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==Construction==
==Construction==
Constructed in 1953 for "Bob" (Robert Masato) Hirohata,<ref name="Masato">
⚫
Constructed in 1953 for Bob Hirohata,<ref>''Rod & Custom'', 8/89, pp.12 & 14.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hoving|first=Rik|title='50s Hirohata Merc Photo's album - including article from Rod & Custom October 1953|url=http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/11_car_photos/beautiful_custom_cars/barris-1/hirohata_mercury-1/50s_photos/|publisher=FOTKI INC|accessdate=February 14, 2018}}</ref> it was designed and built by [[George Barris (auto customizer)|George]] and Sam Barris, assisted by Frank Sonzogni.<ref name="Jalopy Journal">[http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68232ad.php?t=68232 Jalopy Journal] Accessed February 14, 2018</ref><ref>''Street Rodder'', 1/85, p.111.</ref> It started out as a 1951 [[Mercury Eight|Club Coupe]].<ref name="Barris.com">[http://www.barris.com/gallery_cars/Kustoms_HotRods/gallery_hirohatamerc.html Barris.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707213519/http://www.barris.com/gallery_cars/Kustoms_HotRods/gallery_hirohatamerc.html |date=2011-07-07 }} Accessed February 14, 2018</ref><ref>The same body style as D'Agostino's Merc. ''Street Rodder'', 1/85, pp.52-3.</ref> [[Custom car#Language|Nosed]], decked, and shaved, the top was [[Chopping and channeling|chopped]] four inches in front and seven inches in back,<ref>{{cite book|last=Hirohata|first=Bob|editor=Leah Noel|title=Rod and Custom in the 1950s|year=2004|publisher=Motorbooks International|isbn=0760316309|page=29|chapter=Kross Kountry in a Kustom}}</ref> and the vertical B-pillar was reshaped so that it curved forward at the top.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> The rear window had its posts removed, and was raked steeply forward, requiring a new roof piece to be fabricated.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> Side trim was replaced with that from a 1952 Buick (the spears),<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> augmented by [[Grille (car)|grille]] teeth from a 1952 Chevrolet (three per side)<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> and functional scoops. The front wheels are fitted with traditional sombrero ('47-'51 Cadillac) hubcaps.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/>
*{{cite web |title=Robert Masato Hirohata, born on April 15, 1931 in Los Angeles County, California. |url=https://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/robert_masato_hirohata_born_1931_1452035 |website=CaliforniaBirthIndex.org |access-date=30 October 2023}}
*{{cite web |title=HIROHATA - U.S. |url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/?name=_HIROHATA&name_x=1_1&pcat=bmd_death&qh=laPSQHjpBWY7txiWrJICvw%3D%3D |website=Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current - Ancestry.com |access-date=30 October 2023}}
*{{cite news |last1=Berk |first1=Brett |title=A Custom Mercury, With a Batmobile in Its Family Tree, Heads to Auction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/business/hirohata-merc-auction.html |access-date=30 October 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=6 January 2022}}
*{{cite web |title=Robert Masato Hirohata April 15, 1931 – May 14, 1981 |url=https://www.rosehills.com/obituaries/whittier-ca/robert-hirohata-8454475 |website=rosehills.com |access-date=30 October 2023}}
⚫
*{{cite web |last1=Institute |first1=Revs |title=Emerald Icon from a Lost Era - The Saga of the Hirohata Mercury |url=https://automedia.revsinstitute.org/emerald-icon-from-a-lost-era-the-saga-of-the-hirohata-mercury |website=Revs Automedia |access-date=30 October 2023 |date=18 March 2021}}</ref><ref>''Rod & Custom'', 8/89, pp.12 & 14.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hoving|first=Rik|title='50s Hirohata Merc Photo's album - including article from Rod & Custom October 1953|url=http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/11_car_photos/beautiful_custom_cars/barris-1/hirohata_mercury-1/50s_photos/|publisher=FOTKI INC|accessdate=February 14, 2018}}</ref> it was designed and built by [[George Barris (auto customizer)|George]] and Sam Barris, assisted by Frank Sonzogni.<ref name="Jalopy Journal">[http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68232ad.php?t=68232 Jalopy Journal] Accessed February 14, 2018</ref><ref>''Street Rodder'', 1/85, p.111.</ref> It started out as a 1951 [[Mercury Eight|Club Coupe]].<ref name="Barris.com">[http://www.barris.com/gallery_cars/Kustoms_HotRods/gallery_hirohatamerc.html Barris.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707213519/http://www.barris.com/gallery_cars/Kustoms_HotRods/gallery_hirohatamerc.html |date=2011-07-07 }} Accessed February 14, 2018</ref><ref>The same body style as D'Agostino's Merc. ''Street Rodder'', 1/85, pp.52-3.</ref> [[Custom car#Language|Nosed]], decked, and shaved, the top was [[Chopping and channeling|chopped]] four inches in front and seven inches in back,<ref>{{cite book|last=Hirohata|first=Bob|editor=Leah Noel|title=Rod and Custom in the 1950s|year=2004|publisher=Motorbooks International|isbn=0760316309|page=29|chapter=Kross Kountry in a Kustom}}</ref> and the vertical B-pillar was reshaped so that it curved forward at the top.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> The rear window had its posts removed, and was raked steeply forward, requiring a new roof piece to be fabricated.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> Side trim was replaced with that from a 1952 Buick (the spears),<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> augmented by [[Grille (car)|grille]] teeth from a 1952 Chevrolet (three per side)<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> and functional scoops. The front wheels are fitted with traditional sombrero ('47-'51 Cadillac) hubcaps.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/>


