History Custom Corvette's and Sports Cars

Having grown up in an SCCA family I was immersed in a car culture that covered just about every aspect of racing, hot rods and custom's. I had and haven't liked too many customs sports cars but there have been a few that have really set a passion for owning or building one. Here is the first one that hit me. I was probably about 8 years old and my uncle had came over to pick up my older brother and I for a trip to one of Pete Paulsen's
Salons for a rage of the day hair cut. What an eye opener. Pretty women everywhere, the place was packed with people. Early and mid 60's in the Bay Area was car heaven.So on the way after going to my uncles girlfriends house we were driving through Hayward and I spotted this Vette on E 14th . I was Bitten. Owned by Mike Sparrow and built by Winfield.
Post up The Custom Sports Cars





Later my mom used to get her hair done in a salon in Walnut Creek and a guy there named Renard Moody had a cool wild 63 Vette but i can't find a picture of that car.
Then there is this one I found in a search but I know nothing about it.



The Jag's and Gull Wing's that Watson painted are Cool.but I'm looking for more of a customized type car.

 

Cool thread...

Here's one I always loved, Dean Jefferies 356 porsche. I think a hamber may own it today.


when it was yellow/gold

It even got to hang out with the fancy cars

 

Sparrow's Corvette was always a favorite here. Gene Winfield has never indicated that he had one clue as to where that one went. I've data mined every Sparrow connection possible and have never found anything on him or his car....thereafter.

For it's time it was WAYYYY over the top.....a proverbial wallet thumping icon with style and substance. I know the value on those early Corvettes to those "thousand yard stare" 'Vette nuts.....but "wtf?!!" is my thoughts to imagine that car undone and put back to its General Motors original skins. What a waste. Wish I knew for sure it at the least....still exists.

Thanks for the post. I dig it. I'll take any "of the era" sports builds.......there's many custom fast ones built and not seen....anymore. Cunningham, Allard, Victress, Scarab, Kellison....and so many more........ Never enough to just own one then......some always had that extra gene to embellish them too. God I love 'em.

 

Thanks for showing the Winfield-built '56-7. That is one of the few 'Vettes that was actually customized to look better than stock and I had forgotten just how good it was.

This is my favorite Stingray, built by Ray Farhner from a total wreck it was new. That opinion is somewhat biased because Ray used some of my design ideas on it, plus I owned it for a short time in the '70's!

 

Nice stance too!

 

Hey @Tom davison , got any more pics of it?

 

how about some baby birds:

Gil Ayala's t-bird currently being restored. A thread has been started on the hamb

a rear black and white of the same car

and this odd sucker

 

Nice pictures. Keep them coming.

 

Agreed the custom cars look good, but the value today is not the same as original cars.


Ago

 

Thanks for posting the Dean Jeffries Porsche
I always liked that car
There is a Jag that looks great also. I think it's a XK150 coupe
The Ayala T Bird restoration is what brought back the Sparrow Vette to my memory. I wanted to sell a couple cars and do a 57 Desoto but I'll have to think hard and long on that. I would really like a cut up 50's Vette.



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I like this.

 

OK, I found the Asteroid built by Barris and looks like its still around by the 2nd pic


This Vette I think was built by GM as a race car. Not really qualified in my book as a custom because it was built to race but still a cool looking Vette.

 

Nice Gasser but definitely not a custom

 

I found some pic's of the Jag I was looking for. I thought it was a XK150 but it must be a 120 or 140. The 150 had fatter fenders and hood. not sure I like the front nerf bar design.



And this one is real sweet. sorry the pic transferred so crappy. iIthink the skirts would look great here

And this I have know idea about other than it was lost in a fire

 

Mine at Lebanon Valley Dragway. Car ran B modified sports in the 60's same car as in my avatar that was Island Dragway 1965

Pat

 

After a little research on kustomrama I found out this is the Xsonic before the bubble top. I like it better in this version

 

Both can be achieved without one dominating.

 

This is my favorite Corvette (if not car) of all time. Agreed, not a custom, but its a visually stunning piece of history with a true racing heritage. This is what you get when you combine two geniuses, Bill Mitchell and Zora Duntov.

 

These are nicely done. I really like the 2nd one


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My favorite Vette's are the 63 to 66. I don't really know why but I'm not fond of the 67. As a stock Vette these are the best. This one is my favorite out of the special race versions. They didn't handle well so pretty much got there asses kicked by the Cobra and Daytona coupes which are my favorite sports cars. My dad worked for Coventry Motors out of Walnut Creek so I had a few rides. Corvette's are ( or were ) a beautiful car. When the rubber bumpers started showing up they lost the purely beautiful looks forever.


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Awesome pics' guys. The GM Corvette speedster is at the GM Heritage Center. It's awesome....and if you can't make the trip...the Elvis movie works too.

.....if you like red.

 

Love this thread so far, More, more, more.

 

This car was built by famed Indy car builder Emil Diedt for actor Eddie Anderson of The Jack Benny Show. Eddie was a road race guy and wanted a car he could drive on the street and race on the weekends. Its powered by a 331 Caddy with 3 deuces and a 3 speed and Alfa brakes. I bet this car handled well. It had been neglected late in its life, found and restored with a 5 spd. I think it had wire wheels originally.


This is a very cool car. couldn't find out much about it though. Built by an Illinois Jag dealer Wally Troy. From the looks of the pic, what looks like an SCCA roundel on the grill and lights also. I would guess he had the same plan to drive on the street and race it on the weekends. Check it out, duel quads sticking through hood. I guess there were no spare Jag engines lying around the shop.


I know these are specials and have a had time calling them customs but they are totally bitchin

 

Here is an old photo of my 65 Vette back around 1985 with one of those one piece 67 shark nose front ends on it that were popular back in the 70s-80s. I couldn't stand it so I converted it back to the original.

 

The other day I was showing a friend how cool the shape of the Corvette bumpers are. Great for the right custom project. So I saved a few of the Show cars that GM built.
I would like to recreate this Fastback. It looks so right.

The next is this Olds. Other than the rear being too busy, this is a very good looking car that I think should have been built. Shave the nose and 88 off the side and something different in back. I do like the tail light but tunneled about half way. GM took the rear bumpers to 1960 Caddy .