History Frank Sonzogni's '50 Merc

I am with you on the color. White is never my choice, that car is calling out to be two toned..

 

It looks great in white,but even better in green.It never fails to amaze me that most days you show me my new favorite car.

 

Q:Love this car, but are the bumpers to "heavy"?? Should they be a bit thinner/delicate??? Agreed that it must be turned back to green. So Lovely!! ...speaking of lovely....
Blondy's waiste, appears to be the same diameter as the headlight rings. Vavoom!!

JT

 

Perfect pillars on the car, perfect pillers on 'da Blonde!

 

Beautiful!!!!

 

In that time period and mind set, big chrome bumpers make perfectly good sense.

I like this car better in white and would love it in Candy Brandywine. I'll bet the owner changed the color not only because he could, but to not have it known by it's previous owner. Being known as just a cover car gave him the freedom to do that, without spoiling a well known, major build.

 

First let me say that my life will be ok if I never own a custom Merc. BUT that car is really sharp ! Got to go along with the color combo of greens, and the side trim was a great choice. Given some time I'll bet it becomes green again. Keep finding these cool old cars for us.

 

That V-butted windshield looks more like a '70s-'80s touch. Interesting to see it on a car from that era (maybe I just haven't been paying attention). It's about the only thing I don't really like about this car. I'd spring for a paint job too.

 

When I met Larry at the Merc Gathering he let me see & hold one of the Hirohata dash knobs that survived the fire.

 

Here's another with a V-butted windshield.
Also note the fade-away into a rear fender bulge, complete with three-toothed scoop.

I think Sognozi's Merc perhaps most directly reflects the influence of Hirohata's car.
More so even than other hard-tops which were to follow.

 

White is not my favorite color either but it is great to know that the car is still around in any color!
Torchie.

 

Beautiful car!
Today's post fits in well with Jay's post yesterday. I wonder if Frank was "soft" on Hot Rodders.

 

I love this Merc. However I agree with that bumper looking "heavy". If it is a function before form, cool. What would be the purpose. Having not been around in the 50s, and only around for 2 years in the 60s, I'm naïve on the subject. I have seen others from that era, with "heavy" bumpers, and wondered why. Thought maybe it was a design aspect of the time and just was clueless on the subject.

 

Here's a pic of it from the Merc Gathering.

 

I've never used to care for 'Hey- look at my old car', but must confess I'm diggin' the divider down the 'screens these days- as an ol' timey detail. I use to dig V-butt 'screens- & may still do it- not sure it's been done perfectly yet.
Sonzogni's Merc looks OK W/O rain gutters- I guess in L.A it never rains, but pours?

 

I believe that Frank died around 5-6 years ago, quite a craftsman. Glad the Merc survived, but, like others above, would like to see it back to its original colors....thanks for posting!

 

I met Larry at the Merc gathering in Sacramento and he told me that when he got the car he didn't know it was the the Sonzogni Merc so he did it his way but said he wanted to put it back like it was. I don't know if he has started yet.

 

Good to hear. I feel owners of historically significant cars have some type of obligation to build them back to the way they were back in the day. I understand the "it's their car they can do what they want with it" thing but there are tons of Mercs that have little historic value out there that you can build how you like there are very few Merc's that are considered significant cars from the Golden age of customizing and my feeling is they deserve to be preserved and put back to the way they were back in the day.

 

I think it is because the cars from Detroit were starting to have bigger and bigger bumpers by then, so if you were restyling your older car and were attempting to make it look more current, then you might choose parts from those more recent cars.

 

One of my inspirations, this car.

 

Funny, I've spent the past week immersed in a couple of the great old customs threads. I also thought Hirohata when I first saw this. Beautiful. Never have understood the nitpicky opinions of these customs that were done so well, old or new. If you get a car this great, how can you nitpick heavy bumpers, or gutters, or whatever? To me, it's like nitpicking great art . . . yea, that Sistine Chapel looks good, but those bright yellows and deep oranges don't do it for me.

 

I'm not a Custom Kind of guy but this one is DAMNED COOL!

 

That's one ''smooth'' kustom !

 

I really like this car and always have.Not one of my favorites but it does rank towards the top of the list. At Sacramento in 09 I wasn't thrilled with way it looked but I have to admit.....it started growing on me by sunday. Having the hemi under the hood didn't hurt either.
Do I think it should be brought back to its early years ? Without a doubt but it could be a lot worse then it is now.At least now it still looks like a custom and not some modernized streetrodded merc with digital everything ,radials.....lay frame etc. Also the owner Larry was one of the coolest guys I had met in a long time.He was not a guy with tons of money but he loved the car and its history but the car had been thru some rough times and he brought it back to life the best way he could with what he had.Also he drives the shit out of it and has a blast doing it.

 

Overall, I like this custom a lot. I think it has a lot of nice touches that flow together pretty nicely. I found a better picture of the rear of the white version on Kustomrama. I've never seen taillights like that on a '51 Merc, so I think that's pretty cool. I'm not crazy about those wire wheels on the green version, and prefer the hub caps on the white version. The Hirohata eliminates the dogleg/fadeaway body line across the door flawlessly. This car has seems to not execute that task quite as nicely. There seems to be small inconsistency in that body line that draws my eye too it. It's easy enough to over look. I like the bumpers on this car. I prefer a bumper heavy look over a bumper too light look, if I cannot have a 'bumper just right' look. The debate over drip rails shaved versus left on the car is lost on me... I think a nicely done Merc looks great either way. If this car was mine, I probably would paint it a similar green as the original color, but under the trim I'd paint it white, instead of the mustard color.

 

I also got to meet Larry at the Merc Gathering. Great guy. Found the torched and trashed car back when no one cared about customs. He didn't really know anything about it other than it was cool. Rebuilt it and proceeded to spend the next 30-ish years driving it everywhere.....200K plus miles if I remember. He was really inspired by what he saw at the Gathering and hoped to restore it back....even though it's been the "Dames" Merc waaaaay longer than it was Frank's. I got a pic of him holding one of the cooked Bob Hirohata knobs he saved.

 

thanks for posting this ryan great history glad the car is still around being driven

 

I agree on the v butt. Ive never liked that one particular thing. For a very long time I hadn't realized (noticed) it was done back in the day, not just a 70's - 80's thing. Stick a divider on there and Im good ... although I doubt the owner cares whether Im good or not lol.

 

I would love to see this ride In it's original colors. The white doesn't allow the true custom work to come through.