Keith Ashley

In 1995 Keith started cloning a Larry Ernst's 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air. Keith saw the car while he was in high school. It was the first custom car he had ever seen, and he never forgot it. Keith knew Burns Berryman, and he watched the tedious restoration of the original car. Keith decided to clone the second version of the car with the tri-color paint job. "This car was introduced at the Sacramento Autorama and the GNRS in 1999, fulfilling another dream of exhibiting at these two shows." After a 20 year run of ownership, Keith sold the clone, and it disappeared to Oregon. Photo courtesy of Keith Ashley.

Keith Ashley (left) meets Don L. (right) for the first time in 2025, 71 years after Don drove Larry Ernst's Barris-built 1951 Chevrolet into Southfield High School, sparking Keith’s lifelong passion for custom cars. Pictured here with Keith’s recreation of that very car, the moment marked a full-circle tribute to the memory and magic of classic kustoms. Photo courtesy of Keith Ashley.

Another full-circle moment captured in 2025. On the left is the original Barris-built Larry Ernst 1951 Chevrolet, and on the right is the tribute clone built by Keith Ashley. Shot together, the photo represents the meeting of history and homage, decades after a teenage Keith first saw the original car pull into Southfield High School. Photo courtesy of Keith Ashley.

Keith’s tribute to the Larry Ernst Chevy shot from above during the 2025 photo session. A handcrafted homage to the Barris-built classic that first sparked Keith’s love for customs back in 1954. Photo courtesy of Keith Ashley

The original Larry Ernst Barris-built 1951 Chevrolet. A landmark custom that lit the spark for a teenage Keith back in 1954. Photo courtesy of Keith Ashley

Photo courtesy of Keith Ashley

Keith Ashley of Northport, Michigan. "I am 82 and have loved kustoms since I was 16," Keith told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2020. His passion for custom cars began in 1954, when a wild 1951 Chevrolet hardtop pulled into the driveway at Southfield High School and picked up a girl. “It was my first view of a real custom car, built in California by the famous George Barris,” Keith recalled. The sight left a lasting impression. Decades later, he would go on to re-create that very car, the Reverend Larry Ernst Barris-built Chevrolet, in tribute to the moment that started it all.

Early Customs

"I grew up in Southfield, just a couple of miles from the Alexander Bros first shop. My first driveable car was a 1949 Ford tudor. I frenched the headlights with 1952 Mercury rings and nosed and decked it, adding aluminum heads and Mallory ignition." Keith's next car was a 1953 Chevrolet convertible. Modification to that included frenched headlights and taillights, a custom molded grille surround, electric doors, and trunk. "1940 Ford tudor was next. Major work on this was a 4" channel, 4" top chop, 1960ish Renault one-piece windshield grafted in. Custom made dash and console. Ran out of skills to finish and sold the car, never to see again."

A Turn Toward Restorations

After selling the 1940 Ford tudor, Keith got into restoring cars, "mostly Model A's for a while. After marrying, things slowed down due to money. I started painting cars as a sideline and painted my personal 1961 Chevy Tudor with Pagan Gold Candy paint. Very pretty but lots of stripes by not having a good paint gun and technique!!" Lots of cars followed, none noteworthy until he restored a 1947 Ford woody. "Bought in 1968 and I still have it 52 years later."

A Tribute to Larry Ernst

In 1995 Keith started cloning a 1951 Chevrolet that had been his lifelong dream to own, "the Reverend Larry Ernst Barris built hardtop, 2nd version with the tri-color paint job. This car was introduced at the Sacramento Autorama and the GNRS in 1999, fulfilling another dream of exhibiting at these two shows." After a 20 year run of ownership, Keith sold the clone, and it disappeared to Oregon.

Later Projects

In 2020 Keith had a 1949 Cadillac restored with Air Ride, and leather interior being the changes from stock. He had also started cloning LeRoy Goulart's 1951 Ford, "the Lime Green version with canted headlights, wheel well flares, and 1952 Ford one piece windshield. I hope to bring it to California for the 2022 Sacramento Autorama and the GNRS shows."

What a Trip!

In 2025, 71 years after that pivotal day in the high school parking lot, Keith was able to track down Don L., the teenager who had driven Larry Ernst’s Barris-built Chevy into the school driveway. “Don never owned the car—he and Larry became lifetime friends in 1951,” Keith explained. The two finally met for the first time, sharing memories of the car that changed Keith’s life. “The circle is now complete,” he said. “What a trip!”

Keith Ashley's Cars

Keith Ashley's 1951 Chevrolet - The Bel Air Royal Clone