1950 Peretto Brother Show Car with trophies,built out of a 1937 Ford.SEe info/photos!

[George Albright]

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1950 Peretto Brothers Special Show Car (More Photos By Email. Just ASK!)

Please see early show history and photos of this car,by clicking on this link:http://www.customcarchronicle.com/custom-cars/paretto-37-ford-custom/ The cars dash has been signed by Big Daddy Don Garlits. I have decided to put this superb car up for sale to a wider audience, priced at only $28,900. Over $30,000 invested.Good Luck, George Albright, Ocala, Fla. 3--5---2--8---4---3---1---6---2---4- Email: [email protected]

Built in 1950 by brothers Reno and Ray Peretto of Alameda, Calif. using a 1937 Ford sedan as the donor vehicle! The body panels are all custom made, and resembles a 1950 Muntz Jet or Allard sports car. The early history of this vehicle has been extensively documented. Three long term Calif. area owners until around 2012. Brought to Florida in 2014.(Notice on the driver’s door in faded lettering the words “GREASE Box Office Presents 1978”. This car may have been used as a prop to advertise the movie box office hit “Grease”, with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John)

Included with this solid car is its original grill, as the front end was modified/updated to a sports car appearance some time after the 1952 auto shows. Thus the car can be shown as is, or returned to its early 1950s appearance. Also included with the car is its 1951 third place trophy won at the 1951 Oakland Roadster Show, and its 1952 second place trophy won at the 1952 Oakland International Sports Car Show. Both trophies were recently acquired from the Peretto family, so that they can permanently remain with this historic vehicle.

The car’s engine is a late 1930s/40s Ford/Mercury flathead. The car starts, runs, shifts, drives, stops excellent. $1,700 of recent mechanical work includes removing and cleaning the radiator and gas tank. New parts include the carb, both water pumps, points, master cylinder and all four wheel cylinders, brake shoe linings, front end ball joints, and shifter linkage rubber grommets.

This original time capsule is a superb investment as early 1950s documented hot rod show cars are virtually nonexistent. It would be welcome at most any show or concourse that has a historic hot rod category. Plus its super cool and fun to drive! Again here is the link to a major story on the cars history:

http://www.customcarchronicle.com/custom-cars/paretto-37-ford-custom/


Kissimmee,Florida,Mecum Auction catalogue text below, from the Friday January 22nd 2016 auction. Car reached $25,000.

ESTIMATE: $40,000 - $60,000

This 1937 Ford is a fascinating relic from the early years of the automotive customizing trend that broke in postwar California and spread like a wave across the nation. It is believed to be the first car customized by brothers Roy and Reno Peretto of Alameda, California, who showed the car at the 1951 and 1952 Roadster Shows in Oakland, California, winning its class and third place overall in 1951. In 1952, it won second place in the International Sport Car Show, also held in Oakland. The brothers dismantled the 1937 Ford humpback sedan donor car and, remarkably, began the transformation by using the roof to form the rounded rear bodywork. The quarter panels, fender skirts, doors and fenders were hand-rolled and finished; period photos show the bottoms of the panels clamped in place to establish the proper alignment. The front bulkhead and windshield frame were widened to align them with the new bodywork, and the stylish dash adapted from a 1941 Lincoln. The front and rear bumpers are from 1949 and 1947 Buicks respectively, and the tail lights also 1941 Lincoln units. Originally fitted with a 1946 Chevrolet front grille, the car was at some time modified with new front bodywork seemingly inspired by the early-1950s Lancia Aurelia. The “Peretto Special Sport Car” languished in obscurity for years until “Custom Car Chronicles” Editor-in-Chief Rik Hoving discovered a photograph showing the car at the 1952 Oakland Roadster Show. Then Chris Ito, another CCC contributor and then-owner of the Pretto Brothers’ custom 1949 Mercury, found a Peretto family album with photos of both cars, establishing its provenance. In 2013, the owner at the time contacted Hoving after seeing the photos in the CCC archive. It was then put up for sale, and in 2014 the Garlits Museum took ownership. Still powered by the 1946 Mercury flathead V-8 with column-shifted 3-speed, the Peretto Special has that patina only found in a well-preserved early custom and is ready to reclaim its place as a pioneering and prize-winning California custom.

HIGHLIGHTS

- Believed to be the first custom car built by the Peretto Brothers of Alameda, California
- 3rd place at the National Roadster Show in Oakland, California, 1951
- 2nd place at the International Sport Car Show in Oakland, California, 1952
- Trophies included
- 1937 Ford humpback sedan frame
- Dropped front axle
- Hand-rolled body side panels
- 1930s-40s Ford/Mercury flathead engine
- Column-shifted 3-speed transmission
- 1949 Buick front bumper
- 1947 Buick rear bumper
- 1941 Lincoln tail lights
- 1941 Lincoln dash
- Cut-down 1950 Ford side trim
- Hand-made fender skirts
- Whitewall tires
- Chrome wheels
- 1946 Chevrolet grille included