The Eighth Annual
Custom Clinic Photo Contest
by Mark S. Gustavson

Entering its eighth year, our Custom Clinic Photo Contest has entered a new phase as dramatic as any since the inception of this unique contest. More than in any previous year, most of the entrants this year have gone beyond the "I glued on this fascia piece to the front fender" to more sophisticated work matched by erudite styling discussions and, most heartening, some self-critique. In particular, Morgan Barclay, Joshua Olm, Olivier Galgani, wrote insightful narratives and our top winner, Greg Plummer, cheerfully critiqued his own model when finished and offered suggestions about it might be improved.

Our contest continues to prosper. This year, we had 63 entries from 53 contestants. Our junior entrants continue to participate with remarkable results, this year presenting models better in quality and design than any in the past. Importantly, this year's contest exhibits an expanding interest in exploring venues other than those found in traditional customizing: we have phantom pickups, sports customs, modern styling efforts, insightful Over the Top models as well as more traditional custom models. This kind of diversity gives life to the idea that customs are not limited to a specific venue or era.

Finally, we are working hard here in Salt Lake to feature all of the winners from the first seven years of our contest on the newly revised Custom Clinic page (check in the revised site at: www.customclinic.com). With the gracious cooperation of Kalmbach Publishing which has permitted us to scan the photos and text from past contests, we hope to have all the winners and many of the runners up featured by late April. Of course, the winners of this contest and many of the runners-up will also be featured. Thanks, Terry and Pat, for your generous help with this effort!

Next year, I'll present an extensive how-to article on the nearly finished and redesigned Dream Truck 2 which will follow a full color feature in Scale Auto. After long years of work, it's just about done!

As you look over this year's winners, consider how you would have styled these entries. We'll be back next year, in Car Modeler 2003, with our ninth contest so start to think about your entry, tell me about your styling decisions and processes, and above all, have funny throwing some putty!

 Even amid a field of terrific models, Greg's entry stood out. Mixing classic car elements with modern hot rod idioms, Greg has fashioned a graceful, art deco scale custom. AMT's Wagon Rod kit was mated to the fenders and hood from Pyro's vintage Cord 801 kit. The Cord front fenders were widened and moved forward so that the center line of the axle was in front of the leading edge of the grille. With disdain for designs upset by speed bumps, Greg's model sits high enough to be realistically driven. The sharp contrast between the Bordeaux red pearl and light ash wood highlights, this is a great design that successfully accomplishes what too few even attempt.

Styling Analysis: This terrific effort might have benefitted from a few changes. First, the triangle shape of the door glass frame is too great and produces a side glass area that is out of proportion: imagine a lengthened door featuring half the current angle at the B pillar? . Second, the sweep of the wood on the leading edge of the quarter panel creates too much tension with the graceful rear fender. Imagine deleting the wood, and replacing it with a flush inset brushed aluminum strip leading from the side of the hood around the quarter panels and then connecting with the other side? This is so graceful -- who would have thought that Cord design elements would lend themselves to intelligent custom restyling?

Second Place: Integra C-K
by Ken Shanks

 Well acquainted with the early Fifties Studebaker design work of Bob Bourke, Ken wanted to take a run at preserving the traditional genius of the design with a modern fastback roofline. Starting with the Integra body, Ken removed everything from the belt line down and replaced those parts with '53 Studebaker panels. Our entrant mated the belt line and deck lid at the C pillars of the Integra to resolve the high belt line of the Integra with the Studebaker's low trunk. Because the wheelbase of the two body shapes didn't mate, the front wheel well was moved forward. This is an aggressive, risk-taking design effort that successfully fuses a fast back roofline to the immortal Studebaker body.

Styling Analysis: The rear quarter panels are a bit too tall atop the upper arch of the rear wheel well. Think about this: What if the rear wheel well were opened up vertically -- just a bit -- into the rear quarter panel matched by a very modest lowering of the body? In the alternative: what about a very slight pie shape body sectioning to reduce the height of the body at the rear? The vestigial fin atop the rear quarter panels could be removed to help with this subtle problem and the upper extension of the windshield is too tall for the side glass. The front grille might be improved if narrowed a bit so that it doesn't threaten to wrap around the side of the fenders. Regardless, this very risky effort really works!

