Wow, I would have guessed that it hadnt been on the road for at least 20+ years. It sure didnt take long for that thing to rot.
This is Kentucky. I left my lawn mower out one night and all that was left in the morning was the pull rope and the wheels.
Its amazing to see that just 6-7 years ago it was in good shape and for sale. makes you wonder how it wound up where it is, as Im sure the selling price was not cheap.
I used to work with the guy that built it. I was a toolmaker in an X-GM starter plant (Anderson.IN) in the early to mid 90's and he was a contract engineer they hired out of Dayton I think,(maybe Cincinatti or Hamilton). I wish I could remember his name, but it has been too long. He lived in a hotel during the week and went home on the weekends. He showed me pictures of the car, I had a forced smile and told him it looked nice. He used to drive a real nice '57 Ford F100 short bed to work everyday. It was lowered, chrome wheels, chromed up under the hood, painted dark metallic blue, tonneau cover. The truck impressed me, the '55 did not. But that was just my opinion, he probably thought the '55 was the greatest. I think he told me that he used to show the truck. I'm talking about indoor car shows. He was kind of into that kind of stuff. I moved to another plant and the last heard was that he had died. That was still in the 90's. He was not into hot rods like me, he liked customs and car shows. It sounds like after he died someone bought the car, fixed it up a little and took it to a Googuys show and sold it and it ended up in Kentucky. I will admit the car does not follow my tastes but it looked pretty good when it was all slick and shiney.
Thats why alot of us dont drive our cars in the weather up north. It doesnt take long for one just setting under a tarp to start bubbling out all over.
Wow, talk about going to hell in a handbasket. What rains from the sky in that state? It's got to be plastic under that paint to go bad so fast. Lead done right ages really well.
I love wild over the top customs, so I really like that car. Yes, it's ugly, but it's also memorable and interesting. I'm originally from WV, and I can tell you guys out west that it really is that hard on cars back there. You have to remember that most of the year it's humid, and that moisture loves metal. It's hard to find a car back there that isn't a rust bucket (or bondo bucket), and it takes a watchful eye to keep your car from getting rot. I'm completely spoiled by the desert, i've got bare metal on my car for a couple years now... back in WV, it would be bare holes!
Does it say who built it in that mag.? if it is a Barris built car it may be worth something. if someone around here did it it's not worth the asking price. I worked on getting this car again last night and the price is over my head. the woman and her son turned down 15 K cash for the car just a few months ago. so unless you have real deep pockets then forget about it. if it's not a barris car then it's not worth fixing anyway unless I could get it for under 3000 bucks. but thats just me.I'm not going to give out info on the web about the location but this car to me is a dead duck. if one of you guys can find out for sure if it's a barris built car and want to try to buy it, pm me. I'll give you my address and when you get here I will take you to it. thanks for all the pics and info you guys come up with
That appears to be a '61 Olds rear bumper on the front. Ugly or not it should be preserved and I'd like to know the history of it. It doesn't look like it has been sitting outdoors very long. This guy may have just recently acquired it himself. Tom
It's alright. Seen way worst in style and taste. Every era has had them. Now about the 'trailer park' bashing. The Worst people in the world dwell in the White House. And they know better. That is the real crime.
It would look a lot better some other color, probably a darker one. Looks OK other than the dash, front wheel wells and side view of the front.
I was hoping that the article showed up enough but it didn't . Here is what the article reads: Article was written by Larry Zimmer in Northern Rodder March 2003 We have all heard stories of famous customs being sent to the crusher or rotting in some junkyard. Four years ago I experienced the above scenario. I found a very radical 1955 Chevrolet Covertible that was wasting away in a junkyard/used car lot. The owner of the "business" quickly informed me that the old custom was indeed for sale, but I surley couldn't afford it because Jay Leno was going to buy it. Fast forward a few years, and guess what? Jay didn't buy it and it was still for sale. The years of unprotected storage hadn't been kind to the once famous Cincinnati custom, and it is almost too far gone for restoration. The owner still thinks it is a very valuable automobile while not really knowing or caring anything about its heritage. The desire for the mighty dollar will probally ruin another small piece of custom history. The price? Offers over $12,000 will be considered, as I was rudley told. The custom I am refering to was built around 1960 by Cincinnati body man, Bob Horn. It was featured in many area shows and in the 1960 September issue of the custom magazine, Cars. Then because of divorce, long storage, and a series of owners the custom dropped out of sight only to reappear decades later on the Cincinnati car lot/junkyard. And then it goes on with some further talking...............
Very interesting, but how does that explain the pictures of the car from 2001 looking pretty good? Maybe someone threw some quick bodywork and paint on it? Maybe that 2001 pic isnt as good as it looks.
I remember looking at it at that show and it really looked good.Old,but nice.I do not remember what the price was.Too bad it went so bad in that short of time.
This will be my last post on this car. I know some of you are saying thank god lol. today I talked to the guy that wrote the article in that mag. he said the guy was a real jerk when he talked to him. He asked what the price was on the car and he remarked he was taking bids starting at over 12K. but then remarked that he didn't think he could afford the asking price because Jay Leno was on his way to buy it lol. Well I heard that Leno did send someone, but either the price was too high or the guy was a jerk and ticked them off cause they didn't buy it. I guess the car will sit and rot. If someone offered him 15K for it a few months ago and they turned it down they deserve to keep it and let it rot with the rest of their property.
that's probably what happened to a lot of old famous and missing customs. Some jackleg thought they had a goldmine in some rustbucket way beyond its glory years, and sat on it until it was nothing more than a pile of junk, only to be unceremoniously crushed. Controversial or not, someone built that car as a labor of love, and now some holler-grit is only wanting to ring some green out of it, not caring that it was a piece of history. Pisses me off, that's for sure.
I remember that car sitting in that used car lot/junkyard. Thats exactly what that place was....a combination of the two. I was bitten by a dog there before when inquiring on a 66 Pontiac Station Wagon. It was a strange little place. They had quite a few pieces of old iron in there. Mostly 60's stuff. This car was stuffed way in the back and was still there after they cleared the rest of the stuff out. I snapped a photo or two (still can't find them---have not seen the car since this post). I personally like the car except for those front wheelwells and would like to see it back the way it was.
update. she's on ebay now 15K and the reserve is not met.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...akeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:us
Good to see some more pics I guess... Lokks better with the top down. Says it only needs new paint......:-0
Thanks, Rebstew for sharing. Sorry it didn't work out on getting it. And thanks to others that had info on the car. It was worth reading thru the pages of 'that's ugly' posts to find out a little bit on this custom's strange journey from the car show circuit 'back in the day' to Ebay now. I wish my garage was full of 'ugly' customs like this piece of history. I'll take them over formulaic insta-ratrods any day.
i swear i saw that car a couple years ago out off of route 10 ( the road behind the new high school) found it or something pretty damn close to it while looking for a backing plate for my anglia....the guy had a couple others at the same place....couldn't tell ya the road names....but i could drive ya there .... brandon
thats the same car Brandon. that was Dave Seargent's house. he's p***ed on now...it sat there and then on locust pike in Kenton Co. I guess who ever offered them the 15 K and got turned down went back with another offer. if you look at his ebay name it says (Dr) so it may be someone that had some cash and offered them something over 15K thinking they would make a nice profit off it on ebay. if it keeps on going up they may make something off it. thing of it is when they see it in person they may smack the guy
The auction states "She is exactly the same today as she was when she was built in 57." I especially like the original casette deck and the Olds 400 "big block" that it had since 1957.
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