no, but is it an important one? Oh, yah!

 

$7k in the whole car... Now it costs $7k just to build the Cadillac motor. Probably more.

 

It's hard to believe the car sold on a used car lot for $500!! I've admired the car since I was a young guy. I was at the Grand National Roadster Show in L.A. in January of this year. The flawlessly restored Hirohata Merc was on display (not in the main display area, but in a nice corner area, with no fancy display, just a simple railing around it) by it's new owner. The $500 used Merc in it's current GORGEOUS condition had been sold to him for approximately 1.7 Million dollars. The car is as it was when Bob received the car from Barris. (only better finished by todays high standards). The crowds around the car varied from a few to a large bunch, but just about every one agreed it was spectacular. The article that Pat Ganahl wrote about the car a few years ago is as spot on then as it is now. I studied the car, as I have in the past. My opinion hasn't still hasn't changed. The Hirohata Merc is STILL the most beautiful 49/51 Mercury custom ever built. Bill Rinaldi

 

A cool minty color and simply delicious to behold, its like a creamscicle on wheels!

 

Of course I love the Merc. I have mentioned here several times that Bob had a 1930 four door car. No response. This article proves that it’s true. I remembered wrong, that it was a model A Ford. It was as a ‘30 Chevy with a GMC six! I remember seeing a feature of the four door in a 1950’s car magazine.

@pgan , do you remember that Chevy? I remember the interview article from 1977.

 

History that blows me away about this car is Bob drove it all over to big shows back in the day. It kicked butt then.
Some time later sold for $500.
So much time later restored by the man that had owned it for many years.
With the help of some of the original men that built it and their friends.
He passes and his family at the correct time for them, put up for Auction.
Now , thank goodness the current owner is in the States, and puts it out for our enjoyment.
Talk about full circle .
The story of the Merc’s life is worth 3 Mill.
Stretch

 

I saw it too. The car is absolute kustom ROYALTY, no other way to say it. Has more to do with its original owner and builder and the style it ushered in than the dollar figure it recently sold for.

But really it's all about presence. Nothing matches this car in that category.

It's even better in person.