For a lot of people, George Barris still is, six years after his death, the biggest name in custom American cars. He is the man responsible for a huge number of unique rides, most of them made famous by movies, and he is also the man responsible for what is described as “the most famous custom car of the classic era.”
That would be the heavily modified 1951 Mercury we have here, known to the greater world as the Hirohata Mercury (or Merc). Built for someone named Bob Hirohata, the car started life as a Club coupe, but as with any vehicle that crossed Barris’ path, that’s a long-gone life.
The body work performed on this thing is extensive. The top was chopped by 4 inches at the front and 7 inches at the rear, and to make the entire build look even more aggressive, it was lowered some more by chopping the front coils as well. The size of the vehicle was extended by adding several inches to the front and rear fenders.
The B-pillars are no longer there, having been removed to convert the thing into a hardtop, and a v-butt windshield was slapped in there. At the front, the hood was extended and it lowers right into the custom grille created from three 1952 Ford grilles. The headlights also come from a Ford, while the taillights were one slapped onto a Lincoln Capri. The car is animated by a 1953 Cadillac 331ci (5.4-liter) engine running three Stromberg carburetors.
We’re talking about the Hirohata Merc today because it just popped up on the list of cars that will go under the Mecum hammer in January next year in Kissimmee, Florida. It is the first time in decades the car appears on the open market, as ever since 1959 it has been in the hands of the same owner.
We’re not told how much the seller hopes to get for the car, but it surely is going to be a hell of a lot more than the $500 they paid for it more than 60 years ago.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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