History Westergard custom

While reading one of the little books (Custom Cars, August '60) in my collection the other day I came across an interesting letter. The letters column in most magazines of the day were used to showcase readers' cars; a way to give some "ink" to a reader who felt his car should be featured in the mag.

I direct your attention to the third letter, "Built by Dad...Owned by Daughter". Marie is very proud of her car (as well she should be!!!) and she describes it in some detail, including mention of a chromed dash. The amusing part (besides misspelling Westergard) is the editor's brief, dismissive comment.

Oh, and here's a related link to Rikster's fabulous site:

http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/11_...cars/harry_westergard/40_mercury_convertible/

 

I wish there were more pics, that thing looks worthy of a clone!

 

Boy, if I could only find a friend like that to help me with my Caddy!

 

This is a pic from Riks site of the restored car from the article. Larry included the link in his initial post. Larry and I were discussing the Westergard / Barris thread posted by Rikster the other day.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=442785&highlight=westergard+barris

In which Rik was telling the story of the similarities between The Westergard built 36 Gene Garrett Ford and George Barris's 36 Ford.
The 2 cars are so similar that one may think they were the same or who copied who. Rik has come to the conclusion that these were just 2 cars incorporating the trends of the time. Interesting read on the history of the prewar customs.

 

so it had a clone when it was new? dammit

 

I think it is the same car. I don't think this is a clone, built by Harry Westergard of a car built for Butler Rugard.

The 1960 Custom Cars letter/photo is very interesting. Interesting to see a car built in the early 40's was still shown in a 1960's magazine. Even though it was "only" in the mail section. The editor possibly did not care about the car at all, or knew anything about it.
But lets face it this was 1960 and old time custom cars where very much dead by then. So we can only be happy the magazine decided to run the letter and photo anyway.

The information we know about this car is that Butler Rugard was the owner and he had Harry customize it for him over a period of time. The car was shown in the first Sacramento Autorama and according to the How Stuff Works article it was also shown in magazine coverage of this show. I have never seen this other than one photo in a Garage Magazine article on Harry Westergard. So if anybody has any more photos of this car in the 1950 Sacramento Autorama... please scans and post here.

Larry scanned the photo of the 1960 Custom Cars magazine a little larger for me so we can see it a little better. I have added a recently taken profile photo of the car, so we can compare the two.



I think this is the same car... same custom hood shape, and headlights molded to the front of the fender. And I think it even has the odd shape of the top at the leading edge above the windshield. Very ugly and I feel that when the car was restored they should have removed the bulge above the windshield frame and made it a more pleasant shape like all other real Hall/Carson tops... but thats just my personal opinion.

Judging the two different hubcaps front and rear I guess that the car still used the fender skirts, but where removed for a more sporty look on the photo?



The one odd thing is that the daughters name is Marie Fernandez and not Rugards. But then, this was 20 years after the car was started and perhaps she was already married when she send in the letter/photo(s) and used her new name?

In any event... some very nice information,

Thanks Larry for finding this article and taking the time to post it here... I love historical facts like this with add a little more information to the complete history of each historical important custom car.

Before I saw this I only had seen the photo's from the 1950 Show and one without the top on. And the photos that Chris Chipman took in Sacramento a couple of years ago.

1950 Photo



It looked really sad then...




The car looks much better now.... but I have to say that I was not really impressed with the not correct candy paint job and far from perfect body work. Now I know the car used to be black... I would have loved to see it in black which I think would have looked far better period correct than candy apple red.

 

I remember that letter but never put 2 and 2 together I guess because that pic was so small. I never saw the front of the hood till you blew it up Rikster! Them little books are full of mysteries , you just got to look for them, they are full of surprises.

 

Little books rule!

 

OT but I have that very same 4-way welder in my garage and it works I bought it at a pawn shop years ago for 20 bucks to build lowrider bikes.

 

Thanks for posting this. Marie's letter gives me some new information on the car that I didn't know before. According to her letter the car was painted black for instance. Was that the original color on the car, or had it been repainted. I'm also guessing that the leopard fur inside the carson top was a done later, maybe even after she got the car I have also read that the car was fit with a DeSoto grille after an accident in the 1950s. But if this photo was taken around 1959/1960 chances are that the DeSoto grille was installed in the 1960s after Marie got the car from her father. Would have been interesting to know why her name was Fernandez and not Rigard btw!

 

I just read this in an R&C article on the restored car

"After pulling in Kansas City buddy Ed Guffey as a partner in the project, Jack completed the purchase from owner Ron Marquardt. The Mercury had been in storage for much of the 30-some years Marquardt owned it. He had bought it from the second registered owners, the Fernandez family. According to the history Walker has assembled, Mrs. Fernandez was apparently the daughter of the original owner, Butler Rugard."


Link to the whole article...

 

Yeah I have read that one before. Could the "Fernandez family" be Marie and her husband maybe?

 

Yes I think so.

In the article its also stated that Gene Winfield handed Jack Walker a photo of the car with 37 DeSoto bumpers.... WE NEED TO SEE THAT!!!

Any body has contact with Jack Walker?

 

Rik, look here for another pic from your site of Jack Walker. Maybe Mark Moriarity (who took the photo) could help?

http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/11_...toms/dave_puhls_a957/trenderooutside-mor.html

 

Ok Sorry for this but its just the way it is. Larry (OldBobSign ) is the Jack Walker your refering to the tall gray haired guy in the photo. If so I believe Larry Tarantolo know where to find him as Jack helps him out moving things around . You may have bumped into Jack at the Thursday night Cruise in downtown Frankfort. I can follow up with Larry T if needed.

How come nobody names their kids Larry anymore ???

 

Could be Larry in the photo... I would not know. I have seen photos from Jack in the 80's and thought this could be him. The photo credit "jack Walker" helped with that illusion as well. But it could very well be Larry... Its not really that important. As long as somebody finds Jack and ask him about that photo

 

The photo is of Jack, he is an old friend and I hope to see him at a show within the month.

Mick

 

Just spoke to Jack and he has the Winfield photo mentioned. He confirmed the 37 bumpers but thought the car could have originally been black, a real dark green or maroon , as well as the rest of the posted story.