Coupe by Gene Howard

This 1950 Buick was built in the early 1960s by customizer and body man Gene Howard of Bloomington, Illinois. At the time, Howard owned a local body shop and built customs as a way to advertise and showcase his skills. This particular example, named 'Truly Rare' was built around a 1950 Buick. Mr. Howard channeled the body by 6-inches and gave it a frame fabricated from a 1950 and 1951 Buick and Olds. Parts from a 1951 Olds and 1950 Cadillac were also used on the body. In the back are 1960 Plymouth taillights. The original lavender pearl paint was sprayed by Mandy Holder. The interior was trimmed out in a white diamond pleat design with bucket seats with deep fuzzy rugs. The instrumentation is from a 1955 Buick. The engine is a 1951 Chrysler 365 CID Hemi that was given a 3/4 cam and six Stromberg carburetors. It produces approximately 350 horsepower and is mated to a three-speed manual transmission. Drum brakes are at all four corners.

The car is mostly original with only a few changes since it was built. A steering wheel has been installed in place of the original T handle steering.

by Dan Vaughan