![]() Steering, throttle, transmission, and braking are all controlled by a chrome-plated joystick mounted on the center tunnel. The Bandit does not have a traditional steering wheel or floor pedals. The transmission is a 4-speed Hydramatic automatic unit. There is extensive use of chrome plating, including most of the exposed engine and all of the front suspension parts. Power comes from a 303 cu in (5.0 L) Oldsmobile V8 engine fitted with twin Ford carbs and a GMC 4-71 supercharger courtesy of Bell Auto Parts. The original wheels were chromed reverse steel with baby moon hubcaps. Coil springs are used at all four corners. The front suspension is independent with kingpins and A-arms and in the back is a solid axle with trailing arms. ![]() While one source says that it was of 1955 vintage, most believe that the chassis actually dates from 1950. The Beatnik Bandit is built on a shortened Oldsmobile chassis. This successor to the 1961 Bandit featured many styling cues from the earlier car but was powered by a fuel injected 350 cu in (5.7 L) Chevrolet LT-4 engine. In 1995 Roth unveiled the Beatnik Bandit II. In 1985 the car was restored to its original condition and since then has been on permanent display at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. Harrah's Automobile Collection eventually acquired all of Brucker's Roth cars, including the Bandit. Jim Brucker bought the car from Roth for $50 in 1970 and displayed it in his Movieland Cars of the Stars museum. Roth then leased the Bandit to Ray Farhner who had the car painted a metallic green. Larivee traded both cars back to Roth in exchange for the Mysterion. Roth sold both the Beatnik Bandit and the Outlaw to Bob Larivee, who continued to show the cars until around 1963. At shows Roth used a remote control that plugged into the Bandit on a long cord to remotely start the engine, turn the wheels and raise and lower the canopy. Roth trailered the Bandit around the US to various car shows, towing it with a Cadillac hearse that he lived out of. Retrospectives of the car appeared in the 1991 issue of Rod & Custom and the March 2002 issue of Custom Rodder. It was also the subject of an article titled “Bandit at Large” in the July 1961 issue of Rod & Custom magazine. The Bandit was featured on the cover of the May 1961 edition of Car Craft magazine. The car was painted at Larry Watson's Watson's House of Style, where Roth traded the paint work for a supply of Rat Fink T-shirts. ![]() Pictures in a magazine article seem to hint at the existence of one but no such molds have ever been found. Many have speculated as to whether Roth made a mold of the body. Much of the work preparing the body was done by Doug "Dirty Doug" Kinney. Ĭonstruction of the car consumed 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of plaster, 42 yd (38.4 m) of fiberglass cloth, and 50 US gal (189.3 L) of resin. ![]() Roth claimed that he produced the part himself in a pizza oven by blowing the plastic sheet up like a balloon, but it is believed that it was actually produced by Acry Plastics in Los Angeles, who had produced similar parts for Ron Aguirre. ![]() At first Roth tried to adapt a canopy salvaged from a B-36 bomber to the car but was unsuccessful, so a custom plexiglas canopy was made. When Roth began building the Bandit both the design and car went through a series of changes, including the addition of the bubble top that was inspired by the glass of the DiDia 150. Why not call this one the Beatnik Bandit?" Another version is that Roth read a news story about a bank robber nicknamed "the Beatnik Bandit" and decided to adopt the label for his car. One is that Roth approached Henning with the idea for the car and asked him "What am I going to call it?", to which Henning replied "You've got the Outlaw. There are at least two stories for the origin of the car's name. This early design, featuring a tall T-type roof, was drawn by Joe Henning without much input from Roth. The car originally appeared as a sketch in a project for Rod & Custom magazine called "The Grapes of Roth". Speed and direction are controlled by a central joystick in the cabin. The Beatnik Bandit is a custom car created in 1961 by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Custom car created in 1961 Beatnik Bandit at the National Automobile Museum, Reno, Nevada ![]()
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