One of the highlights of my Odyssey was to see two original, authentic
1:1 show rods at the National Auto Museum designed and built by the late
Ed (Big
Daddy) Roth. An icon of the 50s and 60s hot rod culture, Big Daddy
Roth gained fame though his incredible show cars, wild monster car models,
and lovable "Rat Fink" character. Influenced by immortal Von
Dutch, Roth was an accomplished pin-striper and airbrush artist. However,
it's fair to note that some Roth designs were penned, not by him, but
by the legendary designer Ed "Newt" Newton.
To the left: No model show rod collection is complete without the original 1961 Beatnik Bandit model kit. However, it's one thing to build a model and quite another to stand inches from the real thing. This is the first 1:1 show rod I've seen since Mark and I went to the custom car show at State Fair Park in 1969. What a rush!
Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark enter European Economic Community, known informally as the "Common Market."
Reeling in the Years....Steely Dan
Car and Driver magazine was struggling for readership in the early 60s. The competition was formidable as Hot Rod, Car Craft, and Popular Hot Rodding, Motor Trend and Road and Track were dominating the "enthusiast" press.
GTO marketing guru Jim Wangers approached Car and Driver editor David E. David Jr. about doing a comparison piece of a Pontiac GTO vs. a Ferrari GTO. In straight-line acceleration, the Pontiac GTO, doctored with a special "Royal Bobcat" package, ran 0--100 in an astounding 11.8 seconds--at least that's what Car and Driver put on its cover. It ran a 13.1 second quarter-mile too. Know why? It was actually a 421 CID engine (not the stock 389) in addition to the Bobcat package. The sensational, but dubious speed claims was not only a marketer's dream for the GTO, but put Car and Driver on the map as a serious enthusiast magazine. Twenty years later, in a 1984 issue of Car and Driver, editor Davis recalled:
"The turning point, the moment when Car and Driver became a real grown-up magazine, was March 1964 when we published the GTO vs. GTO."