Story and Photos by: Shannon Hammett

Royce Lippard found his treasure last year in West Palm Beach, FL. It was a custom 1954 Mercury hot rod named “Legend.” Wayne Wood, better known as Woody, had owned the Mercury for 25 years.

Royce, a former resident of Florida, met Woody several years ago. “The first time I saw the car it was maroon,” said Royce. “When I went down there last year, a friend of mine had it sitting in his shop. He was trying to sell it for Woody. I didn’t think Woody would ever sell that car. He’s around 65 years old and just retired last year. He told me that he wanted to build just one more car before he left this earth. So, I began hunting him another car. Finally, I found him a body, and he sold me this one.” Royce got behind the wheel of his new treasure and made the 12-hour drive back home to Tennessee.

From the hand carved mahogany dash to his signature on the exterior of the car, Woody made sure that every inch of this hot rod was detailed. “The Harley Davidson breather is sort of his trademark,” Royce explained. “He puts the Harley Davidson tank as a breather on just about any car he builds. The dash is all hand carved mahogany done by Woody. The grill is actually three grills combined into one. You only get five teeth per grill and there are eleven on this car. It has two complete grills and then a third one to get that last tooth.”

The paint job on this Mercury is a flawless work of art. The pristine condition of the exterior may lead you to believe that this hot rod has spent most of its time sitting in the garage or hauled on a trailer. In this case, looks are deceiving. “This paint job is actually about 15 years old. Woody drove this car everywhere,” said Royce. “When I bought it, I drove it from Florida to Tennessee. Last October, I drove it to Summerset, KY. I drive it all the time. It drives great.” One of Woody’s secrets in keeping the paint looking fresh was making sure that it was never washed with water. Instead, he used a spray on dry wash.

Royce admits that he has always been a fan of the old hot rods. “During the summer months, I earned money by working for my dad,” he said. “I bought my first car when I was 14 years old. By the time I turned 15, I had three. My first cars were just starters, so they weren’t so great. At present, I have this mercury, a custom chopper and a ‘39 Chevy coupe. I’ve been working on the coupe for about five years now and am just finishing it up. All I lack on it is the interior.”

Royce isn’t the only one in the family with a love for hot rods. Both dad and brother had their cars parked right along side Royce’s “Legend” at the Harrison Ruritan Car Show. Royce’s three children, ages five, eight and ten, have all got their eyes on dad’s hot rod. “My kids said that this is the coolest car I’ve ever had and that I have to keep it forever,” he laughed. “They are already talking about which one of them is going to inherit it.”

The “Legend” has brought home numerous trophies for both Woody and Royce. “This car has been in Southern Rodder Magazine and on Hot Rod TV,” said Royce. “In January it got best use of colors at the Chattanooga World of Wheels. Woody emailed me a photo of the car surrounded by about 100 trophies. I still talk to him pretty often. I actually just talked to him today and he was in his garage working on another car. Whenever I get the car in a magazine or something like that I always send him copies and photos. At the World of Wheels I took pictures of the trophies and sent them to him. He said, ‘She’s still got it.’”