Outlaw
A "jewel" show car

• Original year: 1962
• Company: Revell
• Scale: 1/25
• Designer: Ed Roth

Big Daddy Roth's "Outlaw" began as a drawing on the back of one of the weirdo sweatshirts he originated. Spurred on by his fellow car club members, the "Drag Wagons" of Maywood, Calif., Roth began construction in October 1956 of the "Outlaw"."

As soon as the basic shape of the original fiberglas body was finished, he began work on the frame rails. At this same time, Fritz Voigt, Mickey Thompson's master mechanic, began building the souped-up 1950 Cadillac V-8 Engine, using a special cam and Cragar speed equipment from Bell Auto Supply.

Several visits to Firestone Auto Wrecking near Maywood, supplied the '48 Ford transmission, rear axle and brakes, '41 Ford steering gear, '37 Ford front axle, and the '54 Chevy coil springs for the front suspension. All of these items were installed on the chassis and body, and Roth began building the wild fiberglas radiator shell. The body and the radiator shell were then sanded smooth , and the car was taken to custom painter Larry Watson for its pearlescent paint job. Roth pin-striped the body and had Martinez of Lynwood, California install the Roth designed interior.

With the help of many friends, the Outlaw was ready for its first show just a little over a year and $800 from its beginning. Roth took a good look at the beautiful roadster he created and thought about the one thing that was missing--a really different gear shift lever.

It was then that Roth remembered the sword that his wife's great-grandfather has used in the Civil War. A hurried search of the closets at home, a little work with the torch, and the Outlaw was done at last.

Since its first showing at the Huntington Park Rod and Custom Show in late 1957, the Outlaw has been featured in over a hundred custom car shows and has been seen by over a million fans throughout the United States and Canada. It has indeed earned its title, "America's Wildest Hot Rod."

Dave's comments:

You can't say which car officially launched the show rod craze of the 60s and early 70s, but if I had to trace the genealogy of all show rods, I think it would end up at this one. Sharp clean lines on this classic bucket. And it did over 100 custom shows in about 5 years. Amazing! And the box art is outstanding! A near-perfect balance of show nostalgia with a great illustration of the car and Big Daddy staring down in approval. Even the Revell logo looks has good placement. Here is a great site with a detailed story about the OUTLAW.