Beatnik Bandit
The Beatnik Bandit was designed by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and was the second of his creations to tour with the International Championship Auto Shows (ICAS), in the 1960-61 season. The Outlaw was Roth's first ICAS custom, but the Bandit was the first Roth car created by their Show Car Division specifically for the show circuit. The Beatnik Bandit started out as a project car for Rod & Custom magazine and was built using a '55 Olds frame which was shortened, then covered n plaster to create a mold for the all-fiberglass body. The twin carbureted blown Oldsmobile mill sits ahead of a handmade bubble top created by softening a plastic sheet in a large pizza oven.
The Bandit's one-arm steering stick, mounted between the gold trimmed white naugahyde seats, also controlled the throttle and shifting of the car. The Beatnik Bandit toured all over the country in the Sixties, and by 1970 had been repainted green. The car was sold to Harrah's in Reno, who restored it back to its original condition. The Beatnik Bandit can currently be seen at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.
