Subscribe to our free newsletter and receive regular updates and stories from Kustomrama. This little black Model T hot rod may appear somewhat humble, but it's anything but. Bill Burke invented the belly tank and perfected it on his third try. Starbird eventually created 11 bubble-top cars with intriguing names: Predicta, Futura, Fantabula, Electra. Darryl Starbird's 1961 Ford Thunderbird - The Star Bird Phil 1950 Plymouth 2020 Lenny told Sondre Kvipt Kustomrama that they thought the Predicta was built by Aliens! This page was last edited on 22 October 2022, at 09:15. The Predicta was named Motor Life magazines Custom of the Year winner for 1960, which Starbird has referred to as the biggest thrill of his life. Finding a replacement windshield, back or side glass can be a difficult task when restoring your vintage or custom classic car. Starbird Productions - Bringing you the best car shows in the midwest! History and fiction will cheerfully embrace the phantom scale model kits and models well design, offer for sales in a limited production setting, and then build in display format, and in the accompanying phantom artifacts and ephemera well be creating. The car was powered by a 392 ci 1957 Hemi Chrysler V-8 engine with Hillborn fuel injection and chrome plating. Founded in 1992 by "Speedy" Bill and Joyce Smith, the collection results from their personal involvement in racing and hot rodding and their lifelong passion for collecting and preserving racing an automotive history over the past 100 years. The Predicta Project will be a major effort that will stretch across several literary and scale modeling disciplines to report on, discuss, speculate upon, and display in miniature the most famous of all bubble-topped custom cars all in an historic setting. document.write('<'+'div id="placement_435069_'+plc435069+'">'); Starbird discovered the T-Bird in a junkyard, mangled from an encounter with a train, and set to work, integrating components from other cars, including taillight lenses from the 1959 Cadillac that were set into the copper tubing-encircled grille and white coated, and fins from the 1959 Buick that were extended to the cars nose. They werent looking to the past, they were looking to the future. Ray Fahrner's Boothill Express was among the most famous and best from the wild era of the show rod. We'll have pinstripers, tattoo artists, rock n' roll, pinup girls, a beard & mustache contest and more through out the entire weekend. Many people ask this question about the money Darryl Starbird makes from Facebook. Bubbletops and tiller steering may never have made it into the automotive mainstream, but the Predicta is a great example of the boundless creativity of Starbird and his mid-century custom peers. Do you want to see your company here? SunTec Auto Glass - Auto Glass Services on Vintage and Classic Cars Darryl Starbird has been called many things: Innovator. Darryl, known as the "King of the Bubbletop", was born in Topeka, Kansasin 1933. He added pieces of 59 Buick rear quarters, giving the car its signature fins. The interior featured custom seats designed to look a bit like folding chairs, and again integrated Starbirds stick steering design. Few other historic customs have fared as well. 974 - module_9362 EventCategoryModule moduleLarge. There were older cars on the market. The car was sent on a 17 weeks tour in 15 states, and the Predicta won major prizes . This page was last edited on 14 August 2021, at 09:14. So, he hit up the local junkyard and found one, or what was left of one. The Futurista was also honored with a model by Monogram, but met an untimely end, when it landed upside down after being dropped from a transport truck. Starbird: That was actually my full ambition, to build custom cars. This stunning collaboration between Eric Zausner and legendary builder Steve Moal will stop you in your tracks with its blown Ardun powerplant and never-ending list of cool details. So, I went home and bought a new 59 Buick and customized it. var pid435068 = window.pid435068 || rnd; Like the Predicta, the Forcasta came equipped with bubble top, television and center tiller steering, which was becoming a fixture in Starbirds designs. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed is home to over 150,000 square feet of display over three levels. Starbird again landed the cover of Car Craft in 1963, with his 1958 Chevy Biscayne-based Fantabula, featuring the Starbird trademark bubble top (which opened at the push of a button) and stick steering as well as a reworked back end, handcrafted grille and bumper bars, and prominent side trim. Co before he became a co-owner at Electric Motor Specilities in Wichita, Kansas. Spence who was touring the Rod & Custom Dream Truck across the country, suggested that Darryl could start submitting local car features to the magazines. December 6, 2022 5 Minutes With Darryl Starbird Darryl Starbird is an automotive customizer who, along with peers like Gene Winfield and George Barris, helped popularize the custom car during the 1950s and '60s, when customs became a widespread part of American culture. As the World War II broke out Austin moved his family to Wichita, Kansas, to work for the Boeing Airplane plant. The Predicta could be driven from either seat. Long live the Predicta and this Project! Located in Afton, Okla. Darryl Starbird's National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame is the home of over 50 one-of-a-kind full size exotic vehicles, including twenty-five of his own creations on display, as well as automotive artwork, photographs and auto memorabilia displayed throughout the 40,000 square foot facility. Darryl Starbird "King of the Bubbletop" started building "The Predicta" in 1959. Some of his best-known cars include Futurista,[1] Predicta, Electra, Cosma Ray, the Big T, and Lil Coffin. In 1960 the Predicta won Car of the Future at the National Roadster Show in Oakland, California. SunTec Auto Glass - Auto Glass Services on Vintage and Classic Cars Celebrities more often then not want to keep their love affairs secret, if you happen to know the name of Darryl Starbird's partner, please leave a comment in the section below. They can source OEM or OEM-equivalent glass for older makes/models; which will ensure a proper fit every time. Sign up for the latest automotive news and videosin short, everything for people who love cars. This one was freshened up a few times, street driven by Starbird (imagine pulling up next to this