AMT # 160, 1961, 1/20 scale, Designed by George Walker
AMT inked a rare 1/20-scale model kit deal while the Leva Car was still spinning around Ford’s mini-track, and the resulting mayhem matched that of the Rotunda presentation, albeit on a smaller scale. Ed Roth’s Rotar levitator and George Barris’ XPAC 400 hovercraft were not coincidental. But who inspired whom here? Apparently everyone inspired one another simultaneously, and the shockwaves are still reverberating. (Photo Courtesy Dave’s Show Rod Rally)
Professional football player George Walker designed Ford’s post–war era (1949) passenger cars and the first-gen (1955–1957) Thunderbirds, among others. His name went global with a series of wild concepts that led to Leva Car Mach I, sprung on the world in 1959 at the Ford Rotunda. The active display featured the futuristic pod spinning around a circular “test track” while tethered to a centrally located pole, at claimed speeds of “200 to 500 mph” as stunned crowds stood slack jawed at trackside. Ford’s insurance guidelines must have been a bit more casual back then. A “Turbojet” engine purportedly blew compressed air through the ventilated flooring to permit levitation. AMT’s kit included a mouthpiece and a straw, so scale builders could recreate the magic of levitation at home.
The actual Leva Car, on display at the Ford Motor Company campus in Dearborn, Michigan. How many aspiring designers do you suppose were inspired by the amazing concept pickup in the background? (Photo Courtesy Allen B. Ury)
Revell # H-1282:198, 1962, 1/25 scale, Designed by Ed Roth/Jim Keeler, Re-issued 1973 as Canned Heat
The first show rod model? Maybe. Revell’s first Roth-car gamble paid off handsomely. Released as a 3-in-1 kit, it shared box space with a 1956 F-100 and Mickey Thompson’s Challenger 1 (which required double the normal tooling costs).
Purportedly built with a one-year deadline and a budget of $800, Ed Roth’s Outlaw broke new ground in styling and materials (What the heck is fiberglass?). Eye-popping T-shirt advertisements and feature stories in Car Craft and Rod & Custom magazines primed the pump nicely for Outlaw’s success on the show circuit. Royel Glaser (wife and business partner of Revell founder Lew) took notice and immediately scheduled a meeting with Roth. Roth’s iconic nickname was born when Revell PR man Henry Blankfort insisted on adding “Big Daddy.” Sixteen-year-old Revell Research and Design guru Jim Keeler worked closely with Roth on this and later model scaling. The “A jewel show car” text on the box art (likely by Jack Lynwood or John Steele) proved to be prophetic when Revell re-issued a decidedly dumbed-down Outlaw as Little Jewel.
AMT # T-129-200, 1963, 1/25 scale, Designed by George Barris, Re-issued 1966, 2002 (by AMT/ERTL)
“The retooled kit got mixed reviews on accuracy, compared to the original version,” notes guerilla modeler Tim Kolankiewicz. Mark Gustavson agrees, adding, “A second version followed the first issue by just a few months. The original kit was bastardized over the years, with key parts being lost while other parts survive. The latest kit is a new tool, and it misses the mark in several important ways (hood is too flat, engine is laughingly too small, and other flaws). The late 2002 issue of AMT’s 1929 Ford roadster kit contains most of the original version’s Ala Kart body parts (no explanation for this anomaly, especially since AMT also issued the new tooling). Go figure . . .” Regardless, a million Ala Kart kits are known to have sold in the first year of production. (Photo Courtesy Dave’s Show Rod Rally)
Ala Kart was merely an option with AMT’s stock 1929 Ford roadster 3-in-1 kit; the other option was a four-banger–powered dry lakes racer version. It stands as AMT’s first proper show rod release. Full-scale Ala Kart builder Dick Peters was forced to sell the 1958 and 1959 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) winner in 1961, unaware that AMT consultant George Barris already had a deal in the works for AMT to kit the car. The kit sold more than a million units that year.
Budd “AMT Kat” Anderson was idling Ala Kart out of an enclosed trailer at a 1963 show when the plastic fuel lines melted, resulting in a nasty fire. Gene Winfield restored the toasted car in 1966, coinciding with the kit’s re-issue. Later restoration work was performed at Junior Conway’s and Roy Brizio’s shops. A distraught Dick Peters could only watch this show from the sidelines.
The AMT/Ertl re-issue sports much-advanced, yet still vintagestyled, box art. Actually, these can be considered the best of times for box art. Hindsight and technology mix pretty well. (Photo Courtesy Luca Roveda)
AMT’s promotion machine boasted a razor-sharp tune and was running strong by 1962. These ads appeared in every automotive publication of the day. (Photo Courtesy Scotty Gosson Collection)
Paul Canney’s take on Ala Kart, as seen on his most excellent Canney’s Garage site. Go there and drool. This guy has serious skills. (Photos Courtesy Paul Canney)
Revell # H-1286:198, 1963, 1/25 scale, Designed by Ed Roth, Updated (Tweedy Pie 2) re-issue 1999
Tim Kolankiewicz declares, “Revell’s Tweedy Pie kit has been recently re-issued with all the original Tweedy Pie parts restored. The Tweedy Pie 2 kit cannot be built as an accurate replica.” No matter the source of their kits, the continued popularity of Ed Roth’s most conservative build is an eyebrow-raising testament to his fans’ perpetual reverence. Original Tweedy Pie kits were made in small numbers and their present scarcity nearly equals that of the full-scale real McCoy first screwed together by Bob Johnston. Bonus parts include fenders, a pickup bed, and variations on the front end. Revell has sold more than 11 million Tweedy Pie kits to date. (Photo Courtesy Dave’s Show Rod Rally)
Quaint by show rod standards, Tweedy Pie (“A real dazzler!,” trumpets the box art, while Roth himself dubbed it “conservative”) made a major impact in the age of Norm Grabowski and Tommy Ivo T-buckets. Roth’s remake was merely a slightly more refined version of Bob Johnston’s original late-1940s build, sold to Roth for $1,150 in 1962 (paid with a check drawn on Revell’s account). But timing is everything,