Living like Larry - Or: Is this what a priest's car looks like?
The fact that the priest of a Roman Catholic parish in Toledo, Ohio, drives a 1951 Chevrolet in the early 1950s is nothing too unusual at first. But when the actually staid car is hotter than any hot rod in town and adorns the covers of car magazines almost every month, you start to wonder where the collection at the end of every service has gone.
When Lawrence J. Ernst, who was only called "Larry" by his friends, bought a brand new Bel Air in 1951 in the church-compliant color combination of black and white, he already had ideas for redesigning the hardtop coupé. He takes it on the road to Barris Kustoms in Los Angeles and lets the brothers George and Sam get up to mischief. As a member of the Fisher-Body family, 39-year-old Larry has enough money and doesn't need to enrich himself.
Three months later, the Chevy is barely recognizable: Roof lowered, fenders extended and the body lowered to the maximum. The one-piece windscreen from an Oldsmobile, a Canadian Meteor radiator grille and Cadillac hubcaps change the appearance almost beyond recognition. A Dodge lettering on the C-pillar gives the one-off its name: "Royal"
Less than two years later, Larry is already fed up with his Chevy again and drives it back to California. On the bodywork side, only minor changes were made, such as the rounded corners of the hood and the Cadillac tail lights mounted upside down. The difference in the paintwork is more noticeable: instead of a subtle dark blue metallic with a lilac roof, the royal Kustom now shines bronze with a golden waistline and light green roof.
But as happy as Larry is with his customized Chevrolet, the more conservative members of the community are critical of him. To avoid giving the impression that he is addicted to too many earthly vices, Larry likes to have a friend stand in for him when taking photos for magazines, sometimes ducks away at the wheel - and prefers to park the Chevy a few streets away every Sunday.
