Larry Alexander

Lorenzo Vignola Alexander (02.22.1931 - 08.25.2010) was a legendary customizer born in Detroit, Michigan. Larry was the first of four brothers, and together with his younger brother Mike Alexander, he formed the duo known as the Alexander Brothers.

Mike posing next to their 1931 Ford Model A Coupe. This photo was taken by Lee Ewald or his buddy Walter Young. Lee lived on the next block over from Larry, in the Brightmoor section of Detroit. "My street was Blackstone, and that second garage they worked in was on Westbrook," Lee told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2014. The photo was taken on the side street of Westbrook and Eaton. "The garage where they worked would have been behind the house and to the left of the photo." Lee recalled Mike and Larry driving the coupe around the neighborhood. "I loved seeing that car driving around, and it prompted me to buy a Model A and fix it up." The car was in gray primer when Lee shot it, but he recalled that it was painted metallic green in the garage not long after he took the photo. The two-tone 1956 Ford in the street belonged to Lee's dad, and Lee drove it over to their place that day. Photo courtesy of Lee Ewald.

Larry and Mike of the Alexander Brothers duo.

A photo of Mike and Larry from The Brad Masterson Collection.

Alexander Bros. Custom Shop - Specialists in Custom Painting and Metalwork. Styling consultants for AMT Corporation and Ford Custom Car Caravan. This card was donated by Lee Bailey, and it was given to him by Mike and Larry Alexander when he did an article on their custom shop for his high school newspaper in 1962. Photo from The Kustomrama Business Card Collection.

Larry with the Deora.

Larry and Mike Alexander in 2004. Photo courtesy of Custom Rodders.

Lorenzo Vignola Alexander (02.22.1931 - 08.25.2010) was a legendary customizer born in Detroit, Michigan. Larry was the first of four brothers, and together with his younger brother Mike Alexander, he formed the duo known as the Alexander Brothers.

In 1948, Mike joined the army. He had messed with cars long before he got drafted, and after his discharge, he studied body and fender work at the Wolverine Trade School. In 1954, Mike was discharged from his service, and Larry convinced Mike also to study bodywork and paint theory under his GI Bill. The brothers began to work in their father's one-car garage after hours, shaving trim, filling holes, and doing regular repairs. Larry's burgeoning family prompted him to buy a house, and the brothers quickly reestablished the shop in its two-car garage. At one point, they realized the work coming in was enough to sustain a full-time endeavor, so in 1957, they quit their day jobs and concentrated on growing their business. In 1957, Mike and Larry opened up the Alexander Brothers Custom Shop on Northwestern Highway near Evergreen Road in Detroit.

After losing their shop for the second time in 1968 due to highway expansion, Larry was tired and found a straight job at Ford. A job that gave him a chance to work in the body engineering department as a metal model maker.

After a mini stroke, Larry Passed away in the hospital on August 25, 2010. When he died, Larry was an active member of the Downriver Model Car Club. He was living in Westland, Michigan, but he had considered leaving the area to be with his family in St. Louis, Missouri.

Larry Alexander's Cars

The Alexander Brothers' 1931 Ford Model A Coupe

Sources

www.customrodder.com