Solved: Wendax 305 - George Barris' Ford F-150 "The Wild Kat"

[Wendax]

A sad sight.

For one point, please respond and identify this car.

[Wendax]

up

[SACO]

 a fire in the Georges Barris paint shop in 1957, and the Jaguar XK140 Raymond Loewy was completely destroyed !

[DeAutogids]

I don't want to steal a point, but it's not a Jag...

[Wendax]

The Loewy Jaguar probably was the car to the left, but I asked for the identification for the car to the right. That's why I just posted the right part of the original picture.

[Wendax]

With the information that this picture shows the George Barris shop after the 1957 fire, I highly doubt the identification I initially found for the puzzle vehicle. So I accept every answer that can be proven somehow.  :huh:

[Delorean]

I remember this photo of the fire in Barris' custom shop where the Jag was destroyed ...

Then the car on the right should be a 1954 Ford F-150 called 'The Wild Cat' designed by Georges Barris.

[Wendax]

That sounds good to me. Another point for you.

[Delorean]

A 1954 Ford F-100 Pickup restyled by Barris Kustoms for Martin Srabian and Morris Srabian of Fresno, California. The truck that is also known as the Wild Kat was thoroughly planned on paper before Sam and George Barris started to work on it. Once completed, the Wild Kat was the first vehicle ever to feature quad headlight styling, beating Detroit by two years.

Up front a the car received a new grille opening with seamless 3 inch hot-rolled tubing bent to a pattern for the body member that framed the grille. This was faired into the fenders and pan, after removing headlights and trimming everything to fit. The outside edges of the fenders were tucked in about 3 and 1/4 inches to achieve the V-shaped effect. A photo-electric eye that operated the sealed beams was placed behind the grille center. The headlights were set in perforated metal and framed. The frames were made from grille parts of a 1957 Chevrolet pickup. Accessory type fog lights were used as quad headlights on the car. Hood and doors were shaved of handles and ornaments and operated by hidden buttons. The gas filler hole at the corner of the cab was given a leather covering topped off with a gas cap made from a spinner and an accessory bullet. The running boards were chromed and fit with dual exhaust pipes and a header plug underneath them. The stock rear fenders were replaced by fenders from a 1956 GMC pickup. The hubcaps were from a Dodge, and fit with spinners made from hand-formed cones and teeth from a 1952 Ford truck grille. In the rear the bumper was made from various sized tubing, strap and sheet metal. 1955 Cadillac Eldorado taillights were placed in the bumper.

The interior was upholstered in red and white antique-grained Naugahyde. The car was painted in a gold-powdered pearlescent rust metallic lacquer with four-tone scallops. Striping and a wild mural on the tailgate was done by Dean Jeffries.

When the finished truck debuted in 1956, the brothers had put 1200 dollars into the truck. When it was featured in Motor Trend June 1956 the truck was scalloped, but not yet pinstriped by Dean Jeffries. Andy Southard photographed the car at the 1956 Monterey Kar Kapades in March. The car was then pinstriped. Maybe Dean Jeffries pinstriped the car at the show? According to the Custom Cars of the 1950s Dean Jeffries pinstriped cars during the show. Wether he did it or not, the photos used in Motor Trend June 1956 must have been taken before March 1956.

December 7, 1957 the Wild Kat was destroyed at the Barris Kustoms shop fire.

[Carnut]

The Loewy Jaguar probably was the car to the left,

I understand that's what it indeed was.
A sad picture indeed.

[SFC Brennan]

Hate to say it but the mystery of what happened to the Wild Kat is not solved with this. We know it that burned it the fire but what became of the remains after the fire?? I have heard rumors that it was carted off, saved and is in the hands of someone who wanted to or has done a rebuild of it.