Third Place: '54 Lincoln Capri
by Morgan Barclay

 In contrast to the contemporary designs of the first and second place winners, Morgan's entry pulls us back hard to the history of custom car design. Our entrant started with a discarded large scale die-cast model and decided to build a slick, traditional custom. Using clay, he cast a fiberglass drop-on roof that invokes Oberhansian's epochal Mercury. Scratchbuilt plexiglass taillights, frenched headlights, a channeled body, the GM "peak" down the hood, rear chrome plated bumpers, and a light year-deep crimson paint job set distinguish this traditional custom from lesser efforts.

Styling Analysis: The front bumper should either be raised substantially or sectioned to permit the car, if real, to be used: ramp angles are important. The angled chrome insert on the rear quarter panels greatly disrupts the beautiful sweep of the rear fenders. The front wheel well opening is too low and squared off. Finally, the roof too strongly over hangs the door glass and windshield: what if the glass area were moved up into the roof a bit to improve the proportions and usability? This is a splendid example of auto as art.

Fourth Place: Corvette Fantasy
by Dennis Ezmerlian

 This entry moves onto fresh territory by not only mating a Mythos with a C6 Vette, but also re-creates the "sports custom' tradition that briefly blossomed about 50 years ago. Dennis merged the bold side panels from the Mythos kit to the front and rear fascias of the latest-gen Corvette. Our entrant raised the Vette rear panel to which he added a shadow of a spoiler. The engine cover was lengthened , small indents were filed behind the glass that was thinned out to better fit the new design, the windshield was raked, a divider window was added, and the hood was reshaped and shortened. The remarkable thing about this model is that Dennis has successfully merged such disparate shapes and styling themes.

Styling Analysis: A few styling anomalies - no one of which is serious by itself -- burden this design: first, the Vette rear fascia should be widened a bit to avoid the dramatic taper and vestigial vertical shape that appear at the back; second, the strong horizontal rectangular shape at the bottom of the rear quarter panel – forward of the wheel – should be eliminated; third, the front wheel should be relocated forward to better balance the shapes forward of the center line of the door. Dennis, and others, should continue to successfully explore this fertile custom ground.

Fifth Place: 1962 Thunderbird
by Phil Dauphinee

 Ford's bullet 'Bird was a ground breaking design that was so good that most restyling efforts were either unsuccessful or ending up being irrelevant because not much was changed. Ford's design study – the Italien, Barris' Styline 'Bird (first version) and several of Starbird's efforts were about the only successful cars. But Phil has broken some new ground in this subtle effort. After ash canning the doors handles, emblems and top of fender trim, Phil molded on the front and rear bumpers, preserving only the chrome taillight surround. The rear wheel flare thankfully matches the front opening and spares the viewer the sight of a monolithic rear quarter panel. Sensitive to the height of the front bumper, Phil added a lower horizontal piece to better balance shape and laid back the A pillars (to increase the slick up the profile of the windshield) and chopped the convertible top.

Styling Analysis: Let's think outside the box on this one: How about shortening the front fenders just a bit forward of the leading door edge; how about cutting about 3 scale inches out of the rear quarter windows to reduce the long overhang? There are a couple of odd errors in this design: The surviving partial rear bumper chrome is out of place – a better idea would have been to retain only a modest chrome surround to flank the taillight lens. And the factory silver muffler is really annoying – it just disrupts the eye line along the rear quarter panel (why not hide it up under the fender?). Taken as a whole this restrained and disciplined customizing effort is really pleasant.

Sixth Place: 1951 Chevy
by Al Stout

Of all the postwar cars, the fastback Chevies were among the most dramatic. With pontoon fenders and a daring roofline, that design was certainly different from those from Ford and Chrysler. Starting with a Flintstone body, Al set about to resculpt and personalize the resin body and correct its styling anomalies and ended up creating almost an overly dramatic, swoopy design. Al shaved all the emblems, extended the rear fenders, reshaped the swept-back roofline, added a frenched rear grille, filled in the quarter windows and frenched the headlights while removing the resin hood and adding a kit part to achieve a more delicate shape.

