WOW Barn find, the Grecian, Barris

This green & yellow version reminds me of the ISCA stickers. (you'd better have an ISCA sticker on your windshield) That was when car shows began to suck.

 

I like it. Was the REAL barris (sam) involved in this build or was it a george thing?

 

Thank God some things don't become "traditions". That said, this is about the best you could do with a '52 Studebaker.

 

Hell,give me a winning powerball ticket I'd buy it and do it some justice ugly or not car needs to be restored.

 

My grandpa used to say "Son you just can't polish a turd" well it looks like someone spent time and lots of money hiring a talented individual to try to polish a turd . I dont know if they succeded but they didnt make it look any worse thats for sure.

 

The Grecian was made out of a 48 Studebaker Land Cruiser, top of the line, and Studebaker's longest car. It was somewhat longer than the stock sedan pictured. This could account for the sectioned appearance.

Jeez lighten up guys. When you turn out as many cars as Barris has they can't all be gems. Sometimes you try something and it doesn't work. So you don't do that again, you go do something else.

I'm sure they turned out a lot of ugly cars.Unless you have a stack of old car magazines from the fifties you will never see them.

Does someone want to start a thread on the ugliest Barris customs of all time.

 

Well if nothing else that thing cheers me up. Everytime I see it I literally laugh out loud.

 

AAAAAHHHH! I think I just burned my retina's!

 

you guys are ruff. I really dont see the need to shove all this shit on this car. Its ugly? Maybe, but it has his place and i for one would love to see it restored. Id rollin it proudly too. Anyone has pics of the interior btw?

 

I dont know what you guys are looking at, if you are looking at this car and saying it is ugly, its a piece of shit, I wouldnt be cought dead driving that or whatever, you are not a car guy. This car is a work of art, it is a piece of history, it is beautiful in its own way and it was and is a masterpiece that should be restored back to its former glory. I read this thread and could not believe there were so many negative comments on the car, WOW! Get a grip guys, this is the history of our hobby, its not a pice of crap for you to kick around....Jim

 

I like the first version especially compared to stock. The second version is a mediocre attempt to modernize.

 

Agreed! The problem is that many of these cars had to be seen "in the stream of time"....It's easy to bad mouth something outside of history. This was an exciting car in its day. Nearly all the customizers built some pretty hideous cars during thier careers, especially the guys that worked on radical cars. I like this car because it still evokes emotion in me that I sensed when I was a young kid. Not a favorite to be sure, but still an example of the way things were, and I thought that was what the HAMB was all about. This thing is as much a part of the scene as the Hirohata Merc, just different. No need to actually do it, but a thread on Ugly Customs would include most of the heroes of the hobby, and you all have some car in mind as you read this...if not, you haven't been in it that long...............

 

Keep in mind that those guys bad-mouthing kustoms like this weren't even thot of back when the Grecian made all the magazines...their fathers were prolly just figuring out how to bed some babe in the back seat of their car...yes, I'm assuming here, but you get the point.

Times change, people change, styles change, and years pass. Not any different than people ragging on some roadster built in 1948; "wasn't safe, shitty welds, crappy brakes"...yep...but it prolly was "state of the art" back then...and it's history today.

R-

 

I totally dig the first version of the Grecian, so... throw rocks at me if you need to...

Never liked the tennis racquet/butterfly wings or the re-done headlights. Or the green/yellow paint. The second interior was bitchin though!

 

Here is a shot of a stock 48 Land Cruiser for comparison.

 

I don't know if your still on here or not, but I have to assume that you grew up North of Northern on 12th Street in Phoenix. As a kid in the early and mid seventies I lived just south of Northern on 12th, and remember seeing it hanging out of the carport there on the east side of the road. Even then I knew what it was, 'cause I did a bit of research. Never could call it one of my favorite customs, as a matter of fact it's probably a good chunk of the reason I don't really like customs. But, it always seemed cool to know where it was and what it was. I last remember seeing it there in the mid eighties maybe?

 

I know Barris built it and its a piece of custom history but it's butt ugly to me any way you cut it. I know there are readers that like it but then Beauty is in the eye's of the beholder!!

 

Is this your theme song?

Agreed. This car is a great reminder that not all history is worthy of preservation.

 

Your shitting me right? It's a pile buddy any way you cut it. It's a disaster from our hobby. It's a lesson to others on how NOT to customize a car.As for it being a work of art .. Well yes it's as ugly as a Picasso and makes as much sense. Being a car guy allows me to know what's good and what's bad. Because barris is attached to it doesn't mean shit. It's a terrible custom period

 

Wow! Being a car guy makes you the expert on good taste? That means anyone who may like the car is not a car guy? What the fuck are they doin' here?

It's certainly not one of my favorite customs but then I don't plan on ever owning it so I can take it or leave it, but then I'm obviousily not a car guy.

Mick

 

I think I'd agree with "lose the fins".... However, I try to look beyond the body lines, and inspect the workmanship, and paintwork quality. A lot of labor goes into customs, and I respect that.

4TTRUK

 

You bet I have good taste.Read the post again and get it right

 

That is one ugly piece of shit and just because Barris made doesn't make it art. I have seen dog shit in my back yard that is more art than this. Sorry to break the news guys but Barris is not as great as some of you think. He was great with Merc's but a lot of the other stuff he did was pure crap.

 

Didn`t your mothers teach you : if you can`t say anything nice, then DON`T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL.

 

Wow, I guess the only truely benchmark cars in your book are shoebox fords? Or 36 ford 3 windows? You see how close minded that sounds? If you are truely a car guy as you say you are then you should see all cars as what they are and this car is huge part of YOUR history. If you think its not you are a fool. It does not matter who built this car, dont make it about it being a barris car, it is just a custome car, but it is much more than that, this is a custom car that SURVIVED! Now no matter what you may think, no matter what kind of pile of shit you may think it is, YOU ARE WRONG! This car has been the stepping stone for many custom car beginings I would be willing to bet, you can not tell me that you seriously believe there has never been a kid somewhere that read an artical about this car and did not dream of building one just like it, if you think that never happened you were never a dreamer. This car is part of all of our historys because it helped keep our hobby alive like it or not that is a fact.

 

You're assuming stanlow...!!!

R-

 

You guys are right....I will shut up now...LOL Jim

 

As a kid I once dreamed of building a car just like it, then I woke up and found to my relief that I had only crapped my bed...haha

 

right on hotrod 40,just because barris built it don't mean shit,that car is a bunch of ugly,as a matter of fact,thats not the only ugly car he built over the years,now his brother sam had nice cars.........

 

Back in the day Barris Kustom was a little like the Beatle's, you couldn't wait to see what was going to come out of that shop. The Grecian wowed 'em every bit as much as the creations that came before it. I think it was kinda' a blank slate that George and Sam excepted as a challange. To criticize it like wer'e seein' here was definatley not done. It was "if Barris can do that to a Studdy think what they could do..." Again (alas), you had to be there.