1947 Kurtis-Omohundro Comet

55 Pebble Beach Concours d ’ Elegance: 2012 The Rodder ’ s Journal Announcement Concerning the Class of Sport Custom Cars Forthcoming at Pebble Beach, 2012. June 9th, 2012: Distributed via E - mail. Sport Customs: Another Scrapbook Question Answered By Ken Gross / Posted June 6, 2012 As is often the case in this hot rod/custom/old car hobby we all enjoy, when one question gets answered another pops up. Which is exactly what happened with one of our “ Scrapbook Update ” e - mails (and yes, the Scrapbook is done, printed and on its way to us now!) In an outtake photo (shown above) from the Scrapbook we made mention that the details surrounding the Bubbletop Custom were uncertain. Was it the first - ever Bubbletop Custom? Well, leave it to our pal and frequent contributor Ken Gross to come up with the answer. “ That Bubbletop you pictured in a recent 'Scrapbook Update' was built by Vince Gardner in the early '50s, ” Ken informed us. “ It was based on a 1947 Studebaker. Fran Roxas, who normally restores Duesenbergs and one - off classics like the 1954 Dodge Firearrow III Coupe Concept Car, restored this one, too. Fran brought it back to life with spectacular results. ” Okay, question answered. But then Ken went on to tell us that the Bubbletop Custom will be featured in the new Sport Custom class this year at Pebble Beach! It's one of eight or nine cars that will be spotlighted. The Pebble Beach Hot Rod Class started in 1997, and has featured roadsters, coupes and pre - war customs. This year, doing something totally different, it will be the Sport Customs, one - offs like that Vince Gardner Bubbletop Studebaker. Sport Customs, as they would come to be called, were an everyman's answer to the high - priced European sports cars. Dan Post ’ s, The Blue Book Of Custom Restyling, published in the late - 1940s, featured many of them. And while there certainly have been some less than successful attempts at building a Sport Custom, when this genre was put into the hands and minds of talented craftsman with an eye for style the result was quite simply gorgeous. It should be quite a show out on the lawn at Pebble Beach this August. But not leaving it there, with information on just that one car, Ken, who never does anything half way, sent along some photos of a few of the other Sport Customs scheduled for Pebble Beach 2012. Of course we ’ ll share them here and you ’ ll see what we mean when we said, done correctly, these cars are pretty spectacular. The Vince Gardner Studebaker Special. Rear View of ‘ Glass Top Fitted To The Vince Gardner Studebaker Special.