Ed “Big Daddy” Roth: Hot Rodding

Ed “Big Daddy” Roth was a genius and a visionary as he was responsible for so many “firsts;” he Ed "Big Daddy" Roth was a genius and a visionary as he was responsible for many "firsts;" he literally changed the world of hot rodding. He purchased his first car, a Ford Coupe in 1946, shortly after WWII ended. He attended college and majored in engineering so he could advance his knowledge in automotive design. He did well, but got bored quite quick because engineering just didn’t have anything to do with cars, so he joined the Air Force in 1951. He went to bombsight school in Denver where he learned to make maps. He was discharged in 1955, by which time he had already owned several vehicles and was married with 5 children. He began working at Sears in the Display Department and started pin striping cars after work. Soon after, he went to work full time with “The Baron” and his grandson Kelly. Using junkyard parts and a newly developed product called fiberglass, Ed created automobiles in his garage. His first car was called “Little Jewel.”

Little Jewel, 1958

Shortly after came the "Outlaw", which showed the world that anyone could design and build a car without being a certified automotive engineer. All you really needed was imagination, some motor head know-how, a lot of elbow grease, and initiative.

Outlaw, 1959

His garage then became his studio where other creations came to exist, such as “Rotar:”

Rotar, 1965

Ed became Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, a hot-roddin', gear head, mad scientist, and struggling artist who financed his inventions by selling drawings and t-shirts at drag events, fairs, and car shows. Big Daddy Roth would draw cartoons of monsters that he created and pictures of cars, but when he personally airbrushed t-shirts with the monsters driving the cars, people went crazy and would line up at his booth. The most popular Ed "Big Daddy" Roth monster was Rat Fink. Rat Fink started as a drawing that Ed had put on his refrigerator. Ed "Big Daddy" Roth was a genius at designing cars, but it was Rat Fink that brought him fame. By 1963, teenagers across America were buying Rat Fink model kits and mass-produced Rat Fink T-shirts by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.
When there was a point where Ed “Big Daddy” Roth got so busy that his garage couldn’t handle the work, he moved his operation into a new shop in Maywood, California and hired employees to help him build and produce more custom cars and t-shirts. There were also several Ed “Big Daddy” Roth record albums produced. The band was called “Mr. Gasser and the weirdos.” Featuring Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

More Works by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth: