Happy Birthday Big Daddy

My buddy Steve G posted this photo of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth (March 4, 1932 – April 4, 2001) on Facebook a short while ago.   Roth would have been 83 today.   He sure had an impact on the custom car and motorcycle scene.

That photo really caught my eye, because I was a kid living in New Jersey when Roth first built the car above.   He called it the “Beatnik Bandit,” and it sure had an impact.   I built a Revell model of that car, and it sure was cool.  I remember Revell actually had decals in that kit to allow duplicating the Bandit’s custom colors, and the body was molded in white plastic (so you didn’t have to paint it).

Cool and heady stuff for a kid back in those days.

RIP, Big Daddy!