Vincent Robert "Jim" Manfredi - The Lead Man
Vincent Robert "Jim" Manfredi's Highland Auto Body was located at 6 Highland Terrace, in Irvington, New Jersey. Known as the Lead Man, Jim was a WWII veteran. He started out running Highland Auto Body Shop as an ordinary body and fender shop. After WWII, as the custom car craze spread across the nation, local kids started approaching Manfredi about taking on custom jobs. Nosing, decking, lowering, and chopping - All the tricks they had seen and admired in the West Coast magazines. Tom Piantkoski was one of these local kids. Piantkoski had a 1941 Mercury Convertible that he wanted to turn into a real California-styled custom. He approached Manfredi, who agreed to take on the task, and rumor has it that Tom's Merc became the Lead Man's first major custom job. Modifications included a 4 ½ inch chopped top and a functional folding top, "which wasn't an easy task back then," Ray Soff told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2020.[1]
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