1950

Gene Winfield's 1927 Ford Model T Roadster of Modesto, California. Gene was a member of the Modesto Century Toppers when he bought the car. After buying it, he rebuilt it using a Z-ed Model A frame. The build was completed in time for the 1950 National Roadster Show in Oakland, California.

Jack McDermott's 1929 Ford Roadster

Kenny Smith's 1929 Ford Model A Roadster of San Gabriel, California. Built by Kenny, an early iteration of the car was featured in Hot Rod Magazine August 1950. According to that story, three years of spare time and approximately $1000 went into the build when Kenny first built it.

Orvel Reichert's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster was built in 1950

Tom Logan's 1932 Chevrolet Pickup

A photo of Gene "Clean Gene" Sadoian with his 1934 Ford four-door sedan taken at United Automotive in Fresno, California in 1950. Gene was 15 years old when this photo was taken, and his mother had just sewed up quilted door panels in Naugahyde chartreuse for the car. "My father brought me home from the hospital in his just purchased 1934 4 door sedan," Gene told Kustomrama in December of 2020. "He purchased it in Fowler, California, just 10 miles from our home in Fresno, California. The car cost $640, a lot of money at the time. It was our family car until 1949 when he purchased a Lincoln Cosmopolitan, giving me the 34 to fix up." At age 14 Gene was able to have a driver's license, but no garage, so he had to remove their backyard fence to park the car in the dirt. "My father gave me the tool bag that came with the car, and piece by piece I removed all fenders, running boards, hood, bumpers, spare tire to build a Hot Rod." Photo by Richard Peters, from The Clean Gene Sadoian Collection.

Gil Lippincott's 1934 Ford Tudor was restyled in 1950.

Wayne Mahaffey's 1935 Ford Phaeton

Nick Matranga's 1940 Mercury

Bill Cole's 1941 Ford 4 Door Sedan of Redlands, California. Bill was a member of the Strokers of Whittier and his Ford was restyled in the late 1940s or 1950. This photo shows the Ford as it appeared in 1950.

George Contaoi's 1941 Ford Tudor, of San Bernardino, California was restyled in 1950.

Joe Urritta's 1941 Ford was brought to Barris Kustoms in February of 1950. By July the same year, the completed build was featured in Motor Trend July 1950.

Rudy Makela's 1942 Cadillac convertible of Indianapolis, Indiana. Built by Rudy at Indianapolis Power Hammer Works Inc, the build was started in 1942 and completed in 1950s.

William J. Unger's 1949 Cadillac Convertible of Chicago, Illinois. Built from a fusion of General Motors parts, the build was completed in 1950. It gained national recognition when it was featured in Motor Trend October 1950. In 1951, two photos of the car appeared in Trend Book 101 Custom Cars, in an article named "Customs With Character - A Lineup of Cars With Singular Personalities."

Carl Abajian's 1949 Chevrolet Convertible was re-painted dark-blue by Barris Kustoms in 1950.

Hal Baud's 1950 Oldsmobile 88, of San Francisco, California was restyled in 1950.

<-- 1949 - 1950s - 1951 -->

In the opening year of the new decade, custom cars still followed late-1940s principles: graceful lines, chopped tops, and smooth bodywork. Cars were getting lower than ever, aided by lowering blocks and dropped shackles. One of the defining builds was Nick Matranga's 1940 Mercury, restyled by the Barris brothers. Inspired by Johnny Zaro's Merc, Nick had George and Sam Barris chop his roof in 1949. After cutting the post out, he decided he liked the look without it and told George he didn’t want to put it back. George replaced the post with a chrome-plated channel, creating a hardtop-like arc that would be copied on countless Mercs to come. This single innovation helped kickstart a wave of fresh ideas for the early 1950s.

According to historian Albert Drake, a revolution in styling and customizing occurred in the late 1940s and early 1950s. “Every Detroit car had outgrown what was a pre-war body shape, and the new cars were longer, lower, sleeker. Therefore, many people wanted to make their older cars look more modern, or at least a bit nicer.” Writing about the roots of hot rodding in 1982, Drake noted that pre-1949 cars seemed high and boxy at the time, with plain interiors and limited color options. Yet it took only minor changes—lowering blocks, fender skirts, dual exhausts, and a metallic paint job—to transform a drab sedan into a head-turner. As new, lower models rolled off the assembly lines, owners of older cars sought to modernize them, while owners of newer cars wanted to stand out even more.

Cars Built or Completed in 1950

Gene Winfield's 1927 Ford Model T Roadster
Jack McDermott's 1929 Ford Roadster
Orvel Reichert's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster
Tom Logan's 1932 Chevrolet Pickup
Gil Lippincott's 1934 Ford Tudor
Wayne Mahaffey's 1935 Ford Phaeton
Nick Matranga's 1940 Mercury
George Contaoi's 1941 Ford Tudor
Joe Urritta's 1941 Ford
Rudy Makela's 1942 Cadillac Convertible - "WOW"
William J. Unger's 1949 Cadillac Convertible
Carl Abajian's 1949 Chevrolet Convertible
Hal Baud's 1950 Oldsmobile 88