Skirts were added, fitting flush.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> Three '51 Ford grilles were used to custom-fabricate one, and the bumper was fitted with [[Dagmar bumpers|dagmars]].<ref name="Barris.com"/>
Skirts were added, fitting flush.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> Three '51 Ford grilles were used to custom-fabricate one, and the bumper was fitted with [[Dagmar bumpers|dagmars]].<ref name="Barris.com"/><ref name="hagerty/video/hirohata-merc">{{cite news |last1=Peek |first1=Jeff |title=Thanks to Barris Kustoms, this Hirohata Mercury fueled the custom car trend |url=https://www.hagerty.com/media/video/legendary-hirohata-merc-shines-in-historic-vehicle-association-video-series/ |access-date=30 October 2023 |work=Hagerty Media |date=22 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="hagerty/78598943">{{cite web |title=1951 Mercury Hirohata Merc |url=https://www.hagerty.com/marketplace/78598943/national-historic-vehicle-register/743b213f-c2d4-4d15-a6de-11700e28da1f |website=national-historic-vehicle-register |publisher=Hagerty |access-date=30 October 2023}}</ref>


Barris used a vee-butted windshield,<ref name="Barris.com"/> a very common customizers' trick in that era, rather than a one-piece windshield, which was available on the '53 Merc.<!--Did it fit? On GM products, it did.--> He added [[Appleton spotlight]]s,<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/><ref name="Barris.com"/> [[Frenching (automobile)|frenched]] the headlights (which were fitted with '52 Ford rings),<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> and added '52 [[Lincoln Capri]] taillights.<ref>They are identical to those used on D'Agostino's Merc. ''Street Rodder'', 1/85, pp.52-3.</ref> The exhaust pipes were routed out through the rear bumper, beneath the taillights,<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> and a pair of radio antennae were frenched into the rear quarter panels.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/>
Barris used a vee-butted windshield,<ref name="Barris.com"/> a very common customizers' trick in that era, rather than a one-piece windshield, which was available on the '53 Merc.<!--Did it fit? On GM products, it did.--> He added [[Appleton spotlight]]s,<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/><ref name="Barris.com"/> [[Frenching (automobile)|frenched]] the headlights (which were fitted with '52 Ford rings),<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> and added '52 [[Lincoln Capri]] taillights.<ref>They are identical to those used on D'Agostino's Merc. ''Street Rodder'', 1/85, pp.52-3.</ref> The exhaust pipes were routed out through the rear bumper, beneath the taillights,<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> and a pair of radio antennae were frenched into the rear quarter panels.<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/><ref name="jalopnik/1848377417">{{cite news |title=A 1951 Mercury Just Sold For Nearly $2 Million At Auction |url=https://jalopnik.com/a-1951-mercury-just-sold-for-nearly-2-million-at-aucti-1848377417 |access-date=30 October 2023 |work=Jalopnik |date=18 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Barris |first1=George |last2=Fetherston |first2=David |title=Big Book of Barris |publisher=MotorBooks International |isbn=978-1-61060-820-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ATjy1tKxfjYC&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=%22Bob+Hirohata%22 |access-date=30 October 2023 |language=en |quote=Bob Hirohata proudly displays one of the trophies for his Mercury on the curb outside the parking lot where he worked in Los ...}}</ref>


