1949 Ford Barris

George Barris is probably one of the most famous creators of the Kustomizing world. Sadly this, one of his later creations, is probably one of the more forgettable…

George Barris left an indelible impression on generations of car lovers. The selfproclaimed ‘King of the Kustomizers’ lent his name to all manner of custom cars, not to mention vehicles that appeared on screens large and small. His output was a staple of magazines the world over spanning several decades. Cars wearing the famous Barris crest were also reproduced in model form, with plastic kits selling by the millions. The never knowingly underpromoted motor mogul had his finger on the pulse of what was hip for a long time, although you could argue that his influence had waned by the time the car you see here was created.

Titled as a ‘1949 Ford Barris,’ beneath the fake timber and other tinsel this distinctive station wagon was a 1998-vintage Mercury Cougar. Dubbed Woodie 2050, this improbable concoction made its public debut at the 1999 Grand National Roadster Show. Its signature feature was its hand-made front-end, which evoked the 1949-51 ‘Shoebox’ Fords, albeit with a Mercury-style grille that brought to mind the same period and recessed Lucas lights. Then there was custom-made station wagon ‘longroof’ rear bodywork and faux woodie trim.

Completing the ensemble were a fake spare rear wheel carrier, Colardo Custom Severance wheels, complete with oak-effect spoke inlays, and side-pipes robbed from a Chevrolet Corvette of indeterminate origin. Oh, and let’s not forget the forty coats of Gold Pearl of Essence paint, judicious pinstriping, and the not inconspicuous Barris logo crest sited in the nose. Inside, this Barris custom, sorry, kustom car was unusually restrained by his lofty standards. It retained the dashboard, door cards and suchlike of the donor Mercury, only with fluffy seat linings and gold anodized pedals (some sectors of the media labelled it ‘The Woolie’ on account of its unusual fur-like trim) and his signature which has since faded. Power, meanwhile, was provided by a Paxton supercharged 4.6-litre V8 allied to a fourspeed automatic transmission. A Canover air suspension set-up was also installed, hence the slammed ride stance in the photos.

As for performance figures, your guess is as good as ours. Unlike more celebrated Barris creations (even those that he didn’t actually, er, create, but took credit for), the Woodie 2050 has yet to make the leap to mega-money acceptance. The car formed part of the Dave Leimbach collection of Americana until late 2020, when it went under the hammer during an RM Sotheby’s sale. It sold for $16,500 (the estimate was more than twice that). More recently, the car has appeared on eBay and in private ads in the Michigan area. It purportedly has around 13,000 miles on the clock, although how many of those were on the car before it was converted remains unrecorded. The landmark example of the marque customised by Barris – the Hirohata Mercury that was reconfigured in 1953 – made just shy of two million dollars at auction two years ago. But that’s the difference between kitsch and classic status – about half a century. ★