XR-6

The XR-6 at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The car was shown along with nine other one-off creations in a special class called "American Dream Cars of the 1960s." Photo courtesy of Anthony Diliberto.

Tex Smith's XR-6 on display at The Petersen Automotive Museum Vault in March 2025. Photo courtesy of Howard Miereanu.

Tex Smith's experimental XR-6 roadster was named America's Most Beautiful Roadster at the 1963 National Roadster Show. Developed to investigate the uses of modern ideas in hot rod design, Hot Rod Magazine announced the build through a series of articles in the spring of 1962. Barris Kustoms made the body shell and rear pans out of sheet metal, while Gene Winfield was commissioned to construct the fenders and the nose piece out of aluminum. The design of the car featured an off-center scoop that ran from the nose piece, over the hood, and into the dash. The rear of the car featured an asymmetrical scoop behind the driver seat, and an asymmetrical nerf bar and license plate arrangement.

Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2017

August 20, 2017 the XR-6 was shown along with nine other one-off creations at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It was shown in a special class called "American Dream Cars of the 1960s."

Magazine Features and Appearances

Hot Rod August 1963