Not surprisingly, the two-toned orange Ventura hardtop awash in scallops attracts a lot of attention wherever it goes. And it goes plenty, as Carlson uses it as a daily driver.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Chris Carlson's scalloped orange 1960 Pontiac Ventura has been the perfect palette to display his customizing skills. He began working in a body shop at age 12, inspired by his dad's skills in the field.
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Carlson reshaped the leading edge of the hood, giving it a more pronounced "vee" that accentuates the stock grille contours.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Carlson mixed his own candy-flaked orange for the high-gloss roof of the hardtop; the remainder of the car is finished in subdued orange suede highlighted by beige scallops. "I thought the roof would be a cool accent," he says.
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The long rear deck was modified to accept two pairs of '59 Cadillac taillights per side, with the trailing edge of the trunk lid brought to a sharper peak. Note the flame-thrower exhaust tips.
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Walt Curry of Mulvane applied his upholstery skills to the big Pontiac's interior, using light brown Italian leather to wrap the seats, door panels and the headliner. His design creates the feel of a cove-shaped back seat.
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Carlson said his classic scallop design was inspired by legendary custom painter Larry Watson, who died last summer.
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Both the front and rear seats were retained, but transformed with a more stylish look with curved insert panels. Note the pattern repeated on the door panels.
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A leather-wrapped banjo-style Lecarra steering wheel nestles atop a highly polished ididit tilt steering column. Factory power steering makes the downsized steering wheel possible.
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The factory dash was heavily modified, from the Ford pickup air conditioner vents to the smoothly molded in stereo and Vintage Air air conditioner controls. Even the glove box door was modified to better fit the smooth theme.
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The deck lid and rear valance were treated to intricate pinstriping applied by Chad Ward.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Beefy American Racing Wheels TorqThrust II wheels mounting 235x55x17 Raptor tires fill the rear wheel wells on this custom ride.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Carlson opted for Watson-style scallops that he and co-worker Wess Lewis laid out to accentuate the Ventura's crisp body lines. The full-length lakes pipes are for appearance only; the exhaust actually exits out of a pair of huge chrome tips equipped with flame-throwers below the rear bumper.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Small details, like the painted headlight rings and the top grille bar, combine to subtly alter the Pontiac's clean, razor-sharp profile. Front tires are Raptor 225x50x17s, again mounted on TorqThrust II wheels.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Carlson was sorely tempted to chop the top on his '60 Pontiac, but is glad he resisted the urge. "I just love that roof line," he says.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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