The Eleventh Annual
Custom Clinic Photo Contest
 Expansive Designs!
by Mark S. Gustavson

The Eleventh Custom Clinic Contest was ably presented in the February 2006 issue of Scale Auto. Rather than simply reprint the written text here, for now, let's take a look at all of the winners using, wherever possible, images that were not presented in Scale Auto. The Custom Clinic Photo Contest expresses its gratitude to Scale Auto editor Jim Haught, and Kalmbach Publishing, for their continuing support of this contest and their willingness to permit the Clinic to present here, contemporaneously, supplemental coverage of the eleventh contest!

Please find below expanded styling analysis of the top 10 Senior winners. We'll upload the styling analysis of the Senior winners Eleven through Twenty when we find the time to pull the notes together!

Senior Class

First Place: Leonard Poppe's 1970.5 Camaro Roadster

Styling Analysis: There's not much to critique here, but a couple of changes could be considered: The rear quarter panels, despite the smart addition of the factory spoiler, as still too long. What if about 3 inches had been removed from the rear panels, aft of the wheel well, matched to a much small vertical section between the rear door edge and the leading edge of the rear wheel well. With shortened rear quarter panels, the too-tall rear deck lid spoiler could be dropped a bit, and how about just a modest rise in curvature of the rear fenders (kind of like a Bradley coke-bottle shape?). Also, the height of the Baldwin-style hood scoop is too tall and interrupts the beautiful flow of the C-5 'Vette A pillars into the cowl. The front end-- essentially stock here -- would benefit from deleting the inboard driving lights and moving them to the lower valence (that spoiler is too bold): the protruding front grille surround should be pulled back to the cowl a bit, too. Finally, the rear spoiler might have been made a part of the bodywork instead of an applique – imagine the quarter panel spoiler a co-planar part of the fenders rather than "planted" to the side of those fenders. Similarly, the center of the spoiler might have been molded into the trunk lid. Of particular consequence is Leonard's self-critique of his design. All in all, this is a very successful take on a venerable design. Now, when will this car be built full size?

Second Place: Steve Keck's Tuner Hybrid

Styling Analysis: The elements that work on one level hamper this design on another. Tuner cars have, de rigeur, an unrestrained, almost organic quality to them, but a few less overflowing lines would be appropriate here. The morphed rocker moldings battle with the strong horizontal door window line. The front valence virtually eliminates an everyday ramp angle (after all, cars should be capable of being driven without risking body damage from tar strips); in profile view, the heavy front valence does little but weigh down the body's appearance. Still, there is an enthusiasm about this design that is very appealing.

Third Place: Andy Kellock's Nomad SSR Concept

Styling Analysis: The height of the basic body overwhelms the roof which takes on, here, a too-low appearance. How about this alternate vision: Pie-section the body (with the most material removed from the rear, but still preserving a slight wedge shape) by cutting through the upper third of the rear fenders and terminating about halfway through the front fenders, and pull out about a 2" at the tallest part. Such a sectioning would reduce the height of the body and fender, but preserve the necessary height between the top of the rear fenders and the belt line. One more thought: what if the front of the B pillar matched the rear of the door line? If the roof wasn't extended, that would mean that the taillight gate would need to angle forward to parallel the B pillar and that would remove the necessity for the small fixed window that now leads the B pillar. This is a subtle and insightful design.

Fourth Place: Phil Dauphinee's ZOOMAD

Styling Analysis: The strong chrome elements in the rear aren't matched by the chrome-adverse front styling. More importantly, the difference between the belt line and the height of the cowl is too large. How about this: pie-section the front clip to reduce the height of the front fenders to be just a bit taller than the lower window line, and that would largely eliminate the curvature the crown atop the front fenders. The base of the A pillar, then, could be thinner.

Fifth Place: Mike Hartjes' 1960 Ford Starliner

Styling Analysis: The front grille area is a problem here. The lower front fenders – forward of the wheel well – should have been tucked in here: the shape here is too vertical and does little but present a large flat front panel. What about importing a '69 Cougar front bumper design (painted body color) to narrow and taper the front end? A wild idea: What about rescribing the front door line so that it commences (and tapers) at the base of the A pillar and terminates about four scale inches rearward? In the final analysis, this is a subtle custom that takes good advantage of the factory design.

Sixth Place: Louis Ranger's Ranchobishi

Styling Analysis: A lighter front clip could be achieved by sectioning the cowl and the top of the front fenders. By combining that effort and sweeping the hood back to the base of the windscreen, a more svelte design could be achieved; introducing an incut trough in the hood would pick up the roof scoop, thereby integrating the design. Also, how about angling the tailgate forward at a greater angle, and "thinner" tonneau cover would lighten the rear end -- a flush fit cover with an incut trough would further integrate this design. Though I've almost surrendered to the trend out of frustration, the tires/wheels here are way out scale to the vehicle. This is a wonderfully innovative take on a difficult-to-customize factory design.

