Fenderskirts

An early Northern California custom, this 1936 Ford Phaeton was restyled by Tommy "The Greek" Hrones in 1937. Known for his meticulous craftsmanship, Tommy later refined the car further, adding a DuVall Windshield, shaving the door handles, removing the running boards, adding fender skirts, and bobbing the trailing edge of the front fenders. By the time it was shown at the 1952 National Roadster Show in Oakland, the Phaeton had become a standout example of Northern California’s unique approach to custom car design.

Glen Wall's 1935 Ford Phaeton of Huntington Park, California. Glen bought the car in the late 1930s, and he restyled it mildly, dressing it up with fenderskirts, flipper hubcaps and Appletons.

Joe Stone's 1938 Ford Convertible Sedan of Downey, California. The car was mildly restyled sometime between 1938 and 1941, and it was dressed up with fenderskirts and Flipper hubcaps.

Before becoming a world-famous artist, Vincent Lawrence Garrison was just a young car enthusiast growing up in San Diego, California. Born in Detroit in 1923, Larry’s family split their time between Michigan and California, but by the late 1930s, they had settled on the West Coast, right as custom cars were taking off. A skilled painter and designer, Larry worked for Coca-Cola painting billboards by hand while still in high school. In 1941, he put his artistic talents to use on his first custom, a sleek 1936 Ford Cabriolet. He gave it a 1939 Ford front end, shaved the running boards, and added a chopped and padded top. Finishing touches included fender skirts, flipper hubcaps, and ripple bumpers. Photo courtesy of Paul Garrison.

Captured through the lens of George Barris, this photo showcases what seems to be a beautifully restyled 1937 Chevrolet Tudor Sedan that features one of the defining elements of early custom styling: Fadeaway Fenders. In the 1940s, fadeaway fenders became a hallmark of the custom car movement. George Barris believed that adding fadeaway fenders instantly set a car apart, stamping it as a true kustom. The modification created a smooth, uninterrupted bodyline, eliminating the visual break between the front and rear fenders. Both Sam and George Barris were huge fans of this look, and it became one of their signature styling cues in the early years of Barris Kustoms. Beyond its striking fadeaways, this custom Chevy features several period-perfect touches: sunken and molded-in headlights, fender skirts with 1941 Buick trim, whitewall tires, and a set of flipper hubcaps. Photo by George Barris, courtesy of The Brad Masterson Collection.

Sam Barris falls victim to theft. On July 21, 1946, The Sacramento Union reported that custom car parts were stolen from Sam Barris' vehicle while it was parked near 15th and L Streets in Sacramento. Thieves stripped the car of its fender skirts, hubcaps, and three white wall rings. Photo courtesy of The Sacramento Union.

After returning from WWII, Glen Wall settled in Whittier, California, and found himself drawn to the booming post-war custom car scene. In the mid-1940s, while working at a car lot, he bought this 1939 Ford convertible, already chopped and fitted with a Carson Top. The car’s sleek, low stance turned heads everywhere he went, and before long, people started offering to buy it. That’s when Glen realized he could turn customizing into a business. He began sourcing 1939 Ford convertibles, chopping the tops himself, welding the posts, and having them leaded and primed before taking them to Glen Houser at Carson Top Shop for a padded top. Black was the best-selling color, and his cars featured fender skirts, Appleton spotlights, Buick trim details, sunken license plates, and dual exhaust. Looking back, Glen told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2016 that he estimated building and selling around 20-25 custom cars before chuckling, "But that’s a conservative number." This 1939 Ford was the first, and the one that started it all. Photo from The Glen and Forey Wall Collection.

Dick Owens of Redondo Beach, California, had this 1940 Mercury convertible restyled by Barris Kustoms after returning from WWII. A veteran of the Battle of Guadalcanal, Dick came home, married his girlfriend Betty, and got right into the booming custom car scene. According to Betty’s brother, Harold Johnson, Dick already had the Mercury in 1945, and it was in grey primer at the time. Sam Barris handled the chop, sometime between 1945 and 1947, giving the car a sleek, lowered profile. The running boards were removed and replaced with filler panels, the license plate was recessed into the trunk, and a padded Carson Top was added by Glen Houser. The car also featured fender skirts, and Hollywood Flipper hubcaps wrapped in blackwall tires. Photo courtesy of Tina Bergeson.