The Hirohata Merc was painted in two shades of green, a total of thirty coats,<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> which were applied by Junior Conway.<ref>DeWitt, p.72.</ref> The interior was upholstered with tuck-and-rolled naugahyde. The dash, seats, and headliner were white with dark green inserts, matching the exterior lower body color (below the Buick spears).<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/>
The Hirohata Merc was painted in two shades of green, a total of thirty coats,<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/> which were applied by Junior Conway.<ref>DeWitt, p.72.</ref> The interior was upholstered with tuck-and-rolled naugahyde. The dash, seats, and headliner were white with dark green inserts, matching the exterior lower body color (below the Buick spears).<ref name="Jalopy Journal"/>

Revision as of 13:26, 30 October 2023

Hirohata Merc
The Merc on display at the NHRA Museum in 2007
Overview
ManufacturerBarris Customs
Production1953
DesignerGeorge and Sam Barris
Body and chassis
Body styleClub Coupe
Powertrain
EngineMercury flathead engine
Dimensions
Wheelbasestock

The Hirohata Merc is a 1950s custom car, often called "the most famous custom of the classic era".[1][2] Setting a style and an attitude, it had a "momentous effect" on custom car builders,[3] appeared in several magazines at the time[4] and has reappeared numerous times since, earning an honorable mention on Rod & Custom's "Twenty Best of All Time" list in 1991.[4] The impact may be measured by the fact that, after more than fifty years and numerous owners, it is still known as "the Hirohata Merc".[5]

Construction

Constructed in 1953 for "Bob" (Robert Masato) Hirohata,[6][7][8] it was designed and built by George and Sam Barris, assisted by Frank Sonzogni.[9][10] It started out as a 1951 Club Coupe.[11][12] Nosed, decked, and shaved, the top was chopped four inches in front and seven inches in back,[13] and the vertical B-pillar was reshaped so that it curved forward at the top.[9] The rear window had its posts removed, and was raked steeply forward, requiring a new roof piece to be fabricated.[9] Side trim was replaced with that from a 1952 Buick (the spears),[9] augmented by grille teeth from a 1952 Chevrolet (three per side)[9] and functional scoops. The front wheels are fitted with traditional sombrero ('47-'51 Cadillac) hubcaps.[9]

Skirts were added, fitting flush.[9] Three '51 Ford grilles were used to custom-fabricate one, and the bumper was fitted with dagmars.[11][14][15]

Barris used a vee-butted windshield,[11] a very common customizers' trick in that era, rather than a one-piece windshield, which was available on the '53 Merc. He added Appleton spotlights,[9][11] frenched the headlights (which were fitted with '52 Ford rings),[9] and added '52 Lincoln Capri taillights.[16] The exhaust pipes were routed out through the rear bumper, beneath the taillights,[9] and a pair of radio antennae were frenched into the rear quarter panels.[9][17][18]

The Hirohata Merc was painted in two shades of green, a total of thirty coats,[9] which were applied by Junior Conway.[19] The interior was upholstered with tuck-and-rolled naugahyde. The dash, seats, and headliner were white with dark green inserts, matching the exterior lower body color (below the Buick spears).[9]

Later changes

Hirohata later replaced the original Mercury flathead engine with a transplanted Cadillac engine, creating the nickname "Mercillac"[20] ("merk-ill-ack"), in the fashion of rodders of the period, who in the same way created Fordillacs and Studillacs.

