Elements: 1955 Chrysler Imperial phantom

Another “car of note” from this year’s Goodguys PPG Nationals is this award winning “one of none” 1955 Chrysler Imperial convertible. It looks like a factory stock restoration, but Chrysler didn’t build an Imperial convertible in 1955. Because of that, this is actually a custom. Well, that and the hidden bits. Underneath the stunning stock sheetmetal is a bespoke frame, and a fuel injected 6.4 liter Hemi that’s disguised to look like an original 354 Hemi. 

I’m not just a huge MoPar fan, I’m a big fan of the Virgil Exner penned cars from 1955 to 1964. This is where it all started, when Chrysler Corporation broke out of the dowdy, upright look of the early ’50s, to the “Forward Look” of the late ’50s. The fins had yet to appear, but the long, low look began, and with the full wheel openings and egg-crate grille, it almost had a European look. This is no accident. Virgil Exner was a big fan of Italian coach builders, and the Chrysler concept cars of the early fifties were built by Carrozzeria Ghia of Turin, Italy.

Elements: Custom 1940 Mercury

Another “car of note” from this year’s Goodguys PPG Nationals, is this award-winning, Rob Ida built 1940 Mercury. It might just be the most elegant custom I’ve ever seen in the steel. This build embraces the european coach-built aesthetic of the ’30s and late ’40s. The bespoke roofline and hood give the car such a distinctive, streamlined look. There’s a lot of Talbot -Lago, Delahaye, and Delage influence in both the lines and the detail.

Oh, the details! Not only does it sport full wheel skirts on all four corners, the front skirts are articulated and move when the wheels turn. The custom hardware and trim elements are just too numerous to list. It even has custom luggage!

The power plant is just as impressive as the sheetmetal. It’s a supercharged modular Ford mill producing around 660 horsepower, and it’s detailed as beautifully as the rest of the car. The one thing that had me scratching my head was that it had a column-mounted gear lever and three pedals. So I had to ask, “is it a three-on-the-tree?” Nope, turns out is uses a modern auto box and has tandem brake pedals. Like I mentioned, the details!

Elements: 1960 Plymouth Fury

My second “car of note” from this year’s Goodguys 19th PPG Nationals is item one in my argument that the most outrageously designed car of the 1950s was actually a 1960 model.

Allow me to present a 1960 Plymouth Fury 2-door hardtop. When everyone else in Detroit was reeling in on chrome and fins, Virgil Exner and the folks at the Chrysler Corporation design studio weren’t done with their excess yet. The fins on the 1960 Plymouth were every bit as tall as on the 1959 model, and maybe even a bit taller. The wide side trim of 1959 was gone, but the rear skirt extension trim and front wheel well sculpting more than made up for what was deleted. It was even outrageous under the hood, with a dual-quad, cross-ram 383 V8 under the hood. This example also has owner upgrades that include Chrysler 300 style front seats that swivel out when the door is opened.

In 1960, this car was considered dated when compared to offerings from Ford and GM. But after 56 years, this is the car that will turn more heads than it’s competitors.