A radically restyled custom photographed at a used car lot located at 4875 El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego, California. Running 1947 license plates, the car seems to have started out as a 1940 Mercury Convertible. Modifications include a sectioned body, removed running boards, a chopped and padded top, a custom made grille and front end, molded body seams, fenderskirts, blackwall tires, and flipper hubcaps. Please get in touch with us if you have more info or photos to share of this mystery custom. Photo from The Robert Genat Photo Collection.

Bruce Lund's 1949 Dodge Roadster, of Alabama

Loma O. Johnson's 1952 Kaiser of Headland, Alabama. Inspired by the 1951 GM LeSabra concept car, the build was started in 1952 and completed in 1953. Built by the staff at Johnson Motor Co., the car became known as "The Johnson Special." It was also known locally as "The Car of Tomorrow." The car was dressed up with custom-made fenderskirts.

Jack Nethercutt's 1952 Oldsmobile Holiday 98 of Santa Monica, California. Jack bought the Oldsmobile in 1953. He was 16 years old at the time, and he drove his brand new Oldsmobile straight from the Oldsmobile dealer to Barris Kustoms to have it restyled. Once completed, the car got its power from a gold-plated 1953 Cadillac engine. Because of its extensive use of gold plating, the Olds was often called the "Goldsmobile," although its real name was "Vienesse."

Nick De Simon's 1940 Ford Coupe of Teaneck, New Jersey. Nick worked for his dad at De Simon Auto Body. He was a very talented body man and fabricator, and the coupe was built during weekends, nights, and in Nick's spare time. Featuring a chopped top and channeled body, the build was completed around 1957.

Bruce McClellan’s 1956 Chevrolet of Pontiac, Michigan. Bruce bought the Chevy brand new in 1956. George Halpin helped restyle the car, and in 1958 it was ready for a scallop paint job by Paul Hatton. The completed build was shown at the 1959 Detroit Autorama. It ran huge Bubble Skirts by Logan.

Christer Gref's 1956 Ford Fairlane of Stockholm, Sweden. Known as "Chrille," Gref lived in Hägersten in Stockholm. This vehicle, tastefully modified and parked near the bridge to Djurgården Island in Stockholm, was immortalized in a photograph taken by Roland Larsson in 1965. At the time, the car had been dressed up with chromed Fenderskirts.

Robert Ansetta's 1951 Ford Crestliner of Morris Plains, New Jersey. Robert owned the car from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s, and most of the custom work on it was done during those years. Robert passed away in 1961 before the build was completed, and it was his brother Vinnia that finally completed the build in 1983. The 1983 iteration was dressed up with fenderskirts.

Richard Rini's 1951 Mercury of Chandler, Arizona. Rini bought the car from Jamie Hall of Angola, Indiana in June of 2020. It was redone in its current state in the 1980s, but photos of the car from the 1970s or the early 1980s exsists.

John Corigliano's 1951 Ford Victoria of Boonton, New Jersey. John bought the Ford from Florida early in 2022. It came without any info or history, but according to John, it looks like it was originally done in the late 1950s or the early 1960s, and then later redone. When John bought it, it had been dressed up with fenderskirts.

Custom Cars Featuring Fenderskirts

Glen Wall's 1935 Ford Phaeton
Lawrence Garrison's 1936 Ford Convertible
Joe Stone's 1938 Ford Convertible Sedan
Nick De Simon's 1940 Ford Coupe
John Corigliano's 1951 Ford Victoria
Robert Ansetta's 1951 Ford Crestliner
Loma O. Johnson's 1952 Kaiser - The Johnson Special
Jack Nethercutt's 1952 Oldsmobile Holiday 98 - The Vienesse
Bruce McClellan’s 1956 Chevrolet
Christer Gref's 1956 Ford Fairlane
Richard Rini's 1951 Mercury