Charles May bought the double kit and whipped up this intriguing towing-to-the-strip scene. (Photo Courtesy Charles May)
Barris and Koach even made a pit stop at the AMT offices one day, in between shows. Morale builder or production killer? It depends on who you ask. (Photo Courtesy John Greczula at Round 2)
Monogram # PC94-170, 1964, 1/24 scale, Designed by Darryl Starbird, Re-issued 1966 and 1995
Monogram boss Jack Besser knew a good thing when he spotted it at the 1962 Oakland Roadster Show. The kit was rushed into production (with quality control intact) in time to ride what would prove to be an eternal wave of popularity. Extras such as the skeleton figure helped Li’l Coffin achieve instant and lasting icon status. Dave Rasmussen points out that Li’l Coffin was pivotal in his return to modeling, “I took it home and built my first model in over 20 years. It lit me up beyond words. If not for that, there would be no Show Rod Rally website.” This is the 1966 re-issue box. (Photo Courtesy Luca Roveda)
Nobody saw this coming. Darryl Starbird helped former employee Dave Stuckey build Li’l Coffin from Stuckey’s old high school ride. It became famous via magazine ink (riding on Starbird’s legacy) but was begrudgingly sold to friend Larry Farber out of financial desperation. This all happened between 1954 and 1960. Monogram bought Li’l Coffin from Farber in 1962 and had Starbird, Stuckey, and Dave Puhl perform a light makeover. Starbird bought it from Monogram in 1967 and it became Monkey Ward Delivery, then a Coddingtonesque street rod, which was nearly destroyed by fire in 1980 (with Starbird driving). A new millennium Starbird restoration to the 1962 iteration was the latest event to keep Li’l Coffin in the headlines. Such endless publicity has helped Monogram sell countless Li’l Coffin kits, with no end in sight.
AMT # 2165-200, 1964, 1/25 scale, Designed by Bill Cushenbery
Nearly impossible to find now, Dream Rod came with timely box art, many movable parts, and even a “Revolving Display Stand” fortified with real ball bearings. Although never technically re-issued, MPC released a Tiger Shark kit in 1967, which was actually a controversial 1966 makeover of Dream Rod by the International Show Car Association, which owned it at that time. With brighter box art, the same animated parts, and even the swiveling display stand, Tiger Shark kits now equal Dream Rods in collectibility. Of course, the Holy Grail for Bill Cushenbery fans is a Dream Rod and a Tiger Shark, displayed side by side. (Photo Courtesy Dave Shuten)
Where has the real Dream Rod been hiding? Where else but Mark Moriarity’s Minnesota garage, home of America’s most beloved show rod restorations. Moriarity thanks the show rod gods for yet another opportunity to get his hands on the legendary cars that inspired him as a kid. (Photo Courtesy Scott Parkhurst)
Like any kit, Dream Rod looks even better when surrounded by appropriate paraphernalia. Mark Moriarity owns most of that nowadays, and he built the kit, too. (Photo Courtesy Mark Moriarity)
Dream Rod’s evil twin, the infamous Tiger Shark, which has developed its own unique cool factor and following over time. (Photo Courtesy Dave Shuten)
Show rods come from wherever the inspiration is. In this case, Car Craft magazine was forecasting the demise of vintage tin for hot rod projects in 1961 and decided to build one from late-model parts instead. Dream Rod was designed to incorporate then-current Detroit steel from local wrecking yards. They brought in promoter Bob Larivee to coordinate with Bill Cushenbery, who finalized the design. The car was built by the Car Craft staff from such disparate elements as a 1952 Jowett Jupiter chassis, 1960 Corvair quarter panels, and 1960 Pontiac doors and fenders.
After a nine-month gestation period, Dream Rod immediately began working the show circuit. Sold to the International Show Car Association in 1966 and renamed Tiger Shark, several ill-advised changes destroyed its appeal. From 2005 to 2009, Monster Mark Moriarity restored it to the original iteration.
Revell # H-1274:200, 1964, 1/25 scale, Designed by Ed Roth, Re-issued 1997
Number six in Revell’s Roth stable, the Road Agent kit includes Rat Fink and tuxedoed Big Daddy figures. Rasmussen points out, “Roth is the taller of the two.” Road Agent was promoted as costing Roth “$1,500 and a year’s time” to build. (Photo Courtesy Dave’s Show Rod Rally)
Luca Roveda’s Road Agent, complete with driver and passenger. (Photo Courtesy Luca Roveda)
After flattening trailer springs under Mysterion’s pronounced mass, Roth’s builds returned to svelte trim with Road Agent. By 1963, the signature fiberglass now sat on a Dick Cook chrome-moly round-tube chassis and was propelled by a minuscule Corvair engine. The full-scale Road Agent was pure Roth stream-of-consciousness rodding that more than realized Joe Henning’s initial sketches in Rod & Custom magazine. The finished product so resembled a model kit in real life that scaling it was an absolute no-brainer for Revell. By 1964, Revell had hired a teenaged Jim Keeler and the not-much-older Bob Paeth to perform R&D duties, but riding herd on Big Daddy likely took up most of their time, especially after Keeler moved in with Roth for a close-up view of Bohemia.
Revell # H-1277:200, 1964, 1/25 scale, Designed by Ed Roth, Reissued 1974 and 1996 as Dual Jewel
Dave Rasmussen decrees Mysterion to be Roth’s “greatest creation.” Dave Shuten (who built an uncanny Mysterion clone) concurs. The Revell kit stands today as a styrene testament to psychedelic 1960s kitsch. The 1996 re-issue came in a special collector’s tin. Still freaked out by Roth’s new biker image, the re-issue was renamed Dual Jewel. But the name didn’t seem to matter to anyone but Revell. (Photo Courtesy Dave Shuten)
Although Ed Roth obviously attempted to top himself with each new build, he went delightfully over the top with Mysterion. Mark Gustavson declares it “Roth’s magnum opus.” After a smash debut at the Chicago Trade Show in February (to more than 800,000