BUILD YOUR OWN CUSTOM... CIRCA 1952

In 1952, Chaz S. Martz built this fantastic Hudson "Custom Sports Car".  I'm not sure what we would call it today.  It's not really a "Kustom"; it's more just a great modified car... But, the modifications on this thing were EXTENSIVE.  Ole Chaz decided to document every aspect of his project.  The result was a booklet meant to inspire others... This original copy was found recently at a swap meet in Kansas City, by my dad.  He just has an eye for this kind of stuff! It came from an older gentleman who had purchased this booklet in 1952, and had decided to let it was time to let it go to a new owner... I suspect this is an extremely rare piece, and I'm also pretty certain these photos have never been shared before online, so here it is... It's actually a pretty great story, as you'll see in these photos.  Like so many cars on this website, WHERE IS THIS CAR TODAY???

           
Cover pic...
Original drawing & final output...
This is kind of interesting.  In the days before Photoshop, I guess the best you could do was take a photo, cut it up with some scissors, and figure out if what you were aiming for would look good.  Fortunately, Chaz ended up with something that looked a little better than his cut and paste job...
The real work begins... An extremely rare 1942 Hudson Ambulance was used as a donor car.  OUCH...
I found this photo VERY amusing.  The caption tells the reader that he painted the frame with some Sherwin Williams RED paint, and a brush...
How's THIS for creativity??? They took the roof and transformed it into the trunk!!! Plus, the rear window cavity became a spare tire receptacle.  Are you custom guys listening?
Here's the side view of that roof/trunk...
Having fun with a wooden trowel and a torch...
Time for some running boards...
Pushing the ole gal out into the daylight... These guys look more like the mafia than "car nuts"... I'd almost guess this car was built in Chicago...
Closer...
The proud owner enjoying the fruits of his labor...
           

And what ever became of Chaz???

           

If you have found this page through a search engine, you may want to go to the home page for more unusual car stuff...

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