Earl Wilson’s 1947 Studebaker: Why Did Barris Turn This Sedan Into the Grecian?

Earl Wilson of Los Angeles, California, gave George Barris and the Barris Custom Shop an unlikely starting point, a four-door 1947 Studebaker. At a time when most customizers favored more conventional American cars, the Studebaker's unusual proportions and four-door body made it an unconventional choice. Barris transformed it into one of the most radical customs of the early 1950s. The original car was called the Grecian. The roof was chopped four inches, while the body was channeled and sectioned approximately five inches. Nearly every major body panel was modified. 1951 Mercury rear fenders were grafted into the body and fitted with functional air scoops. Additional scoops appeared on the front fenders, headlights, and hood. The grille treatment was particularly elaborate. The grille opening was constructed from two 1949 Mercury grille surrounds, while the grille itself combined two 1951 Lincoln grilles with components from other cars. The front fenders were extended and fitted with Frenched headlights. The front bumper combined 1952 Oldsmobile grille bars with Lincoln bumper ends. At the rear, French De Soto taillights were integrated into the body. The Lincoln rear bumper was modified with vertical exhaust outlets, while a Kaiser bumper guard completed the unusual design. The hood and trunk received pancake treatment, emphasizing the car's radically lowered appearance. The Carson Topshop finished the interior in green velvet and white leather. The Grecian was completed in the early 1950s. Sources place its completion around 1952 to 1953. Its original finish was reportedly a custom-mixed lime-gold-green lacquer, although surviving color photographs of this first version are extremely scarce. Later in the 1950s, the Studebaker returned to Barris Customs and was redesigned to reflect the era's increasingly extravagant custom car trends. Twin aluminum fins were added to each rear fender, the headlights were changed, and the grille was redesigned. Junior Conway applied a pearl yellow and candy green panel paint scheme. Eddie Martinez reworked the interior with four swiveling bucket seats, green and yellow upholstery, silver piping, a telephone, television, and modified steering wheel. The car was renamed the Modern Grecian. The Modern Grecian appeared at the 1960 Oakland Roadster Show. In January 1960, it was also displayed at the San Mateo Custom Rod and Sports Car Show. Following a show in San Diego, the car was involved in a crash and partially destroyed. It was later acquired by Norman Abor of New Jersey, who had actively searched for a Barris Custom. By January 2010, the Grecian had reappeared in a pink version at the America on Wheels Museum in Pennsylvania, although several of the more extravagant Modern Grecian features had disappeared. Earl Wilson's Studebaker remains an important example of early American custom car experimentation. A radically transformed four-door sedan that pushed Barris styling beyond conventional proportions and helped establish the extravagant custom aesthetic of the 1950s.