Ed "Big Daddy" Roth: His Life, Time, Cars, and Art

Who was Ed Roth? The answer depends on who you ask and when they knew him. To some, he was a counter-culture, greasy-fingernailed, renaissance man of the mid-20th Century. To others, he's the creator of Rat Fink and builder of some of the most creative custom cars to ever get a coat of candy paint, cars like the Beatnik Bandit, the Mysterion, and the Outlaw. Some knew him as a devout Mormon, others recall a Harley-riding hellion with a devilish glint in his eye. He was a force of nature and a creative genius whose work had a profound influence on popular culture and helped spawn numerous subcultures. Big Daddy's rise to fame began in the '50s, and peaked with the custom car boom of the early '60s. This book covers it all, from art to custom cars, monster shirts to VW-powered trikes, and the wild life that brought it all together.