History ICONIC CUSTOMS ~ WHAT COMES TO MIND?

Went to the Street Rod Nats in Minnesota in 79. I was 10. Saw this car, my favorite of the show in a sea of Street Rods. It ruined me too. See my avatar. My first car. Hydraulics installed when I was 17. Still have it.

 

I'm going with a couple of old PNW customs that Paul Harper chased down, bought and then redid to reflect their earlier custom days.
The 41 was a real basket case when he tracked it down and finally got it home. I first saw it just after he got it sitting in his garage up on the hill in Roslyn.

It just flat looks right.



I first saw this 56 Buick at a Seattle Indoor car show in the early 60's on one of those weekend with dad outings. At that time it was Red but was not sectioned and was a mild custom, The next year I saw it at another show that was possibly the next years edition of that same show and it was sectioned and had other mods.
Paul chased it down in the late 70's early 80's and after a lot of going back finally bought what was left of the original custom. Someone had cut the roof off to do a bubble roof and then it ended up in no so stellar storage for a number of years. Paul drug it home and a parts car and a lot of work later finally got it finished.
I took this photo the first weekend Paul had it out for show and tell. The man crouching in front of it is Bob Jasper of Jasper's Bitchin Stitchin in Tacoma one of the go to traditional rod or custom trim shops in the PNW and who had his hand doing the interiors on a lot of iconic customs in the PNW.


I think the 46/7/8 Plymouth sedan that Paul Chopped in the late 50's early 60's was in the same show with the Buick as I saw it in a show in that time frame at one of those shows. That car may still exist but the last time we saw it it was pretty neglected.

He also built three other well known customs that I know of including the 51 Merc MS Merc and an early 50' Caddy deville that is chopped and painted a lime green.

 

That Buick ended up in Hillsboro Oregon, my buddy from high schools grandma had it. It was part of the large Papa's toys car collection. They did have it for sale a couple of years ago. It has been painted lavender and had a very ugly early 2000's style street rod interior. I took this pic back in 2011 when they first got the car.

 

Matranga Merc.

Calori Coupe

Buster Litton Panoramic Ford

Polynesian

Sam Barris Merc
Lee Pratt Ford

Ryan's Lee Pratt Ford.

Kopperhed

Weesner Ford

Steve Pierce Buick

Sweet Brown Ford

Sweet Brown Ford

In addition to LOTS that have appeared here already, here's some that strike me as capital letter ICONS, either because they helped set the stage, or they continue the traditions and don't ADD a bunch of unnecessary gewgaws and ALL the proportions are just right. I guess I'm in love with a certain "language" when it comes to customs.