Wally Troy's 1950 Oldsmobile

The Troy Special was based on a wrecked 1950 Oldsmobile 88 Convertible. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

The build took 8 months to complete. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

A machine turned stainless steel dashboard was created using the shop drill press. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Wally in the Olds during the build. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Wally fit the car with a torpedo back up light similar to the one found on the 1951 Buick XP-300 concept car. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Wally trying to figure out the shape of the side-window in the removable top. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

A rare photo of the Troy Special with the removable top. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

A photo of Wally's Olds in the souvenir pictorial for the 1952 Indianapolis Custom Auto Show. As the build wasn't completed when the pictorial was made, it was shown in a primered version.

This is the original photo that was used in the pictorial above. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Wally's Olds at the 1952 Indianapolis Custom Auto Show. At the show the Troy Special won an award for outstanding design. Preston Tucker, was in attendance at the show and made a point to stop Wally and tell him the 1950 Oldsmobile was the finest car in the show. Wally would later say that hearing praise from Tucker was better than any 1st place trophy!

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

The Troy Special as it appeared in Hop Up September 1952.

Wally and Janet with the Olds. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Wally and Janet with Cecilia Smith, queen of the Virden, Illinois, Centennial. Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

Photo from the Wally Troy collection, provided by Tim Riordan.

A later photo of the Troy Special. The man behind the steeingwheel could be a later owner. This version has been fit with fenderskirts in the rear. Photo courtesy of the motor life.blog

Photo courtesy of the motor life.blog

The trophy Wally won at the 1952 Indianapolis Custom Auto Show for the “Special Award for Outstanding Design” award. The trophy is still in the family. Photo provided by Tim Riordan.

A closeup of the trophy. Photo provided by Tim Riordan.

1950 Oldsmobile "88" Convertible restyled by Wally Troy of Wally's Garage in Springfield, Illinois. In 1947 Wally moved back to Springfield after running a body shop with his brother in law Joe DeRosa in Glendale, California. Back in Springfield he bought a Standard Oil station that he turned into Wally's Garage. At Wally's Garage he started selling parts and speed equipment from Southern Auto Supply to local hot rodders and customizers. In 1952 he wanted to prove to himself that he was as good if not better than the big boys at customizing autos. His first attempt was to customize and enter a 1950 Oldsmobile at the 3rd annual Indianapolis Custom Auto Show. Wally's build was based on a wrecked 1950 Oldsmobile "88" Convertible. The hood and rear deck on the Olds were sectioned to lower the car and hand finished from sheet stock. The doors were also notched to lower the appearance of the body additionally. Named The Troy Special, the car stood 39” to the top of the cowl. A 1951 Packard windshield, 1950 Oldsmobile 98 rear fenders and a torpedo back-up light similar to the one found on the 1951 Buick XP-300 concept car trimmed the exterior. For bad weather driving, Wally also made a removable top for the car. The trunk on the car was accessed through the front seat. The drive train included a Cord two-speed rear end. Inside, a machine turned stainless steel dashboard was created using the shop drill press. The dash was fit with 1942 Buick instruments and the upholstery was done in black leather. Total investment was $6000, although magazines published a figure of $2200. The build reportedly took 8 months to complete.

Once completed, Wally's Olds received lots of attention at the Indianapolis Custom Auto Show, and it was featured in several magazines such as Hot Rod Magazine August 1952, Hop Up September 1952, and Motor Trend September 1952. In Trend Book 105 Restyle Your Car the Olds was named one of the year’s top 10 customs by editors of Motor Trend Magazine. As the build wasn't completed when the official program for the show was made, it was presented in a primered version in the program. Before the show, the body was finished off with a gleaming Duco Old Ivory paint job. At the Indianapolis Custom Auto Show Wally won the “Special Award for Outstanding Design” with the “Troy Special”. Preston Tucker, was in attendance at the show and made a point to stop Wally and tell him the 1950 Oldsmobile was the finest car in the show. Wally would later say that hearing praise from Tucker was better than any 1st place trophy!

Where is it Now?

Wally was not the sentimental type when it came to his vehicles, and he sold the car locally not long after it was completed. The car may have been totaled in an accident, but this is not confirmed as it could have been his second full custom, the Wally Custom that got totaled. If you know anything about the whereabouts of Wally's Olds we would love to hear from you at mail@kustomrama.com as the family of Wally is currently looking for the old custom.

Magazine Features

Hot Rod Magazine August 1952
Hop Up September 1952
Motor Trend September 1952
DuPont Refinisher News December 1952
Trend Book 105 Restyle Your Car
Hop Up July 1953