Car Modeler/Custom Clinic Second Annual Photo Contest Winners Places 1-10
First Place:
Richard Bartusek 1995 Avanti "Styling Exercise"
"Richard's entry is one of the most thoughtful customs that I have ever seen. Intending to create a modern incarnation of Raymond Loewy's great design, Richard used a wide array of parts (including Miata, Stealth, Viper GTS, Supra and a Chevy Nomad) to produce a fresh reinterpretation of the great Avanti. Of particular interest is neat integration of the dramatic front headlights into the original "fin" which runs from the front fenders, across the top of the doors and onto the rear quarter panels. The new taillights honor the shape of the originals while the "B" pillar neatly resolves the roof onto the rear quarter panels. The only criticisms of Richard's design are the inclusion of the rear spoiler (which compromises the design), the graphics on the rear quarter panels which seem to break up the beautiful design of the car; also, the tires are too wide (they should be tucked flush with the fenders) . . . All in all, this model a tour de force and best of a stunning array of excellent custom model."
Second Place
Joel Dirnberger "The Shark"
Joel took an enormous risk in the creation of The Shark, an amalgam of a '63 Corvette body and '32 Chevy Roadster fenders and frame. Inspired by the designs of GM designers Bill Mitchell, Larry Shinoda and Harry Bradley, this model manages to mate together vastly disparate styling elements into a cohesive whole. The lengthened front side body panels permits the retention of the original '32 Chevy proportions. The rear deck fin is a neat trick (one used recently by the famed Harry Bradley on his J30), the excellent retention of the factory Corvette hood blister was wisely picked up on the trunk; however, the windshield could have been just a bit taller. The use of the hand-fashioned wire wheels is an oblique touch which genuinely adds to the overall design. The Shark is a precarious project which really paid off.
Third Place:
Paul Brown 1958 Chevy Convertible
Though by no means the most aggressive custom entered in the phot contest, Paul's version shows an awareness of proportion. The traditional continental spare tire was positioned between lengthened rear fenders. The new white convertible top was matched by a new white inset panel on the side of the front fenders and the door: That new trim draws the eye downward and breaks up the vast expanse of the slab-sided '58 Chevy and the prominent chrome header band leading the convertible top balances out the chrome windshield frame. The front end has been neatly restyled using a '57 Buick grille and the sparse use of chrome between the taillight (below the Conny kit) evidence an awareness of the need to make consistent the use of chrome on the front and rear of the vehicle. However, the rear fender skirts add a really heavy styling element to the vehicle which tends to add a "leaden" look to the rear fender. Though it has a few hiccups, this is a beautiful model which evidences a good use of color.
Fourth Place:
Jim Walker '41 Lincoln
Jim captured principal elements of the Art Deco era with his gracefully restyled 1941 Lincoln Continental. Interestingly, Jim chopped the factory convertible top and windshield pillars (almost too far but not quite) and then converted it to a hardtop configuration; the retention of the slight raised rib on the roof neatly avoids the "aircraft carrier" look that might have otherwise occurred. Also, the character line just above the smallish rear window relieves the otherwise overly heavy roof from a rear view. The front fenders were rounded and trimmed and relieved for installation of the lake pipes which lighten up the slab sides of the body. The restyled Continental kit retains an important link to the car's past and seems in place with the rest of the styling. Flawlessly applied black lacquer is the crowning touch. The only objectionable feature is the odd and inexplicable use of the Appleton spots which really break up the smooth look of an otherwise beautiful model.
Fifth Place:
Dan Travis '53 Ford Pickup.
It is hard to do anything fresh with the '53 to '56 Ford F-1 pickup series. However, Dan has managed to try some fresh approaches and they paid off well and some of his visual tricks helped distinguish his truck from the excellent Sixth Place Ford truck. Dan subtly sectioned the body and the hood and dropped the cab over the frame and then pancaked the hood. The tailgate was very nicely restyled by leaning it forward and then attaching the bed to raised and customized rear fenders. The exhaust pipes are a nostalgia touch reminiscent of the original Dream Truck as are the canted front headlights which are a tip of the hat to Barris' Wildcat pickup. There are a few problems, though: The vertical exhaust stacks are out of place as are the front bumperettes which conflict with the horizontal rear bumperettes. The heavy near vertical aspect of the doors might have been avoided by slightly rolling them under to mimic the nicely redone front fenders which were reshaped to lighted up the front end. However, all in all, this is a nicely-executed nostalgic custom truck.
