Despite what its name suggests, the National Corvette Museum does not cater exclusively to America’s Sports Car. The museum, located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, adjacent to the factory in which all Corvettes are built, has highlighted race cars and other significant vehicles in the past, and starting January 31, 2020, will feature its newest exhibit: Car-toon Creatures, Kustom Kars, and Corvettes: The Art and Influence of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.
Co-curated by Tom Peters, the C8 Corvette’s recently retired Director of Exterior Design, the exhibit will feature a recreation of Roth’s garage, a life-size interpretation of Roth’s iconic Rat Fink character, and a number of his custom show cars. Galpin Motors has lent Orbitron, Mysterion, and Tweedy Pie; the Petersen Museum has sent the Outlaw; and the Beatnik Bandit is on loan from the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.
Ed Roth was a big inspiration for Peters, and so the exhibit will also include a recreation of Peters’ studio and some of his Corvette designs, including a Corvette built for a recent Transformers movie.
The exhibit opens January 31, 2020, and will run through December of this year. To plan your trip to the museum or to purchase tickets, visit the museum’s website.
Restored in 1985, Beatnik Bandit was originally built in 1961 as an evolution of a design by Joe Henning. Underneath the bubble top is a single tiller that is used to steer, stop, and turn the rod. Brandan Gillogly
Tweedy Pie is a Ford Model T on ‘32 framerails built by Bob Johnston. Ed Roth purchased it in 1962 when it was already well known and made several minor changes before it was made into a very popular Revell model. Brandan Gillogly
Orbitron was built in 1964 and was missing for years. The slingshot-dragster-inspired body was found in Mexico and was purchased by Beau Boeckmann, President of Galpin Auto Sports, where the car was restored. Brandan Gillogly
Galpin also restored Roth’s personal Ford F100, which was used as his work truck during his pinstriping days. Brandan Gillogly
Surfite made cameos in the 1965 movies Beach Blanket Bingo, starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, and Village of the Giants, with Beau Bridges. Brandan Gillogly
Clearly inspired by twin-engine dragsters, Mysterion uses twin Ford V-8s and a helmet-like bubble top. It was featured on the September 1963 cover of Rod & Custom magazine. This version is a replica, built by Galpin Auto Sports. Brandan Gillogly
Beatnik Bandit II was built in 1994. Everything about it—the stylized Rat Fink, the Chevy LT-1 engine, the colors, and the wheels—all scream 1990s. Brandan Gillogly
