Orbitron facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Orbitron |
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Restored Orbitron in Pomona, California, 2009.
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| Overview | |
| Designer | Ed Roth, Ed Newton |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Custom car |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Chevrolet V8 |
| Transmission | Powerglide |
The Orbitron is a super cool custom car. A famous builder named Ed Roth made it. For a long time, people thought it was lost. But guess what? It was found in Mexico in 2007! This car is famous for its unique look and interesting story.
Contents
Building the Orbitron
Ed Roth built the Orbitron in 1964. It had a powerful Chevrolet V8 engine from 1955 or 1956. It also used a Powerglide automatic transmission. The car's body was made from fiberglass, which Roth shaped by hand. This body hid a lot of shiny chrome parts underneath.
The driver's seat, called the cockpit, was at the very back of the car. It was like a dragster car. Inside, the cockpit was lined with fake fur! It even had a small 11-inch General Electric portable television built into the console. The top of the cockpit was a special clear dome made of Plexiglas. This dome could open and close using hydraulics, which is a system that uses liquid pressure. To open it from the outside, you just pushed a doorbell button on the hood.
Other parts of the car included a rear axle from a 1956 Chevrolet. It also had a front axle from a Ford and brakes from Buick and early Ford cars. The car's frame was handmade from strong steel tubes. The engine was one that Roth had from an older Chevrolet. He had taken it out to put in a newer, bigger engine from General Motors.
Ed Roth actually thought the Orbitron was a "mistake." He felt this because the cool, shiny engine and most of the chassis (the car's frame) were hidden. The Orbitron was one of the few custom cars he made that had a hood. People said the hood didn't fit perfectly because the fiberglass work was done very quickly.
Unique Design Features
The most special part of the Orbitron was its front end. It was asymmetrical, meaning it wasn't the same on both sides. It had three unique headlights that were red, green, and blue. The idea was that these three colors, when combined, would make a super bright white light. This idea came from the new color television technology that was around at the time.
The Orbitron's Journey
In 1967, another car customizer named Darryl Starbird bought the Orbitron from Ed Roth. He paid $750 for it. Years later, Starbird traded the car to a collector in Texas. From Texas, the Orbitron was traded again around 1991. This time, it went to a carnival owner in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
By then, the unique asymmetrical nose of the car had been cut off and thrown away. This might have been done to help more air get to the radiator, which cools the engine, especially since the car was used in carnivals.
Finding the Lost Car
Michael Lightbourn, who restores cars, heard rumors about the Orbitron being in Ciudad Juárez. He found it parked in front of an adult bookstore. It was being used as an advertisement!
The car was painted in a faded black color. Most of its parts were still there, but the hood, the tachometer (which measures engine speed), the television, the fur lining, and the missing nose were gone. The clear bubble top was also gone. People believed it was destroyed in the early 1970s. This happened when it got stuck and trapped the car's owner inside!
The family who owned the bookstore also owned the carnival where the car had been used. They didn't want to sell the car at first because it had sentimental value to them. But after a lot of talking, Lightbourn was finally able to buy the Orbitron and bring it back to the United States. Once it was back, the Orbitron was sold to Beau Boeckmann, who is famous from "Galpin Auto Sports."
Bringing the Orbitron Back to Life
Beau Boeckmann and his team worked hard to restore the Orbitron. They finished the restoration in about 100 days! All the original parts that were taken off the car, even the rusted frame, were saved. Ed "Newt" Newton, who helped Ed Roth design the car in 1964, supervised the restoration. This made sure everything was accurate.
The restored car now has a television just like the original one. During the restoration, they found a small tape recorder hidden in the cockpit. It had the original tape, which was supposed to play music about the car's features. It still works! The recording was reportedly done by Tex Ritter.
Planet Plastics of Chino, California, the company that made the first bubble top, was hired to make a new one. They found clues about the car's original "candy blue" color inside the car. This color was used to match the new paint. Larry Watson, who painted the car in 1964, oversaw the new paint job. His original assistant, Bill Carter, helped apply the new finish. Even a descendant of the person who did the original pin-striping (thin decorative lines) added new pin-striping to the car. Joe Perez, who did the original upholstery (the fabric inside), also helped with the new interior. The original Chevrolet engine, with its special triple carburetors and finned aluminum covers, was rebuilt and put back in the car.
The restored Orbitron was featured on the cover of the March 2009 edition of Hot Rod Deluxe magazine.
