Thoughts On Ed “Big Daddy” Roth

by Mike Gulett –

I spent a few years of my youth in Southern California (specifically South Gate, a suburb of Los Angeles), soaking up car culture in every way I could. I read as many magazines and I bought and built as many models as I could afford and fit into my room, from model makers like Revell and AMT. I was also into skate boarding and slot cars. I went to car events held at the local park, which seem to me like a precursor to what we call cars & coffee today. While I was too young to know, I suspect they were meetings of local car clubs where on display were hot rods, customs and American Muscle cars.

I do not remember if I saw any of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s creations in person as a kid but I read about them in the magazines and I built some of his designs in model car kits. I have seen some of them in person as an adult and they are as wild as the magazine photos.

He had a huge influence on me and car culture in general. At the time I thought his stuff was a normal part of life, especially for car lovers. I did not realize what a creative genius he was. His creation of the strange character, Rat Fink, was a major milestone. Who thinks of things like Rat Fink and the very strange cars Big Daddy had him driving?

It was obvious that most custom cars, including Big Daddy’s, were not made for speed, they were made because they looked cool. The really fast cars were left to the likes of Carroll Shelby.

Ed “Big Daddy” Roth (1932–2001) was a legendary American artist, car customizer, and cultural icon whose strange imagination and unusual spirit helped define the hot rod, Kustom Kulture, and underground art movements of the mid-20th century. Big Daddy’s legacy goes beyond custom cars—he created a visual and cultural language that influenced generations of artists, car and motorcycle lovers, skateboarders, and many others.

Car Culture and Custom Car Revolution

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Roth rose to fame as a part of Southern California’s hot rod and custom car culture. He became known for his outrageous fiberglass custom car creations that rejected conventional automotive styling. These weren’t just customs—they were rolling works of wild car sculpture.

Some of his most famous cars include [1]:

Outlaw (1959): One of the first full fiberglass custom cars, showing off his inventive form and outrageous flair.

Beatnik Bandit (1960): A bubble-top show car with joystick controls—perhaps his most famous design.

Mysterion (1963): A dual-engine monstrosity with surreal, organic lines.

Orbitron (1964): A space-age car with three colored headlamps—lost for decades and rediscovered in Mexico in 2007.

Road Agent (1965): Yet another bubble-top dream on wheels.

These cars were featured in magazines like Car Craft and Hot Rod, and they toured the car show circuit as part of Roth’s “weird and wild” traveling exhibitions.

Rat Fink and the Birth of Kustom Kulture Art

While Big Daddy was building outrageous cars, he was also pioneering a new form of cartooning. He airbrushed strange monsters and wild-eyed drivers on T-shirts, selling them at car shows. These creatures were the anti-heroes of American pop culture: bulging eyes, rotted teeth, dripping drool, and hot rods that looked undrivable.

In 1963, Roth introduced Rat Fink, a snarling, grotesque rat who became his signature character. Rat Fink was conceived as a counterpoint to Mickey Mouse—a mascot for the misfits and rebels of American youth. This launched a subculture of “monster art,” joined by fellow artists like Von Dutch, Robert Williams, and Stanley Mouse.

His artwork fed the growing Kustom Kulture movement—a hybrid of lowbrow art, surf graphics, rockabilly, and hot rod rebellion.

Big Daddy Roth was more than a custom car builder—he was a countercultural prophet with a spray gun, shaping the way American youth expressed rebellion, humor, and speed.

Rat Fink and Big Daddy’s cars are still in the thoughts of most rebels who dream of defying the mainstream.

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

 

[1] These images were created by ChatGPT 40 and may not accurately reflect what these cars actually looked like. But I suspect Big Daddy would not mind, who knows he may like some of these renderings too.

 

Research, some text and all images by ChatGPT 40.