Styling Analysis: This is just a monolithic model the delightful ponderousness of which might be relieved by a slightly sectioned body (ala Valley Custom's Goulart Oldsmobile), a lengthened door to permit longer window glass, and a body shortened aft of a vertical line drawn from the back of the rear tire. The horizontally laid taillights are also out of place: think about thin slit lenses set lengthwise into the upper crease of the rear fenders. A thin horizontal front grille bar – flanked by small turnlight lenses – would have avoided the toothy grille appearance. Finally, there shouldn't be a vent window assembly – the incut for the body color assembly really disrupts the side of the roof. Regardless, there is a lot to applaud in this design that evokes memories of Bailon's Miss Elegance.

Seventh Place: 1965 Volkswagen
by Morgan Barclay

 Seldom seen in custom circles, the traditional Beetle is a fertile field for restyling. Morgan's entry is a menu of radical customizing techniques successfully portrayed: the top has been chopped, recontoured and repositioned. The A pillars have been laid back, the door and quarter window openings have been re-arched while the B pillars were removed, the backlight was enlarged, the fenders have been reshaped; and the doors have been reshaped -- I could go on for another 400 words. Here's the kicker: all this work was done to a pressed steel model made by Tonka Toy! Real bodywork (welding, hammering, lead work, you name it) was carried out to modify and finish this lovely custom.

Styling Analysis: Inspired by the work of Harry Westergaard, this is a custom tour de force though a few modifications might have improved an already remarkable design. The smooth radius of front fenders are interrupted by a 'bump' just above the back third of the radius of the tire: the largely straight line leading to the quad headlights would be improved by a continuous curve. The A pillars are too thick. Finally, the front fascia is too low and might have been relieved by moving upward the rolled pan – imagine the hood-to-valence interface with less material there. This aggressive design artfully captures the coachwork era of custom car history

Eighth Place: 1958 Chevy Panel
by Ferby Miguel

 Chosing an unlikely subject and showing he's no stranger to hard work, Ferby has produced a wild custom that matches sharp restyling touches with a flowing paint job that enhances, rather than hinders, his design objectives. Our entrant chopped the Impala top and then removed most of it so that a '54 Chevy panel roof (which had to be widened to fit the broader body) could be added. The factory "fins" were straightened, lengthened to transverse onto the doors, and amended so that the wrap around 'return' was deleted. The pancaked hood sits above a wide molded grille shell populated by colored steel mesh. Ferby added a flare around the entire bottom of the car, and terminating, on both sides, atop the front wheel wells.

Styling Analysis: This interesting panel wagon is weighted down with a few anomalies: The front wheel well should be raised to create a punctuated point of interest, the spotlights interrupt the smooth design, the two round taillights should be replaced with a horizontal slit shape that wraps around the body as an echo to the skirts, and the exhaust pipes should be tucked up into the body work to avoid what appears to be an afterthought. Taken as a whole, this model is a strong styling statement of an important trend in custom car building.

Ninth Place: Futura Fantasy
by Dan Thomas

Dan asks an interesting question: what if Gene Winfield, and not George Barris, had acquired the famed Lincoln Futura dream car from Ford? Dan correctly answers the questionl. The first thing to be discarded were the anarchronistic twin bubbles which were replaced by a narrowed '94 Mustang roof. The fins and the headlight shrouds were significantly re-angled, and the headlights were deeply tunneled. The Futura bumpers were molded in and the model treated to a scale version of the trademark "Winfield" fog paint job.

Styling Analysis: This is a swoopy, graceful coupe that is burdened with a few problems. There are too many shapes on the hood and surrounding front fenders. Imagine the front clip without the inboard grille work adjacent to the headlights and without the vestigial scoop on the hood which only hints at, rather than function as, a scoop. The angled sweep of the rear fender-to-grille transition is too dramatic, too. Finally, what if the distance between the rear extension of the front wheel well and the leading edge of the door had been reduced by a quarter? Despite these styling burps, there is much to admire in this artful restyling of the Futura.

