The La Jolla was create by Harry Bradley , one of the most respected custom motorcar stylists in account . A well - known designer for General Motors and Mattel ’s Hot Wheels brand , Harry preserve his hand in the custom car bowl throughout his historied career . The La Jolla was not only Harry Bradley ’s first custom , it was his first car .
Harry produce a 1951 Chevy Bel Air hardtop in 1954 when he was still in high school in La Jolla , California , ( hence the elevator car ’s name ) . Part of the deal was a promise to his parent that he would n’t modify the car .
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But as Harry put it in a 1985 article inSuper Rod & Custommagazine , " They had gotten to me – ' they ' being Pinin Farina , Harley Earl , Joe Bailon , the Barris buddy . My parent did n’t have a probability against the likes of them . " Harry immediately begin an extended customizing appendage .
Every panel of the body received some customization . Harry dechromed the hood , then had friend Herb Gary pancake it , a appendage that involves mold in the hood , then cutting out a smaller panel from the bland top portion . Harry installed an electric motor and twinned screw drives to afford and exit the new cowling .
After the top was chopped about three in , Harry tidy the doors ' upper lines and reskinned them . He change the A - pillar to play off the doors ' new shape and install custom - made one - objet d’art shabu in each door .
To match the young windshield opening , Harry had Modern humiliated moulding vomit up in lead and chrome plated . The sheetmetal around the backlight was replace with a piece cold shoulder from a 1949 Plymouth that was narrowed and sectioned . The new scuttle was fitted with a 1953Pontiacwindshield cut to conform to .
Up front , Harry French the headlights , installed a 1949 Mercury grille hatchway , and fashioned a grille from copper . He also polish the bumper , removed the bumper guard , and added a 1949 Chevy license home base guard .
Out back , he pancaked the luggage compartment as well and choose to utilize a continental outfit . To work it in , he extended the rearward fenders and put in hand - cut clear taillight lense . The rear bumper came from a 1952 Pontiac .
Perhaps the most unequalled element of the La Jolla are the " floating " rocking chair panels . To make these , Harry and Herb tailor new rockers and 1 - 1/2 - column inch heavyset frosted - blanched Plexiglas to match . They installed the Plexiglas , then added the new rockers over the top .
This make a more flowing line into the rear fenders . For an extra touch , Harry addedLEDsat the leading boundary of the plexiglass panels , induce them to shine like a lens at nighttime .
At the meter , turn down a usance usually involve set up lour block that harmed deal characteristics . To avoid any handling and tantalize penalisation , Harry lowered his cable car by channeling it behind the rear rear end .
To do so , he cut the frame of reference ahead of the rear springs , raising the rear end 3 - 1/2 inches within the eubstance and thus lowering the rearsuspension . Simple suspension alteration were made to lower the front end .
Stricken with infantile paralysis at a young age , Harry could n’t repulse a formal car , so he had friend Floyd Martin make hand control for the accelerator pedal andbrakes . Under the goon , Harry set up a new 283 - Criminal Investigation Command Chevy V-8 engine . For paint , he choose a cryptical chocolate - ebony candy bone color .
The La Jolla is unique among custom cars in that Harry owned it for more than 45 eld , driving it much of the time . It abide by him through college , family , and his automotive design career .
Harry eventually sold the car in 1999 to notice custom aggregator Jack Walker . Jack work with Harry to restore the railroad car , adding two Bradley - approved change .
For the inside , Jack had Harry project a new rolled - and - pleated interior , which was rendered in white and loose lavender by Bob Sipes . And out of doors , alternatively of brown , Jack had the machine painted non-white purple , a color that Bradley privilege even in the 1950s .
The gondola toured the impost auto - show racing circuit for a while before retiring to Jack ’s unchanging of historic customs .
