Hirohata Merc; my article on Jalopnik!!!

Jalopnik has opened the floodgates for content and allowed their readers to become writers for a couple weekends in an effort to find a new weekend editor.

I threw my fedora in the ring after wondering about here and stumbling upon the Hirohata Merc' pictures from Motorama (Thanks Bad Bob!) While I don't know where I'll stand a**** the other articles out there, it was a fun exercise and I really enjoyed participating.

Head on over to Jalopnik and give my article a read and share it with others if you find it interesting.

http://jalopnik.com/5659738/hybrids-werent-always-so-boring

 

The Hirohata Merc was not painted by Junior Conway. Junior had not started working at the Barris Bro's shop that early in the 50"s. Most likely George Barris sprayed the car. Junior didn't make the scene at the shop until '55 or '56.
The Hirohata Merc was finished in 1952. My math may be wrong, but that's the way I remember it. I could check my old car magazines, but you know how accurate they could be.

 

I tried my damnedest to remain accurate -- and I'll be very disappointed with myself for being wrong about the paint. Most of the information came from various smaller websites dedicated to the Hirohata car or specific 'kustoms' then I cross-referenced it with Kustomroma.

 

Very refreshing take on the Hirohata Merc. Perhaps some of the details aren't quite right. I certainly wouldn't know everything and I have studied the Hirohata for many years. Very few magazine articles are completely accurate. For the nitpickers this is a car that has had several articles written by the "best" in the business and for me they all start to sound alike. I thoroughly enjoyed your story. Looking forward to some more.
RodP

 

Barris painted the Hirohata Merc originally. Junior painted it for the restoration.