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The Mega Cycle is currently on display at Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh, NY.

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Later Ed felt that the XLCH just did not work and, through a series of trades, ended up with Bob Aquistapase's award-winning Triumph. Powered by a Buick V6 engine, Mega Cycle was designed to carry Ed's Harley XLCH. In 1967 Roth built the Mega Cycle, Originally named by Robert Williams, 'Captain Pepi's Motorcycle & Zeppelin Repair' was later changed to the 'Mega Cycle' after a strong suggestion from car show promoters. Roth built many trikes for himself and others, including Candy Wagon, California Cruiser, Secret Weapon, Rubber Ducky and The Great Speckled Bird. Roth also built the first known VW powered trike. It was a small, black and white publication that ran from 1967 to 1970, and was the first magazine ever to exclusively feature custom motorcycles, or choppers.

Mainstream motorcycle magazines refused to run his articles and ads, so he started his own publication called Choppers, which featured articles on extending forks, custom sissy bars, etc. In the mid 1960s Roth began customizing motorcycles. Sloane, Steve Fiorilla who illustrated some of Roth's catalogs, and most notably, Ed Newton, who worked for Roth and designed several of his cars and T-shirt designs beginning in 1964, and Kustom Kulture icon Robert Williams who began working for Roth in late 1965. Numerous artists were associated with Roth including artist David Mann, Rat Fink Comix artist R.K. Ī “corporate publicist” gave the 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) tall Roth the nickname 'Big Daddy'.

Hawk Models continues to re-issue its 'Weird-Oh's' periodically. Both items were quite popular in the mid-60s and remain sought after collector's items to this day. In 1963 The Hawk Model Company issued its line of 'Weird-Oh's' plastic models and Marx Toys issued Nutty Mads, both clearly inspired by Roth's work. Revell continues to re-issue Roth's Monsters and Kustom Car kits. Gasser and other weird creatures created by Roth. In 1962 the Revell model company began selling plastic models of Roth's cars and from 1963 to 1965 Revell also manufactured plastic models of many of Roth's monsters, including Rat Fink, Brother Rat Fink, Drag Nut, Mother's Worry, Mr. engine under the hood he drove this car to his shop every day for years.

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One of Roth's personal drivers was a tangerine orange 1955 Chevy 2-door post with a Ford 406 cu. In 1965, Roth's surf buggy, the Surfite, was featured in the film Beach Blanket Bingo starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, and also in Village of the Giants, featuring Beau Bridges and Tommy Kirk. Other hot rods include the Beatnik Bandit (1961), the twin Ford engined Mysterion (1963), the Orbitron (1964), and the Road Agent (1965), among others. The car was covered in Car Craft and Rod and Custom, and appeared at custom car and hot rod shows. This fiberglass Kustom hot rod was featured in the January 1960 issue of Car Craft.

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The lesser-known Rendina Studios of Detroit and Mad Mac of Cleveland also joined in on the monster 'Weirdo' shirt craze, but Roth was certainly the person who widely popularized the 'monsters in hot rods' art form. 'Stanley Mouse', began advertising his own shirts in the pages of Car Craft in January 1961. Inspired by Roth and Barris Kustoms (whose shirts were airbrushed by Dean Jeffries), Detroit native Stanley Miller, a.k.a. The article featured Roth along with fellow Kustom Kulture pioneers Dean Jeffries and Pete Millar. By the August 1959 issue of Car Craft 'Weirdo shirts' had become a full-blown craze with Roth at the forefront of the movement. Roth began airbrushing and selling 'Weirdo' T-shirts at car shows and in the pages of Car Craft magazine as early as July 1958. Roth is best known for his grotesque caricatures-typified by Rat Fink-depicting imaginary, out-sized monsters driving representations of the hot rods that he and his contemporaries built. Career The 1961 Beatnik Bandit hot rod at the National Automobile Museum, Reno, Nevada The 1962 Mysterion at Stahls Automotive Collection Orbitron 1964. He studied engineering at a Los Angeles college, then served in the United States air force, and, by the early '50s, was experimenting with fibreglass modelling. He grew up in Bell, California, attending Bell High School, where his classes included auto shop and art.Īt age 14 Roth acquired his first car, a 1933 Ford coupe. He was the son of Marie (Bauer) and Henry Roth. Roth was born in Beverly Hills, California. Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot rod movement of the late 1950s and 1960s. Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth (March 4, 1932 – April 4, 2001) was an American artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder who created the hot rod icon Rat Fink and other characters.