Ed Roth – Hot Rod Orbitron (1964) USA

built in 1964
the Orbitron was designed to resemble a space age dragster..

The nose, the hood and the bubble were absent, just as most of the interior trim. The car was covered in paint “primer”, but the chassis was almost entirely intact. The restoration lasted 6 month..

L’ORBITRON (1964)

built in 1964, then disappeared 10 years later (1974)

l & rsquo; one of the most extraordinary and spectacular Hot Rod – l’Orbitron, was recently described by the American automotive press as
“The Most Incredible Barn Trouver Ever.”

Hot Rod Magazine calls it "the most incredible barn find ever". Orbitron de Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, created in 1964 and lost soon after, for almost 35 years, was recently discovered in Mexico, serving as an improvised dumpster in front of an adult.

Michael Lightbourn saved the hot rod to the fiberglass body and Beau Boeckmann, President of Galpin Auto Sports, acquired it specifically to restore it to its former glory.

The restoration included the safeguard of the transmission of the engine and the original carburetor, as well as the color change of 2 600 individual pieces. GAS was able to find a duplicate of vintage television and blue fur.

L & rsquo; Orbitron was indeed discovered in the Mexico & rsquo; last year and was the & rsquo; object during the end of the & rsquo; year 2008 d & rsquo; a complete renovation. He just joined d & rsquo; other creations “Big Daddy Roth” in the “Galpin Collection” located in Van Nuys-Los Angeles, in California…

This lost artifact of & rsquo; s peak & rsquo; Custom era is alive… and Hot Rod Magazine titled directly in its latest edition that & rsquo; s it & rsquo; d & rsquo was, an incredible miracle that car to discover this myth since lost 1974 !

the Ed “Big Daddy” Roth Orbitron, without its famous big bubble at the top of & rsquo; s cabin located & rsquo; extreme rear, served trash, opposite d & rsquo; a seedy sex shop, the “The cowboy.”

Michael Lightbourn surnamed “le scout du West Texas” for his ability to find abandoned automotive treasures, discovered and rescued the Hot-Rod who was missing his acrylic bubble, but was otherwise fairly complete, including its original 327ci V8 engine and wheels Astro ! Beau Boeckmann of Galpin Motors director received the car, shortly after his rescue in Mexico and returning to Texas… and decided to completely restore this Hot Rod such that & rsquo; to & rsquo; origin in the workshops of Galpin Auto Sports (garage of & rsquo; TV show “Pimp my Ride”) with inputs from various experts, whose few surviving workers Ed workshops “Big Daddy” Roth, who were part of the construction of this machine in 1964.

The nose features a strange colored headlight housing, rouge, vert, blue with a white headlight on the side. As in a game of & rsquo; pre-electronic age, these lights are working as a television tube… and, When & rsquo; they are on set, they create a beam of white light ! And it works !!! Other key features, acrylic bubble, the flashy paint “blue candy” and inside fur, under the hood is mounted a small-block Chevy Corvette 327ci powered by 3 Stromberg carburetors & rsquo; 97. The transmission is a two-speed PowerGlide.

The body is a combination of plywood and cons of fiberglass with a deliberately asymmetrical design, mounted on a chassis & rsquo; 56 Chevy modified with a train before T & rsquo; Bucket, while the 4 brake drums are removed from a Buick ! The rims are “Astro” chrome. Roth always regretted d & rsquo; have covered the engine.

The hood is fiberglass with & rsquo; GDP, so that & rsquo; it was still closed for aesthetic issues… so the chrome engine and painted n & rsquo; has never been highlighted. In fact, Paul McCartney had to cross the stage in the & rsquo; Orbitron with Ringo at his side… and they don & rsquo; have failed to put the engine running, forgetting that & rsquo; it should not turn the key, but press a button… Other key features, acrylic bubble, the flashy paint “blue candy” and inside fur.

The vehicle was completed in April 2008 and is presented here in Europe first !

In the years 1960, Roth was at his peak, selling worldwide, millions of decorated t-shirts of his automotive creations pattern.
C & rsquo; is when the firm “Revell kits” offered a bridge & rsquo; or to re-create its vehicles in plastic models based on its own designs and creations.
Over the years, he worked with a variety of marking big charactersts of “Kustom Kulture”, real living icons, dont Robert Williams, Ed “Newt” Newton (who made the first sketches of the & rsquo; the Orbitron “Pasadena Art Center”, a reputable school of automotive design) and especially Von Dutch…
these two artists working together to implement the “Brucker Movie World”, a family theme park, famous in California in the years 1970.