“Unconquered Custom”

The name “Invicta” translates to “unconquered” in Latin. Matt Smith’s ‘61 is most definitely fit to wear this name.

Down in Texas, It was given the early 60’s custom treatment by Bob Owens in the mid 20-teens. Door handles, emblems, ornaments, and portholes were shaved, and  those crispy Buick lines were sprayed by Mike Howell. The color itself was a custom mix given to Bob by Lee Pratt that had some “Peacock” metalflake thrown in . 

The static drop has the Buick sitting just right over a set of Skylark wires restored by McLean Wire Wheels wrapped in a quartet of custom double-pinner whitewall tires made by Diamondback.

Pushing this big Buick out of its own way is a 401 Nailhead topped with a factory dual-quad setup from a Riviera GS.

Matt came to own the car under a miracle of good timing as he was talking to the right people at the right time. It so happened he was offloading a ‘54 Bel Air in the same location the Invicta had to be retrieved from.

Photos and words by Jonathan Van Oyen as seen at Port City Spectacular 2025