Tenth Place: Mustang Pickup Truck
by Ronald Fuehrer

Turning a Mustang into a Ranchero has happened before; Ron's effort is particularly skillful. Starting with a '96 Monogram Cobra convertible kit, Ron stretched the Mustang body in two places (between the rear of the door and the rear axle, and again between the center line of the third member and the taillights) to accommodate the full length '61 AMT Ranchero bed and half the roof. The unibody was stretched to match.

Styling Analysis: The decision to stretch the body in two places was a smart move given the intent to make a genuinely utilitarian vehicle (what sense would it have been to install an abbreviated bed?). The rectilinear '61 Ranchero B pillars are in harsh contrast to the curvaceous Mustang body; perhaps a wider B pillar, angled slightly forward, would better fit the rest of the design. The tulip panel, just below and behind the B pillar, rises up a bit when it shouldn't and is just a bit too wide. Though a lot of work, perhaps the bed could have been widened a bit, or the body sectioned, width-wise, to more tightly fit the Ranchero bed. This business-like design is well done, and anticipates the realistic uses to which such a design would be put.

Eleventh place: 1936 Ford
by Mark Dean

Returning to a very traditional customizing venue, Mark's smooth 1936 Ford roadster represents many historic design details. All exterior chrome was removed , the headlights were set low and frenched into the front fenders, a recessed license plate holder was fashioned, and a wider-than-kit LaSalle-esque front grille shell was fashioned. The windshield frame was chopped and laid back a bit to meet a scratchbuilt soft top. Teardrop skirts match were fitted as well as ribbed bumpers.

Styling Analysis: Though I generally don't favor skirts, there is a kind of esthetic honesty in this model because they are so obviously part of the styling (why mold skirts to fenders and eliminate the line suggesting functionality?). The stretched pod tailights fit the design as do the headlights. However, the model sits too low - without an hydraulic or similar powered suspension lifts, how could such a car ever be driven? There is also something important about keeping the round radius of the tire and wheel as part of the design. This design, though uncomplicated by modern standards, reminds us of the roots of the custom car hobby.

Twelfth Place: 1962 Thunderbird
by Keith Kaucher

The bullet 'Birds are popular now. Keith's entry is an interesting one that attempts to merge a Corvette greenhouse to the T-Bird. Because of the foreshortened roof , the rear quarter panels were shorted a scale seven inches and sections of Predicta fins were added to restore and enhance the 'Bird fins. The hood was extended over the front grille to frame the plexiglas headlights. Finally, the rear wheel well openings from a '59 Chevy were employed to sidestep the prosaic factory shapes.

Styling Analysis: The roof is entirely too small for this body and it's the wrong shape. This is a big body and it needs equally bold A pillars and a roof. The sharp radius of the backlight doesn't fit the body, and the strong black glass surrounds don't help though the sharp rake of the A pillars work well. What if the sail panels from a '66 GTO or a '72 Vette had been added to the center section of the roof? This is a svelte, risk-taking 'Bird that is generally successful.

Thirteenth Place: 1949 Mercury
by Andy Kellock

There is a real risk that no new custom '49-'51 Mercury – no matter how interesting or well executed – will escape the almost inevitable enui that greets these cars these days. But Andy has done some interesting things with his entry. Andy cross-pollinated his model by installing the full custom front headlight set and hood from AMT's '50 Ford kit. The top was removed, and a Carson-style top was fitted. Strongly styled skirts, that resolve into the platform rear bumper, were fashioned and molded to the rear quarter panels.

Styling Analysis: The custom front grille surround and hood delightfully avoid the inevitable bug-eye look of the Mercury: we are spared another droopy-eyed custom. The almost too-long cowl is much better, though, than the heavy and ponderous rear bumper which just weights this model down. The continental kit, perched above the industrial-strength rear bumper, is out of place. Finally, the leading edge of the top shouldn't overhang the windshield outline; rather, a smooth continuous line between the A pillars to the padded top would be more elegant. Regardless, Andy has achieved some new styling features that are very appealing.