crazy thing on a random old weekday morning in Wichita traffic!) The Predicta Project will allow the interested reader, and the custom car/model historian, to fully enjoy the history of a remarkable restyled futuristic automobile and to consider what might have been. Click here to forward it. While Starbird has created hundreds of custom cars over the years (in fact, Starbird admits that he sometimes forgets working on some of his designs until he sees them), hes best known for the creations that gave him his nickname. This is the Isky Roadster, and it's one of the most famous hot rods ever built. Thankfully, Starbird was able to save the car from an uncertain fate when he brought it back home in the early 70s, ultimately restoring it to its former glory and the version you see in these pictures. Meet "Sweet 16," currently on display at the Museum of American Speed. That camera went on a tripod and shot everything I ever had in my shop. In an age of too much gorp, Starbirds signature car stood nearly alone as a highly-styled, elegant automotive design especially as he sequentially restyled the car. Both these were featured in Rod & Custom Magazine. As Starbird told Car Craft magazine in 1960, I built and designed the car with only one thing in mind. Address. As the World War IIbroke out Austin moved his family to Wichita, Kansas, to work for the Boeing Airplane plant. In 1954 Darryl decided to drop out of school and focus on his own shop. History Darryl Starbird Talks: The Story Of The "Fantabula"! The '21 season marks the 70th year of NHRA drag racing. As his business matured and word of his talent spread, Kent began building custom automobiles with his son AJ Writtenberry, girlfriend Kimberly Stagg and his dedicated Team at Kentz Kustomz situated in beautiful Gasburg, Virginia. NOTE TO ALL MY FRIENDS HERE AT THE H.A.M.B "THE FANTABULA" has always been one of my personal favorites, so at Darryl's 48th Annual Tulsa Rod & Custom Show, February, 2012, that was one of the cars that I really needed Darryl's input on in our latest Interview. It doesn't have to be though now with auto glass specialist companies like www.suntecautoglass.com. Privacy Policy. Article about Darryl Starbird's National Rod & Custom Hall of Fame Museum, Listen to a live radio interview with Darryl Starbird on Nostalgic Radio and Cars, article "Darryl Starbird" is from Wikipedia, https://en.everybodywiki.com/index.php?title=Darryl_Starbird&oldid=885835, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2018, Articles with dead external links from January 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links. Maybe even a little crazy. A year or so later, they also began caddying at a local country club to make more money for the family. This time we see mock-up of the big Hemi and metalwork in progress on the rear. The three and a half years spent there were shared with a night shift job at Boeing Aircraft's plant as a design draftsman in the engineering department. 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup Not Your Fathers Truck! He finished the exterior with a stunning Satellite Blue Lacquer paint job. We caught up with Starbird who got name-dropped in the movie American Graffiti to quiz him on his history and see what hes up to now. So bring out your car and your favorite tailgate necessities and participate in the annual Cool Car Corral cruise in party! Starbird was 26 years old when he completed his first bubble car. GG: You come from an era of many famous customizers Barris, Winfield, Roth, etc. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. When the war ended, Austin moved his family back to Topeka and opened up a small service station. The building was a former chicken coupe with a dirt floor that sat really close to the railroad tracks. Please only use it for a guidance and Darryl Starbird's actual income may vary a lot from the dollar amount shown above. An original restored "Dragula" from the popular TV show "The Munsters", The following vehicles are a part of The LEGENDS Tribute, "Futurista" Recreation - 1963 Volkswagen - Darryl Starbird - Car Craft 1963. Starbirds outside-the-box thinking went beyond the accepted standards of how a car is driven. The Predicta could be driven from either seat. Austin's mechanical ability gave him a chance to barely carve out a living, but his sons took his lead and took on part time jobs. Jonnie King. He opened his Star Kustom Shop in Wichita, Kansas, in 1954 and garnered national attention in 1958 after one of his creations appeared on the cover of Rod & Custom magazine. This car was mind-blowing when it hit the scene in 1960. I have great childhood memories of building a handful of the Predicta kits (all built poorly) in the eighth grade: That wasnt a particularly happy year for me, and I distracted myself by building Predicta models, and reading Darryl Starbirds and Tom Daniels articles on how to customize(!) Back in Wichita, he married his high school sweetheart Donna Gray in 1953. Starbird followed up with new versions of the Predicta in 1961 and 1963, the latter of which was purchased by Monogram to aid in the design of 1/24-scale model cars, for which Starbird received $.02 for each $1.98 model sold. Quad headlights with frosted covers were added to the front, and the grille was finished out with white-painted 59 Caddy taillight lenses. The cars rear was designed to resemble jet boosters, and the top had a double bubble appearance. Net Worth: $20 Million Date of Birth: Dec 3, 1960 (62 years old) Place of Birth: Chicago Gender: Female Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Profession: Film Producer, Actor, Businessperson,. Darryl liked the idea, and understood the potential in this offer, so he went downtown and bought his first camera, a Rolliflex. In 1962, Darryl Starbird was hired as Custom Car Design Consultant for future models on Monogram Models. Featuring a brilliant Candy Blue over Pearl paint job, the eye-socket inspired headlights and custom aluminum grille give the front end the appearance of a snarling face. Austin was never sure about wether his son had bought or stolen the Model T, but after many heated discussions he bought Kenny a nice 1934 Ford Coupe. This was a very traumatic experience for the 14-years old Darryl, who was very bonded to his brother. And receive regular updates and stories from Kustomrama Services on vintage and classic cars Darryl Starbird 's income... 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