In 1958 two brothers took their 1953 convertible Oldsmobile Super 88 to Lynwood, and got Barris to customize it, and now, after 50 years of storage,

Barris, the customs builder, started from the front by extending the front fenders and installing stacked quad headlights. A ’58 Ford truck quad-headlight assembly was flipped 90 degrees to have the lamps one on top of the other, and the front fenders were sheared, split, and stretched to accommodate the Ford ‘lift cab’ parts.

The car was recently discovered by noted designer and customizer Chip Foose while browsing a classic car sales website. He immediately noticed the "Barris Kustom" badges on the front fenders and called the owner to learn more about the Olds. When he got confirmation that it was a true-blue Barris car, Foose traveled to see the convertible and offered to revive it so the original owner's sons could sell it at auction.

Although it's nowhere near as spectacular as the 1966 Batmobile, this Olds still retains the original paint job and features applied by Barris many decades ago. This makes it pretty special among early custom rigs, which have been altered and updated over the years. "This is the real deal, exactly the way it was built," said Foose upon finishing the inspection.

He further concludes that the Oldsmobile shouldn't be restored but cleaned up and preserved in its current condition. And that's precisely what he's planning to do when the drop-top is hauled to his shop. Of course, the car will undergo a mechanical restoration to become drivable and road-worthy again.

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/family-owned-1-of-1-1953-olds-super-88-stored-50-years-emerges-with-neat-custom-surprises-237537.html

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/chip-foose-discovers-forgotten-1953-olds-custom-by-george-barris-offers-to-revive-it-237745.html

Update Sept 4th, here's a video of Foose working on the car