Seventh Place: Jeffrey Harper's 1930's Custom Cabover

Styling Analysis: The basic design almost landed this entry in the Over The Top category. Though the GM Futurliner was as tall, the decision to make the entry setup this tall isn't dictated by its intended use; at once, the extreme height of the driver's seat is both wonderfully stylish and impractical. The trailer sides might be detailed a bit with a raised rib around the opening to suggest a protective clear cover, and how about a clear panel in the back of the roof so that following vehicles could enjoy the cargo? The embossed sweep on the side of the cab is great, and picks up the "movement" inherent in this graceful design.

Eighth Place Ron Fuehrer's 1959 Chevy

Styling Analysis: The leading edge and sharp upper corner of the roof don't work well here. The flattened front wheel wells in the factory design don't make sense on a fender that heavy. Enlarged rear wheel wells (perhaps replicating the revised front design) would relieve the massiveness of the rear quarter panels made more so by the heavy roof sides. The headlights protrude too far and would benefit from being recessed a bit into the sides of the front fenders. Also, how about a very thin horizontal chrome strip to visually break up the heavy body? The back of the roof resolves nicely into the trunk. These critiques aside, Ron has done a good job taking on a very difficult subject.

Ninth Place Chris LeFuze's 1951 Chevy Fleetline

Styling Analysis: The best part of this design is the really graceful chopped and modified roof is the best I've seen on this subject matter: the radius over the back seat and onto the trunk is terrific. Compared to that success, the mile-hood can't be explained – it is much too high and could be remedied by a substantial pie-shaped sectioning. The flared wheel wells are too heavy, and would be better if they were one-third as dramatic. Finally, the front grille area is too vertical – what about a modestly protruding grille shell with a bumper modified to fit? Still, this is a great effort.

Tenth Place R. Dennis Fleming's 1963 Chevy Sedan Delivery Phantom

Styling Analysis: The strength of this model is also a problem. There is just too much going on here. Though the styling elements generally work well together (except for the frantic hood) but a true phantom would be built to a single era and would present ideas limited to that time. This car needs chrome bumpers and taller front wheel wells. The rear skirts oddly work here (I generally despise skirts). This is a great effort that would benefit from less detail.

Eleventh Place: Andy Kellock Impaler

Twelfth Place: Stephen Delorey Trans Am Station Wagon Funnycar

Thirteenth Place: Rick Totty 1955 Chevy

Fourteenth Place: John Mahaffey 1965 Mustang/Predicta

Fifteenth Place: Todd Tanselle 1941 Plymouth Coupe

Sixteenth Place N Sunholm 1950 Ford

Seventeenth Place Kris Greensmith 1941 Lincoln

Eighteenth Place Phil Legg SSR Woody

Nineteenth Place Al Stout 1932 Ford Coupe

Twentieth Place R. Dennis Fleming 1958 Edsel

Over the Top Entries

First Place Greg Plummer Messershmitt KR 1200

Second Place: Keith Kaucher SOHC Rod

Third Place Jim Cassassa PT Cruiser Snow Machine

Fourth Place Ira Dahm '59 Cadillac Bubbletop

Junior Class

First place Ryan Williamson (17) 1949 Mercury

Ryan has participated for several years, and he just gets better and better. Just listen to the changes: Sectioned three inches, chopped the narrowed the windows to fit the roof, enlarged the side windows to preserve their usefulness. The windshield was enlarged, flattened out and the cowl was reshaped. The rear window was paneled in and then a new shape was created. Sections of 1960 Corvette rear quarter panels (swapped side to side) were adapted to the Mercury were added, as were revised 'Vette taillights. The hood was pie sectioned and shortened, and extended virtually to the base of the windshield. We could on for pages describing the additional details (check out the web site for a transcription of Ryan's thoughtful narrative) about this stunning custom.

Styling Analysis: There's not much to critique here, but let's take a run at it. The front fenders rise just after of the headlights and that distracts from the flow of the fenders. The wheel wells would look better if they were slightly flared, and the trunk is too wide at the forward edge. And the front fenders could be pulled in at the bottom a bit to avoid their bulbous appearance. Watch out, the Senior Class guys – next year, Ryan's in your category!

Second Place: Aimee Tanselle (15) 1971 Plymouth Duster

Aimee is a returning Junior Class competitor and her work just gets better and better. Aimee added a T-top, removed the side character line, cleaned up the trunk, scratch built a delicate spoiler, and added a hood scoop from a '63 Impala, and molded the front end. Our winner removed the window moldings, and filled in the side marker lights.

Styling Analysis: The front lower pan is too low and blocky. This is an excellent effort and suggests that when Aimee joins the Senior Class, a lot of older builders are going to have real trouble on their hands.

Third Place Adam Carroll (13) VW Golf II GTI

(Sorry, no picture available).

Our third place winner, new to the contest, cut off the roof and made a fresh windshield from acetate. The body and interior were brush painted and side mirrors from a Dodge Ram pickup were added.

Styling Analysis: This is a nice, clean job and suggests that we'll enjoy Adam's work for years to come!