WOW Barn find, the Grecian, Barris

i found a set a while back. here is some info everyone gave me on them. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228440&referrerid=31699

 

Typical George Barris.

JH

 

That Barris car is ugly as hell. I am going to have to make a drive to Allentown to check that museaum out

 

Thanks Chopmerc I would love to have a set of them!

 

I believe most customizers build what their customers request. The Grecian was probably what the customer wanted.
The 40 Merc at the museum is the car that hooked me as a kid. It, along with Frank Mack's T, took the top awards at the Detroit Autorama, year after year.
They are my all time favorite hotrod and custom.
I will get to that museum to see the Merc, and sure will look at the Grecian because, like it or not, it is a part of the history.

 

barn find ?

i guess he seen a speck of dust on one of em

 

Whys everyone looking the other way ?

 

Sheeit...That IS my X wife !!!

 

The Grecian by Barris. YIKES - now I see where the bat mobile came from.George built a ton of great customs over the years .I respect him for what he has done for the custom world but he got a little carried away with this one.Way too much add on parts like the front end and the huge fins = ouch!

 

last time I saw that it was faded to white, sitting in front of the neighbors house. was around mid 90's at that time I had no idea what it was. I just knew it had the Barris crest on it, and full of trouphys in the back seat....never talked to the guy

 

I can definately appreciate Kustoms but damn! this one kinda looks like a big insect! no clue what the actual designer was smoking but it musta been good

 

history or not, that car does not do it for me in the least...

 

Who says they didn't have good drugs in the 50's. It would be hard to drive around proudly in this for me. Now give me a Westergard '36 roadster with a Carson top . . .

 

Aaaaaagh, my eyes! What has been seen cannot be unseen.

 

WTF is that? Barf

 

they did this version to make the first one look better.

 

I used to see this car cruising at the Larry's A&W on Holt Ave in Montclair-Ontario on the 3rd friday of the month back in the 80's. It was always there, Not very many people seemed to know what it was or even cared. I thought that it was an interesting execution of re-styling, but I knew what the car was.
Not very sightly,but still garered mag exposure in its incarnations as a "Barris Kustom"

 

Perhaps not the most attractive custom to ever roll out of the Barris Custom Shop... But like said before it was most likely built by the owners request, who "helped" designing this Custom Car.
The car was featured in many custom car magazines in the early 50's. So one thing is for sure Barris did like it, otherwise he would not have pushed its publication so much. The many body mods where featured in multiple How To articles, so besides the initial building fees Barris got a nice sum of money from its publicity.

I think the first version (how it was initial designed) is not that bad at all. It has to be seen in the time it was built. And this car came after the Hirohata Merc, and the shops where experimenting with how much could be done. And this one probably got a but to much done. But the built was a real bold statement that even a Studebaker four door could be built as a custom car.

I know a guy who desperatly wants to own and restore this car (to its first version) but the current owner wants a shipload of money for it. Even though the car is in very poor condition. Perhaps this guy is the only person who really would do this car justice and restore it to how it used to look. But the current owner rather wants to let it rot away. Sad!!!










Just one of the many articles this car was featured in...










The revised version also needs to be seen in the time it was built.
Car Shows and gaining points to win trophies where "inspiring" custom builders and owners to do things they perhaps should not even have thought of. But it happened, and unfortunately it brought them points and "victory"

The "Modern Grecian" fits perfectly in the way over the top custom show car scene from the late 50's. Luckily the added on wire frame and mesh wings never really got on with the croud, however Gil Ayala (not just anybody) used them on his own Custom T-Bird as well.






Andy Southard Photos
EDITED
This photo has been removed by request of the copyright holder.

 

wish it into the corn field!
wish it into the corn field!

 

Thank You Rik,I was hoping you`d chime in with the first version pics!Front end might be a bit busy but the tail looks pretty good to me.Too bad they messed with it later years,



-RK

 

From the front it looks like a nerdy kid with glasses, from the back like an annoying insect. From the side, adjectives escape. Either way, not a good combination.

 

Its amazing to me that so many beautiful, awesome customs have either disappeared or met the crusher.... But this thing is still floating around..

 

For some reason that grille makes me think of the classic "young girl with braces and head gear that eventually turned out to be a knockout" that we all had in some class during our school days..

 

The pink nightmare at Lead East...

 

Now i know why the word FUGGLY was invented. Pretty hard to make a homely car look like anything else. Seems like a lot of time and money for a moredoor.

 

Man, You guys need to Step up on your Quality of Women !

 

Your right LMAO

 

I would keep that door closed on the barn if I that

 

I finally traded up...

 

[/QUOTE]

Cudos on customing a 4 door, but I think I'd have to leave that one in the barn