Carly’s Custom – A Gene Winfield Painted 1939 Zephyr
“I’ve always liked cars that were different,” says Carly Brogren, the owner of this vivid 1939 Zephyr that’s chopped, stretched, smoothed, and just plum cool. It’s the definition of the term distinctive, and it took plenty of time and effort for Carly to get it the way she wanted.
“I had been looking for seven years online,” Carley says of her search for the right custom. “I found this car consigned to the Volo Auto Museum. It was in great shape. The previous owner had passed away. The car was orange and white. I hated the color, but I drove it like that for five years.”
We’ll get to the color change in a minute, but first let’s discuss the swoopy body underneath that fine finish. It’s a fiberglass Deco Rides body that exaggerates the original 1939 Zephyr lines with an 8-inch top chop, extended fenders, flush-fit fender skirts, molded panels, suicide doors, and many other enhancements. It also incorporates Buick portholes on the hood sides, streamlined side mirrors, a ’53 Kaiser rear bumper, and deeply tunneled Lincoln taillights.
The car is based on a ’74 Lincoln frame that’s been updated with a Mustang II-style front suspension, Ridetech air springs, and Wilwood front disc brakes. Steel wheels are fitted with polished Buick wheel covers and wide whitewall radial tires from Diamondback Classics. Carly usually keeps the hood closed to maintain the custom’s clean lines, but if you peek underneath, you’ll find a 350c.i. small-block Chevy V8 with an Edelbrock carb, March accessory drive system, and a TH350 automatic transmission.
Now, about that paint. Carly was able to work with the late custom car legend Gene Winfield to achieve the car’s vivid finish. She says he ended up painting it multiple times, in part because it was damaged once in the trailer when going to the interior shop, and then another time when it was hit in a museum where it was being stored. The beautiful finish you see now is one of Gene’s signature fade jobs that was achieved using four different hues of House of Kolor purple and Cobalt Blue.
The distinctive style carries over inside, where a modified ’49 Mercury dash houses Classic Instruments gauges and supports a Flaming River steering column and billet wheel. Bay area stitch guru Bob Divine sewed the beautiful pearl white upholstery with white piping over bucket seats, which are divided with a custom body-color console. 
Now that she has her 1939 Zephyr the way she wants it, Carly gets to enjoy showing off her sleek custom at all kinds of car shows. “I’m a 70-year-old female,” she says. “I taught myself how to trailer the car. I’m the roadie, she’s the rock star!”
Photos: Terry Lysak
