Southern California’s Galpin Motors, home to GalpinAuto Sports (GAS), is searching for its first custom car, the long lost "Galpin Custom" 1952 Ford Convertible. Galpin’s recent discovery of one of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s first customs, a 1956 Ford F100, inspired Galpin to search for its own missing custom.
The Galpin Custom began as a 1952 Ford Convertible; Galpin frenched and peaked the headlights and added Mercury bumpers with a centered Lincoln Capri bumperette, as well as a Mercury front valance, fenders, hood and grill surround with a custom tube grill. In the back, the Convertible had a molded on ‘52 Mercury Continental kit, raised fins, custom side scoop, Foxcraft half skirts and modified Lincoln taillights. It was finished off with a custom enamel cream-yellow over green two-tone paint job with matching interior. Galpin Motors believes this was the first time a new car was customized at a dealership and sold as a different type of car.
The ’52 Convertible was first shown at the Third Annual International Motorama at the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. in Nov. of 1952. It was subsequently featured on the cover of the June 1953 issue of Motor Trend Magazine with the title, “Has the Customizing Art Come of Age?”
When Bert Boeckmann was hired at Galpin Ford in 1952, he remembered seeing the car on the showroom floor.
“It was truly a handsome car,” said Boeckmann. “When I first saw it, I didn’t know what it was – I didn’t think it was a Ford, in fact, I thought it was the new Lincoln! We showed the Convertible around for a while before Frank sold it and I don’t know whatever happened to it. I would love to see that car again.”
Galpin is offering a reward for any information that will help locate the car including any photos, magazine articles, original parts or the convertible itself in any condition. Even if the car no longer exists, Galpin hopes to unveil the story behind an important piece of the dealership’s history. The convertible was last seen in San Fernando Valley in the 1950’s.
If you have any information on the Galpin 1952 Ford Convertible, please contact [email protected] or Jeff Skobin at 818-778-2255.