Fourteenth Place: '56 Nomad
by Derek Redman

Chevy Nomads are not common custom fare -- the well-regarded graceful roof almost militates against significant restyling. Nevertheless, Derek has taken on a formidable task and has come up with an interesting custom. Our entrant sawed the '56 Nomad body about halfway up the body (under the headlights and taillights, thereby preserving the side trim) to which he added the lower body half of an Aoshima Nissan Leopard 4dr Sedan. This unusual mating has produced a susprisingly modest result revealed only by the rounded wheelwells with mudguards, a shelf-like rear bumper, and a bulging from bumper/grille combination.

Styling Analysis: The protruding front and rear bumper fascias weigh down this design -- a problem made worse by the unexplained lower front chrome shape. The paint stripe along the side unfavorably competes with the chrome trim (that should be eliminated because of the rounded front wheel well). Let's think about these changes: what if the leading edge of the hood had been stretched forward in a gentle sweep and what if the taillights had been extended a bit and the rear fascia pulled in just a little? Still, Derek's approach suggests other equally imaginative efforts.

Fifteenth Place: 1953 Ford
by Davis Lauer

1953 and '54 Fords have been traditional subjects for customizers and this soft top '53 well represents conservative custom sentiments. Starting by removing the Vicky roof from the Lindberg kit, Davis narrowed and adapted the padded roof from AMT's 1950 Ford kit and the front custom grille set up from the 1956 Ford kit. Our entrant also extended downward to the rocker panel the rear fender 'scoop' shape while removing all exterior trim and adding a rear rolled pan. Davis also added chrome trim to the lower edge of the roof, as well as hood louvers and a recessed antenna.

Styling Analysis: This is a wonderfully restrained traditional custom that avoids most of the hiccups of the era. The reshaped rear quarter panels are well done though the shape of the skits fights the forward angle of the stillborn scoop. The lengthened headlight pods nicely overhang the pointed front custom grille. The soft top, though, is entirely too long in profile view: think about a top that is shorter (thereby extending the tulip panel and permitting a longer trunk) with a wider door with a corresponding wider door glass shape. This model sits high enough to actually see road use, and pleasingly presents restrained custom techniques.

Sixteenth Place: '41 Ford Woody
Olivier Galgani

 We were waiting for a custom Ford woody to appear. Olivier's effort is neat and nicely circumscribed. Check out the work: The front grille was widened, the factory headlights panelled over, the chrome moldings removed, a rag top sunroof was installed after which a pleasant and unusual paint scheme was applied. Styling

Analysis: This effort could benefit from just a bit more work. First, the leading edge of the hood sits way too high – in fact, the profile view almost suggests that the hood ramps upward toward the nose: What about a pie-shaped sectioning to drop the nose ? With the tailights placed above the license plate, an opportunity was missed to have set them into the vertical woodwork or into the trailing edge of the fender. Finally, the transition between the sides of the front fenders and the front fender fascia produces an essentially flat panel. Nevertheless, this and our first place winner strongly suggest that custom wood wagons are an untaped custom venue.

Seventeenth Place: 1950 Chevy
by Takahiko Nakakoji

This outrageous custom truck features an astute combination of unlikely parts mixed with a bit of scratchbuilding. Mating the '50 Chevy cab and front clip to a '96 Dodge Ram (dually) rear clip, Takahiko has created an interesting design. The front and rear fenders were extended, and the body-painted stock grille sits between wedge-shaped headlights, set vertically. The steeply raked A pillars sweep quickly to the rear quarter panels which resolve, around back, into a horizontal taillight set below the tailgate. The strong sweep of the bodysides are interrupted by blistered rear fender appliques to cover the dual rear wheels.

Styling Analysis: The principal problem with this design is the stock hood (which just perches atop the front fenders) which uncomfortably transitions to the too-steep A pillars to a roof that isn't tall enough for the enormous body. The distance between the A and B pillars is almost too great and should be defined by a suggestion of a door line. Think about these changes: Raise the roof about 2 scale inches, dramatically reduce the height of the cowl and hood, and then deeply pie-cut the hood so that less -steep A pillars sweep quickly downward across the hood to the grille shell. Finally, how about a very modest body sectioning just above the horizontal line atop the blistered rear fenders?