Sixth Place:
Rick Johnston '56 Ford Pickup
Rick's truck, built in a modern idiom, is really well done with most of the custom work requiring a close look. The body was channeled, and the hood was sectioned to lay down the nose, thereby avoiding the "dolphin nose" look which really disrupts the styling of most pickups. Rick restrained himself and subtly chopped the top, laying back the "A" pillars to maintain the proportion of the top. The heavy kit running boards were discarded and replaced with much thinner, units. The suicide hinged doors "work" with the modern styling and the use of color (red exterior, multi-hued grey interior) is excellent. The only quarrel I have with the model is the heavy rolled pan sitting underneath the neat scratch built grille which not only make the front end too weighty but would interfere with everyday driving; additionally, the header bar above the windshield comes down too far into the sweep of the glass. Having said that, Rick's model is graceful and thankfully free of gee-gaws.
Seventh Place:
Vernon Overby '53 Chevy Coupe
By the interesting use of 1957 Corvette clips and a rear roof section from a '70 Eldorado, Vern has created a significant restyling of the clunky '53 Chevy. The protruding '57 Vette headlights work well on this model which also features the pontoon rear quarter panel styling from the same Corvette. The gentle "V," Brian Borden-esque, rear window treatment really works with the lengthy rear clip. Vern used a disciplined approach to front clip styling by using a simple bar grille separating two turn lights. The introduction of vents into the leading edge of the rear fenders relieves the heaviness along the side of the body. There are a couple of styling glitches, though, which interrupt the overall interesting design: The rear quarter panels are just a bit too long, the graphics interfere with the overall graceful design, the hood "bullnose" could be lowered a bit, and the leading edge of the "B" pillar shouldn't be vertical. However, this is possibly the best styled '53 Chevy created in a very long time."
Eighth Place:
Jamie Ivey '51 Chevy
Representing the traditional, "leadsled" customizing school, Jamie's Chevy evidences an awareness of historic customizing trends. After the top was chopped, a '49 Merc rear window was installed after which a '57 Buick style roof splits which proceed across the rear window and onto the trick. Canted dual headlights were installed with the top light protruding above the lower one which creates a "forward leaning" style which is picked up again on the custom taillights. The heavy slab sides were relieved by two character lines, starting above the front and rear wheels, and then curving gently down ward: That is a particularly graceful trick as is the fact that Jamie lowered the hood and cowl. There are only a couple of problems with the styling once you understand what Jamie was trying to accomplish: The front chrome grille is anomalous in both its shape and chrome finish (a smaller opening with a simple horizontal bar grille set up would have better matched the rest of the model) and the rear rolled pan is too vertical and should have been rolled under in a shape which could have picked up the slant of the taillight pods. Painted in GM's Black Cherry lacquer, the model is an excellent example of traditional custom styling.
Ninth Place:
Gene Vasquez Replica of Dick Gregg's '50 Ford Ranchero
Inspired by the '50 Ford Ranchero constructed by Richard Greg in 1959, Gene did an admirable job of picking up many of the vintage custom's styling themes and avoiding the errors in the Gregg car. First, Gene leaned the leading edge of the "B" pillar forward, thereby avoiding the overly boxy look of the original car. In the same vein, Gene installed larger taillights necessary to balance out the rearmost aspect of the car. Gene also, thankfully, avoided installing the exhaust-style handrails installed on top of the bed-to-rear fender interface on the Gregg car. To build his model, Greg chopped the top and, using sections from a '34 Ford roof, completed the rear of the cab. It would have been better to avoid the fluted lake pipes which create an unpleasant visual disturbance at the bottom of the model as does the heavy scallop on the hood. Still, Gene has set a new trend: Picking up cues from a famous custom and doing a better job with the custom theme.
Tenth Place:
Bill Taylor '92 Caprice Sport Coupe
Veteran builder Bill Taylor has done probably the best version yet of converting the Caprice 4-door sedan into a sleek coupe. Bill accomplished that objective by changing the rules of the game and taking chances: The car is just a two-seater, he stretched the doors to permit better access to the rear storage area while maintaining a graceful, continuous sweep from the front fender, across the roof and onto the rear quarter panels. Bill was astute when he replaced the awful Caprice taillights, opting for the alternative GM (Corvette) design of two round taillights per side. Up front, Bill laid back the front fascia by discarding the Caprice grille (replacing it with a heavily modified Beretta unit), thereby creating a more flowing shape at the leading edge of the car. Despite the design-disrupting presence of the rear spoiler and the out of scale hood louver panels, Bill's Caprice stands out as a very well thought out, expertly-executed, fresh approach to an old subject.
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