Looking like a pair of Hot Wheels toys come to life, the custom cars that inspired two of the most recognizable toys of all time will be on display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., beginning Thursday.
The bubble-topped 1961 Beatnik Bandit and 1967 Dodge Deora pickup/surf wagon are the latest inductees into the National Historic Vehicles register.
“The ‘60s were the zenith of custom car culture,” said Casey Maxon, manager of heritage for the Hagerty Drivers Foundation. “The model-car industry hit at about the same time, including Hot Wheels and Matchbox. They passed on car culture to the next generation.”
Unbeknownst to many who played with the Hot Wheels toys — the Deora and Bandit were both among the uber-collectible 16-car first edition in 1968 — the far-out designs were duplicates of real cars.
More about the Beatnik Bandit
Legendary customizer, cartoonist and artist Ed “Big Daddy” Roth created the chrome-laden, pin-striped Bandit starting with the shortened chassis of a 1950s Oldsmobile. He supercharged its V8, chromed the engine and suspension — and, legend has it, created its signature bubble top by baking a sheet of Plexiglas in a pizza oven. Strapped for cash, Roth reportedly paid painter for the Bandit’s custom color scheme with merchandise for the Rat Fink and other cartoon characters and cars he created.
Roth reportedly only drove the Bandit once because the joystick he created to control is was so tricky. Theoretically drivable, he towed the Bandit to car shows behind a customized Cadillac hearse he also slept in.
On display in a Hot Wheels-style glass box on the National Mall this Thursday through Sunday, the Beatnik Bandit’s home is the National Automobile Museum in Reno.
Dodge Deora's backstory
Built by the Detroit-based Alexander Brothers and debuting in the city’s influential 1967 Autorama custom car show, the Deora was created for Dodge, using the underpinnings of the automaker’s cab-forward A100 pickup. The Hot Wheels version included a pair of removable surf boards.
"The Alexander Brothers were among the first nationally recognized customizers in Detroit in the 1950s,” Maxon said. “They worked programs with some manufacturers, including the Ford Custom Car Caravan.”
The bros must have dipped into a parts bin left from that for the Deora,. The windshield was a 1960 Ford station wagon’s rear window. The low, wide pickup’s own rear window came from a ’60 Ford sedan.
The Deora also had some Mustang parts. Its headlights came from a Honda motorcycle.
The Deora will be on the National Mall on Sunday through Sept. 24. It comes from the private Tom Abrams Collection in Detroit.
More: EVs and hybrids dominate NACTOY Best of 2025 list
Preserving historic vehicles
The HVA’s lighted glass display box can only hold for one car, but both national register inductees will be present Sunday.
“Most people’s first exposure to car culture is through toys,” Maxon said
The display is in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on the mall near 14 th Street. It will include toy cars and models visitors can interact with on Family Day, which is Sunday, Maxon said.
The National Register of Historic Vehicles includes specific vehicles with significant roles in American culture. HVA documents and digitizes the vehicles. The Hagerty Drivers Foundation selects and documents the vehicles.
The Library of Congress retains the documentation, photos, plans, etc.
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @ mark_phelan . Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter . Become a subscriber
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: See the wild cars that inspired classic Hot Wheels toys on the National Mall this month
Local News
Comments / 0