Eighteenth Place: 1949 Mercury
By Andy Swindlehurst

It's hard to do something fresh with the venerable '49 Mercury. Most custom 'Mercs are just sad cliches. However, Andy has pulled off a few styling tricks here that help distinguish his model from lesser efforts. First, our entrant steeply chopped the roof, enlarged the rear window, and treated the body to a 6 mm section. A '50 Chevy front grille was fit. The hood was pancaked and the trunk was shortened 8 mm thereby reconciling it the customized rear quarter panels. Finally the body was significantly channeled over the stock frame to produce a much more lithe design than the factory offering.

Styling Analysis: The character line proceeding from the front clip to the doors just disappears on the rear quarter panels and right at the door edge: it would have been better to continue the definitive line on the door to the rear fenders about 8 scale inches and then, perhaps, fade it away. The roof just above the windows sits too low as does the windshield: you can reduce the height of a roof and avoid too-think glass -- how about just removing some material in that area and then extending the sides of the roof to the outside a bit to avoid the teapot look? The stock bumpers are out of place – imagine the same basic shape with the goofy factory bumper guards removed and then reduced in height by half? Finally, how about some stylish taillights – perhaps first-gen Miata lenses set upright into the rounded corners of the top of the rear fenders?

Nineteenth Place: 1957 Chevy Truck
By Richard Perez

There is a well established custom tradition of building 'phantom' vehicles that represent the builder's view of how a particular car should have been designed. Richard has created an intriguing vision of what GM might have done four and a half decades ago. Our entrant mated the front clip of the passenger car to the cab of a '65 truck by widening the truck body to match the wider passenger car parts; the front bumper was lowered.. The top was modestly chopped, and the visor reduced in length.

Styling Analysis: There is a lot of promise in this design that could be improved by some changes: Shorten the front clip just a bit forward of the leading edge of the wheel well, and then reduce the wrap around length of the bumper. The entire front clip might have been lowered a bit (with respect to the cowl) to avoid the hint of uphill slant. How about moving the rear fendesr forward to reduce the gap, and then delete the side pipes which only weigh down the overall design. Richard's onto something here!

Twentieth Place: 1954 Chevy
by Mickey Millinor

Amid the array of aggressive bodywork, there will always be a role for the modestly rendered custom. Mickey has provided us with a good example this year by fashioning this very nostalgic piece. He pancaked the hood, removed handles and ornamentation, extended the rear fenders and frenched in some lights and mounted a continental kit. A Corvette multi-tooth grille finished up the front.

Styling Analysis: The fundamentally good low-key customizing job might be improved with a few amendments: The rear quarter panel side trim might have been lengthened a bit to accomodate the longer fender length. The headlight pods might have been moved down a bit, and the hood sectioned, to remove the "prow-up" tendency in the front end. Removing the chrome rocker panel molding and lower/rounded rear fender chrome trim would clean up the side and add to the apparent length of this model. The bumpers should have been shaved of the vertical elements to be rid of some baroque detail.

Valley Custom Distinguished Styling Analysis Awards:

Greg Plummer and Morgan Barclay

Honorable Mentions:

Beatnik Beatle by Ferby Miguel

1962 Thunderbird by Goran Sedvall (Sweden)

1960 Plymouth auto pickup (Bill Taylor)

Petite Cruiser by John Dutze

'53 Ford pickup by Denny Johansson (Sweden)

'57 Chevy wagon by Richard Totty

Junior Class Entries:

First Place:1957 Chevy
By Joshua Mathisen (12).

Joshua's entry shows real sensitivity to basic, if modest, customizing concepts. Our young builder (just 12!) shaved the peak from the top of the fenders, removed the rain gutters and door handles and deleted the chrome speak atop the rear quarter panels down to just above the taillights. A sparkling candy red paint job top off this great job.