In 1955, the Merc made an appearance in the film Running Wild, for which it was painted gold over the original ice green.[21]

Hirohata sold the Merc,[9] and the car changed hands several times. It was eventually purchased by Jim McNiel for $500 in 1959;[22] McNiel used it as a daily driver for years, then placed it into storage.[9] Ultimately, McNiel restored the Merc to her original configuration.[9] The paint was done by Hershel "Junior" Conway at Junior's House of Color.

Magazine appearances

  • Hop Up March 1953
  • Hot Rod March 1953
  • Motor Trend March 1953
  • Rod & Custom October 1953
  • Trend Book 109 Custom Cars 1954 Annual
  • Rodding and Re-styling January 1956
  • Trend Book 143 Restyle Your Car
  • Rod & Custom August 1989
  • Road & Track August 2004
  • Trend Book 133 Custom Cars 1957 Annual
  • The Big Book of Barris[23]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Bernsau, Tim (2003-12-01). "Favorite 50 Rods & Customs". Rod & Custom. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  2. ^ Rod & Custom, 8/89, p.12.
  3. ^ DeWitt, John. Cool cars, high art: the rise of kustom kulture, University Press of Mississippi, 2001. ISBN 978-1578064021 , p.69.
  4. ^ a b DeWitt, p.70
  5. ^ DeWitt, p.80
  6. ^
  7. ^ Rod & Custom, 8/89, pp.12 & 14.
  8. ^ Hoving, Rik. "'50s Hirohata Merc Photo's album - including article from Rod & Custom October 1953". FOTKI INC. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Jalopy Journal Accessed February 14, 2018
  10. ^ Street Rodder, 1/85, p.111.
  11. ^ a b c d Barris.com Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Accessed February 14, 2018
  12. ^ The same body style as D'Agostino's Merc. Street Rodder, 1/85, pp.52-3.
  13. ^ Hirohata, Bob (2004). "Kross Kountry in a Kustom". In Leah Noel (ed.). Rod and Custom in the 1950s. Motorbooks International. p. 29. ISBN 0760316309.
  14. ^ Peek, Jeff (22 July 2020). "Thanks to Barris Kustoms, this Hirohata Mercury fueled the custom car trend". Hagerty Media. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  15. ^ "1951 Mercury Hirohata Merc". national-historic-vehicle-register. Hagerty. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  16. ^ They are identical to those used on D'Agostino's Merc. Street Rodder, 1/85, pp.52-3.
  17. ^ "A 1951 Mercury Just Sold For Nearly $2 Million At Auction". Jalopnik. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  18. ^ Barris, George; Fetherston, David. Big Book of Barris. MotorBooks International. ISBN 978-1-61060-820-6. Retrieved 30 October 2023. Bob Hirohata proudly displays one of the trophies for his Mercury on the curb outside the parking lot where he worked in Los ...
  19. ^ DeWitt, p.72.
  20. ^ DeWitt, p.69
  21. ^ Rod & Custom Magazine, 8/89, p.12.
  22. ^ Bernsau, Tim, editor. "Favorite 50 Rods & Customs" (written 1 December 2003), at Hot Rod Magazine online (retrieved 14 May 2018)
  23. ^ Kustomrama: Bob Hirohata's 1951 Mercury Accessed February 14, 2018

References

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Hirohata_Merc&oldid=1182636050"