Who can add more info about custom builder Doug Thompson? Anything and everything you got - let's see it. This guy seems to build some very cool **** yet still fly under the radar Or at least I rarely hear about him ... but then I am a shut-in so I could just be out of the loop. First I heard of him was early, early on in my enlightenment, I found a spread on this car in "How to Chop Tops In 301 Photos" - pages 30-31 about a 46 Packard he built for Richard Ratty. This car really does it for me (see below). Really great, cl***ic lines and a different choice for a starting point. He brought out the best in this car without killing it's original designer's vision.
Here's another one of his customs - A 50 chevy. This is what I like about this guy - check out the line coming off the top of the front fender and fading back. Gives it the fade away fender look - only subtle - and really makes the caddy fenders look like they belong. A simple touch that just makes the whole car. Not that the chop isn't spot-on and, well, everything about the car is perfect, but it's that fender lip fade that makes it. That's the one touch that lifts it to a whole nuther level. That's genius. There has to be more...I must see more of his work
Well Since the link is to a really old post and most of the images are missing from it... here are some of his great custom cars.
The Packard that Doug built for Richard Ratty is just stunning. I've often found myself wondering whatever happened to this car. Does anybody know if Ratty still owns it? Is it still in basically the same condition as last we saw it years and years ago? In fact, does it still exist. God, I sure hope so! This car is the epitome of what a custom should be, IMHO. I also love the Chev with the front fender fades. The color, proportion and lines on this car are spot on. Another masterpiece.
I figured that there must have been a previous post about him, but I did a search and it responded "no matches" ... Oddly enough, when I did the search for Doug Thompson again this morning just to find THIS post, it still responded "no matches" ?? Oh well. Thanks for the info & photos! I also wonder what has become of that 46 Packard. Can you imagine someone owning such a car and never taking it out?
Doug's one of my heros. Great man, good eye for proportion, uses unusual, but period correct, parts on his customs. He was pretty ill a while back...any updates on his heatlth?
According the other post (linked by the FrenZ) Doug is doing well! Here are a few more photo's of the Packard taken by Keith Ashley. I think I heard somewhere that this car was involved in a crash, but has been completely repaired... all I know!
Doug had a pretty major stroke a while back, Last I saw he has to walk with a cane now. To bad to But I think he's feeling better.
The Jalopy Journal
