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Features The Ugliest Kustoms of the 50s

Discussion in 'Traditional Customs' started by Jive-Bomber, Feb 21, 2013.

  1. Frank Maratta owned New England Auto Body he was a very skilled body man a couple examples of his other work.

    There was a story on that 39 Merc that I don’t recall as to why he built it.

    View attachment 6450184
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    He was also a drag racer his Model A “The Rake”
    upload_2025-7-8_12-28-51.jpeg

    upload_2025-7-8_12-30-8.jpeg upload_2025-7-8_12-30-52.jpeg

    As well as owning and operating a speed shop.
    upload_2025-7-8_12-30-34.jpeg
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    Attached Files:

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  2. One of the rules imposed by many/most car shows was that you could not reenter the same car year after year unless it was changed significantly from the previous year. As many customizers could not afford a new car each year, they had to modify the car annually, and that led to customs getting uglier each year. An originally clean looking custom would become busier each year with more and more modifications with each successive year of showings.
     
  3. GuyW
    Joined: Feb 23, 2007
    Posts: 718

    GuyW
    Member

    Yeah, but if enough car owners said, "I like my car just the way it is, so fuck off", the promoters would have run out of cars.
    To me, its kind of sick that the promoters, who invested the least money, called the shots.
     
  4. 57JoeFoMoPar
    Joined: Sep 14, 2004
    Posts: 6,443

    57JoeFoMoPar
    Member

    I just saw the Parisienne II a couple weeks ago that Joe Sulpy built. His was built out of a 59 Plymouth IIRC, but it goes to show you just how heavily customized the car was where one that started with a 54 Ford and the other a 59 Plymouth could eventually end up looking about the same. This one never really bothered me. I don't think it's the most attractive custom ever, but I also don't think it's hideous.
     
  5. 57JoeFoMoPar
    Joined: Sep 14, 2004
    Posts: 6,443

    57JoeFoMoPar
    Member

    That Merc is still around and still looks great. Owned by none other than Anthony White, 00MAck on the HAMB
     
  6. Stan Back
    Joined: Mar 9, 2007
    Posts: 2,637

    Stan Back
    Member
    from California

    . . . and I think that when some of the shows used a numerical system in judging cars with a number for each modification to get a total for the "winner" led to "overdoneness".
     
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  7. Deeluxe
    Joined: Dec 16, 2005
    Posts: 163

    Deeluxe
    Member
    from island

    Frank sounds cool! Amusing write-up here.
    2v2uwiqwmx2Kus1.jpg 2v2uwiqpgx2Kus1.jpg
     
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  8. 57Fury440
    Joined: Nov 2, 2020
    Posts: 445

    57Fury440
    Member

    I like the Moon Rocket. It was pretty fast too.
     
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  9. topher5150
    Joined: Feb 10, 2017
    Posts: 3,659

    topher5150
    Member

    Hello this is JC Whitney what would you like to order today?.....Yes
    [​IMG]
     
  10. James D
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 4,886

    James D
    Member

    "The most pronounced example of this is in the second story, where the man is made penniless by his automobile and is eventually consumed by it."

    Yeah... sound familiar to anyone here...?
     
    Zottel likes this.
  11. Not a lot (if any) body mods, but the winner for most bolt-on geegaws and dodads from Warshawsky/ J.C. Whitney, Western Auto, and Pop’s Used Auto Parts.

    “All Juked Up”
    juked up.jpeg
     
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