Styling Analysis: In keeping with the mild custom goal of our young entrant, how about removing the lower rear quarter panel chrome trim, leaving only the upper part? This would emphasis the "Darrin Dip" inherent in these cars. '56 Oldsmobile headlights would be a welcome change, as would a full height frenched taillight that would end just above the bumper (the rest of the chrome would hit the can). The twin hood bullets would go, to replaced by simple frenched openings back by dark mesh. In a wilder moment, how about widening the entirety of the B pillar to mimic the graceful design of Ford's '60 and '61 Starliner roof?

Second Place: Volkswagen
by Joshua Olm (Australia) (15)

In an accompanying 7-page text (with drawings!) that would put many of the adults to shame, young Joshua explained that he glued the trunk to the body then removed every emblem, door line and other obnoxious chrome part that the model featured. Our entrant filled in the headlights on this drag bug,, enlarged the side windows, molded the fenders to the body, radiused the front wheel wells, and removed the incut roof character line along with the drip rails. The lower rear valence was cut out for a bit of chrome, two bullet taillights, and a license plate.

Styling Analysis: The Beetle is, well, so ugly that almost anything done to modify it is an improvement. The enlarged glass areas is a smart move, though the absence of headlights is as problem. The Firebird air scoops are an afterthought and interrupt the smooth transition between the front fender and the door. Consider these suggestions: What about a sweeping custom made taillight that originates midway up the middle of the fenders, sweeps down, and then runs horizontally to match the mirror-image line from the other side? How about some Mercedes S-Class headlight pods? What about widening the rear fenders, right at the center point rather than adding a flare?

Third Place: Caprice El Camino
by Ben Hokay (17)

Our third place Junior entry has crafted an unusual El Camino. Starting with the Alternomad kit, Ben chopped the roof and created a pickup bed. Our entrant made a tonneau cover from masking tape dropped the suspension.

Styling Analysis: The basic problem with the kit, not resolved here, is how to resolve the sharp crease flowing forward from the fin to the flat surface of the front fenders. This is an interesting take on the Alternomad and, frankly, an improvement over the kit design.

Over the Top Entries:

It is a rare thing when two elegant, well-thought out models so clearly dominate the much-prized Over the Top section of the Custom Clinic Photo Contest. The work of Steven Hinson and John Sowinski is so well done and executed that they dominated this class. Check out their first-rate work:

First Place:Yellow Coupe
by John Sowinski

Starting with the Pie Wagon, John removed the top the then pie-cut a section from the body to narrow it to accept the Aluma Coupe roof. The hood was narrowed, also, to achieve a triangular shape. The arching flares about the rear wheels were made from solder and were designed to mirror the original middle flaring of the body. The rear deck is the trunk from the Chezoom kit, cut to fit the roof, and then rolled into a rear rolled pan.

Styling Analysis: What's to say? This is sculpture without any pretension for ergonomics or ramp angles. There is a graceful movement between the area forward of the engine, beneath the side glass and then over the rear wheels.

Second Place: Star Fink
by Steven Hinson

Steve's artful interpretation of Roth's styling themes is right on the money. Joining parts from the Pod Racer kit with a lot of scratchbuilding and kit bashing, Steve's design picks up on the headlight design, the flared fins, the motorcycle themes in Roth history, central pod gauge and dramatic panel painting.

Styling Analysis: This is another wonderful bit of auto art. Roth would love it!

Third Place: 1949 Mercury
 By Bob Leslie

I'll be no one thought of this treatment for a '49 Mercury before! Wow! Too-tall fins (from a '60 Plymouth) flank a '67 Chevy roof, and a '53 'Vette front clip surely change the character of the Mercury.

Styling Analysis: Look, what's the point? This is another example of high-style auto art that challenges conventional custom wisdom. Long live fins and gorgeous paint!

Third Place: Sidewinder
by Mike Sarris

The Dodge Sidewinder is an interesting concept vehicle, made more unusual by Mike's wild decision to mate two kits to produce this 6-wheel pickup.

Styling Analysis: The problems with the factory design persist here. The door is too short, the incut gap between the back of the cab and the blistered fender flares that cover the rear wheels is jarring, and the angle at the back of the cab serves no purpose. Still, Mike has created a light, frothy design that is surprisingly engaging.