Hirohata Merc

The Hirohata Merc is a custom 1951 Mercury Club Coupe built by Barris Customs. It was fabricated in 1953 by George and Sam Barris with Frank Sonzogni, for Bob Hirohata, a Japanese-American Navy Veteran and businessman. It has often been called "the most famous custom of the classic era" and had a "momentous effect" on car builders. The car was sold at a private auction in 2022, having changed hands a number of times prior. Hot Wheels has designed the Hirohata Merc in the past, being named the 51 Merc in the 100% Hot Wheels line, based on their 49 Merc tooling. Larry Wood loaned designer Brendon Vetuskey the hand-sculpted resin pattern from the previous development, which was 3D-scanned for development. Minor tweaks were made to improve the details.