10 Of The Coolest Kustom Classics

April 29, 2018

The Orbitron

KustomramaCreated by the late, great Ed Roth in 1964, this car demonstrates customization taken to the extreme. Looking like a dragster from the year 3000, the car is a hodge-podge of various different parts. The Orbitron’s 283 engine came from Roth’s 1955 Chevy, installed inside the car’s handmade fiberglass body, that covered the chromed chassis. The kustom’s rear end came from a 1956 Chevy. The front axle was a Ford V8-60 with Buick drums and Lincoln brakes. The front suspension was also handmade, a four-bar set up with cross leaf spring mounted on a suicide perch. The most eye-catching feature of the car is the dome covering the cockpit. Made of plexiglass, the dome was hydraulic, covering a cabin lined with fake fur and featuring an 11-inch TV.

The aforementioned Darryl Starbird bought the Orbitron from Roth in 1967, who then traded it to an unknown Texan collector. Eventually, the car ended up in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in the hands of a carnival operator. The car, believed lost for many years, was eventually tracked down by restoration expert, Michael Lightbourn, who found it parked in front of an adult bookstore in Ciudad Juarez. It was in a fairly sorry state by this point, missing its fake fur interior, the TV, the dome, its distinctive nose, and hood. Lightbourn was able to buy it back from its owner after much negotiation, and then sold it to Beau Boeckmann, who fully restored it.

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