1950 Oldsmobile Polynesian Coupe

The Polynesian is one of the legendary early customs. It was custom-built in 1952 by Valley Customs of Burbank, California for Jack Stewart of Canton, Ohio. Stewart had just returned from military service in the early '50s when he saw Dunn's Ford in the Motorama show in Los Angeles. He was smitten. He contacted Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom in nearby Burbank about giving his '50 Olds 88 a similar full custom treatment. In the ensuing 9 months, Stewart's Oldsmobile got a 4-inch body section, reshaped front wheel openings, custom fender skirts, and a bold front bumper/grille built from a '47 Olds bumper in a custom opening with a shapely lower pan. The headlights were frenched and recessed using handmade and drilled stainless rings, while frenched '52 Studebaker taillights got a similar treatment. True craftsmen, Emory and Jensen hammer-welded and metal-finished the body rather than using lead filler before spraying the car orchid metallic.

The car was featured in Hot Rod magazine in September of 1953. It won 'best of show' at the first Michigan Auto Rama in 1953 and was subsequently featured in numerous magazines and books.

Then it disappeared, spending years in storage where it slowly deteriorated. In 2005, a full restoration was undertaken by its current owner.

The Polynesian, an Oldsmobile 88 Holiday 2-door coupe custom, is powered by a bored .030 over, 324 cubic-inch Oldsmobile V8 engine with egge cast aluminum pistons and 9:1 compression.