1964

Dean Jeffries' Mantaray of Hollywood, California. In 1963 custom painter and pinstriper Dean Jeffries wanted to prove that he was capable of competing head to head with top customizers such as George Barris and Gene Winfield, so he set out to build a scratch built bubble top car dubbed The Mantaray. The entire chassis of the car came from a pre-war Grand Prix Maserati. The asymmetrical body was hand-formed in aluminum. The bubble top, lights, and engine on the car could be operated by a radio control system, and the Mantaray put Jeffries in the winner’s circle at the 1964 National Roadster Show in Oakland where he won the prestigious "Tournament of Fame" award.

Ed Roth's Road Agent of Maywood, California. Ed Roth’s fourth bubble top build started out as a project car for Rod & Custom Magazine. A Corvair engine and rear suspension allowed a low-slung hood. Named "The Road Agent," the build was finished early in 1964, and it featured a bubble in fluorescent plastic, made in the pizza oven at Furt’s sign shop.

Ed Roth's Orbitron of Maywood, Califonria. The car featured three headlights in primary colors, and Roth's idea was that when the three lights hit the road they would be a white beam. Completed in 1964, The Orbitron was a failure at the shows. Roth believed it failed due to the engine being hidden. He sold the car to a fellow in Texas. It went missing for many years and was later found in front of a porn shop in Mexico. The Orbitron was Roth’s fifth and final bubble top show car in the 1960s.

Arnie Boyle's Piranha was a Competition Street Roadster built by Arnie Boyle of Montebello, California. A joint venture between Boyle and designer Roy Lonberger, the Piranha embodied a fusion of drag racing spirit and street-legal flair. The build was started in 1963. Completed in 1964, and unfortunately sold for parts in 1965, when Arnie's life took a dramatic turn.

After debuting the Silhouette in 1963, Bill Cushenbery went back to the drawing board and designed another bubble top custom named the Silhouette II Space Coupe. He began building the car the same year. In 1964 he moved to a new shop in North Hollywood, bringing the project along. Toward the end of 1964, Bill had a dispute with his financiers. He took elements of the car with him and moved to a new shop, thinking he would get the rest of the car back to finish once the dispute was settled. He did not, and the car went missing. The remains were found in 1999. The build had never been completed, and it is still in works.

The Calico Surfer was built by Barris Kustoms for Calvin Clark of Palos Verdes, California in 1964. Calvin was the publisher of the International Surfing Magazine.

Don Tognotti's 1913 Ford Model T Roadster, "King T", of Sacramento, California. Restyled by Don and Gene Winfield of Winfield's Custom Shop, the build was started in 1962 and completed in 1964, winning the 1964 America's Most Beautiful Roadster award.

Bo Huff's 1927 Ford Model T Bucket, of Salt Lake City as it appeared in 1964.

Hasse Broberg's Modified of Enskedefältet in Stockholm, Sweden. The build was started by Pelle Karlson, but Hasse, a member of the Sill Drivers, bought it and completed it in 1964.

Bill Leslie's 1931 Ford Model A Coupe

Bob Hagerty's 1931 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan of Wheaton, Maryland. Bob, who was a member of the Coach Masters of Wheaton, built the car himself. The build took two years, and it was completed in 1964. Bob's tudor was shown on the East Coast as "Jade East."

Ron Maxwell's 1932 Austin Bantam of Salt Lake City, Utah. Ron built the Austin Bantam in 1964.

The second version of Lars Erik Ljungkvist's 1932 Ford Roadster, of Huddinge in Stockholm, Sweden, was completed in 1964. This version was painted Marigold Metalflake..

A photo of Richard Moore with his 1950 Chevrolet taken in Torrance, California in 1964. Richard is the kid on the skateboard. The 1958 Ford in front of the Chevy belonged to his brother. Richard's Chevrolet featured a Candy Apple Green paint job, a white tuck and roll interior, chromed and reversed wheels, a Hurst-shifter, and a Mad Man Muntz 45RPM Record Player under the dash. Photo courtesy of Richard Moore.

Roy Abendroth's 1955 Buick Century of Compton, California. Known as the "BuSonic," the build was started in 1959 and completed in 1963. It featured bodywork by John Schott and Copper Metalflake paint job by Larry Watson of Watson's House of Style. It was also fitted with hydraulic lifts. In 1964 Watson resprayed the car in Green.

Irvin Kirschner's 1955 Chevrolet of Westwood, New Jersey. Known as the Princess and the Pirate, the car was restyled several times by Tony Bruskivage of Hawthorne, New Jersey. The bubbletop version of Irv's Chevrolet was first shown in 1964.

Rodney Rice's 1955 Chevrolet of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The car, known as "the Astorian," was restyled by the Alexander Brothers and Fostoria Customs. The build was completed in 1964.

Sven Sandberg's 1956 Ford Sunliner convertible of Stockholm, Sweden. Sven's Sunliner was completed in 1964, featuring a Burgundy Mist paint job by his brother Bo Sandberg. Bo ran a custom shop named Yankee Customs.

Teddy Zgrzemski' 1957 Chevrolet Nomad of Rockwood, Michigan. Teddy bought the Nomad from his friend Gene Rosco back in 1964 or 1965. It came from California, and it featured a beautiful Eddie Martinez interior. Shortly after buying the Nomad, Teddy's uncle, Bill Hines, helped install hydraulic lifts on the car, turning it into what might be the first hydraulic lifted car in Michigan.

The Surfin Bird version of Bo Sandberg's 1959 Ford Thunderbird of Älvesjö in Stockholm, Sweden was completed in 1964.

Mike Perello's 1960 Ford Starliner

Richard Mikami's 1961 Chevrolet Impala of Gardena, California. Restyled in 1964, Richard's Impala featured hydraulic lifts by Bill Hines, a Pearl paint job by Joe Andersen and a custom upholstery by Russ and Bess. The car was known as "The Ant Killer"

Gordy Brown's 1963 Ford Thunderbird of San Fernando, California. Gordy was originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, but decided to move to Southern California in the early 1960s, after Utah passed a law against altered suspension. The Thunderbird was built at his shop House of Customs around 1963/1964, and it featured hydraulic lifts on all four corners so he could raise it up by the touch of a switch.

Richard Zocchi's 1964 Buick Wildcat of Concord, California. Richard's Buick featured hydraulic lifts by Bill Hines and a fadeaway paint job by Gene Winfield of Winfield's Custom Shop. The car was restyled in 1964, when it was brand new.

Jerry Greenwade’s 1964 Chevrolet Corvette. Known as Cosma Ray, the car received a bubble top and custom body work by Darryl Starbird in 1964. It was later brought to Barris Kustoms for additional restyling and a new paint job.

The flyer for the 1964 Winternationals Custom Auto Fair. Held at the Great Western Exhibit Center in Los Angeles from February 6-9, 1964, the show was promoted as one of the nation's largest and most popular custom auto shows of its time. Scan courtesy of Tom Kosulandich.