MovieWorld - Cars of the Stars

During a 1979 trip to California, Tom Winger visited MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars in Buena Park, a roadside museum showcasing vehicles customized by legends like Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and Von Dutch. Pictured here is The Outlaw, Ed Roth’s first fiberglass show rod, built in 1957 on a 1929 Ford Model A frame with a Cadillac engine. Originally painted pearl white with candy-green panels by Larry Watson, it became a sensation, landing on the cover of Car Craft January 1960 and inspiring a Revell model kit. After years on the show circuit, The Outlaw was repainted in green metalflake by Dirty Doug. In 1970, Roth sold it to collector Jim Brucker for just $50, believing he would ensure its preservation. This rare glimpse at The Outlaw captures a piece of Kustom Kulture history at a time when Roth’s radical creations continued to inspire generations of builders and enthusiasts. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured during Tom Winger's 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars in Buena Park, California, this photo showcases Ed "Big Daddy" Roth’s legendary Beatnik Bandit. Built in 1960, the Beatnik Bandit was based on a shortened 1950 Oldsmobile chassis and featured Roth’s signature wild styling, including a futuristic bubble top, which he formed using a pizza oven. Steering, gas, shifting, and braking were all controlled via a single center stick, making it more of a rolling art piece than a practical driver. Originally painted by Larry Watson, the Beatnik Bandit went through various transformations over the years. After countless miles on the show circuit, it was repainted by Dirty Doug. In 1970, Roth sold the car to collector Jim Brucker for just $50, who later traded it to Harrah's in Reno. Restored to its original version in 1985, the Beatnik Bandit remains an icon of Kustom Kulture and is now on permanent display at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

A photo of Ed Roth's Road Agent captured during Tom Winger's 1979 visit to Movieworld – Cars of the Stars. Built in the mid-1960s, the Road Agent featured a powertrain that utilized a rear-mounted Corvair engine and suspension for a unique, low-slung stance. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured during Tom Winger's 1979 visit to Movieworld – Cars of the Stars, this photo showcases one of Chuck Miller’s wild Zingers creations. Built by Styline Customs, the Zingers were over-the-top, cartoon-inspired vehicles featuring exaggerated proportions, massive engines, and oversized rear wheels. Designed to look like a shrunken-down van with a towering powerplant, this Zingers Van embodied the playful, exaggerated aesthetic of the era. Chuck Miller, a master of radical show cars, created the Zingers series as a fun take on hot rod culture, bringing them to life as both full-size show vehicles and popular model kits. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to Movieworld – Cars of the Stars, this photo features a wild Zinger semi truck—a larger-than-life take on the big rig concept, built in the exaggerated style of the Zingers series. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Photographed by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, this image captures one of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth’s custom built trikes, The Rubber Ducky. Built in the 1970s, this quirky trike featured Roth’s signature wild styling, with a fiberglass body and a distinctive duck-like shape. Power came from a small Honda car engine. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

During his 1979 visit to Movieworld – Cars of the Stars, Tom Winger captured this display of three wacky Ed "Big Daddy" Roth creations. On the left is The Peace Rat, a wild, cartoonish vehicle with a massive fiberglass rat flashing a peace sign. In the center is The Elegant Farmer, a one-of-a-kind wheelbarrow rod, and to the right, a custom trike that rounds out the display, showcasing Roth’s ability to transform even the most unconventional ideas into drivable machines. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to Movieworld – Cars of the Stars, this photo features Ed Roth's Surfite, a quirky, asymmetrical show rod completed in 1964. Designed by Roth’s longtime collaborator, Ed Newton, Surfite broke away from Roth’s signature bubble-top designs and instead embraced the surf craze of the era. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

During his 1979 visit to Movieworld – Cars of the Stars, Tom Winger photographed Rose's Roadster, a beautifully crafted Model T roadster with a unique blend of classic styling and custom modifications. This fully fendered hot rod featured a sectioned 1932 Ford grille, giving it a sleeker, more refined look while maintaining its traditional early hot rod character. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

During his 1979 visit to Movieworld – Cars of the Stars, Tom Winger captured this historic early custom, Mel Falconer's 1939 Ford, restyled by the legendary Harry Westergard in the mid-1940s. Widely regarded as one of Westergard’s most famous builds, this Ford set the stage for the custom car movement with its smooth, elegant lines and innovative details. Displayed among some of the most famous show rods of all time, Falconer’s Ford at MovieWorld was a reminder of Westergard’s pioneering influence on early custom car design. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Photographed by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, this striking automobile is the legendary 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow. A true masterpiece of early automotive design, the Silver Arrow was a limited-production luxury car that embodied futuristic styling and cutting-edge aerodynamics for its time. Displayed at MovieWorld alongside iconic customs and movie cars, the Silver Arrow stood as a testament to Pierce-Arrow’s legacy of craftsmanship and innovation. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, this rare automobile is the 1948 Tasco, a revolutionary concept car designed by Gordon M. Buehrig, the mastermind behind the Auburn 851 Speedster, Cord 810/812, and Duesenberg Model J variants. Built on a 1947 Mercury chassis, Tasco was a futuristic vision of an American sports car, featuring an aeronautical-inspired cockpit, a two-piece removable plexiglass roof—credited as the first T-top design—and distinctive detached fiberglass fenders that turned with the wheels. Despite its advanced styling and engineering, Tasco never made it into production, remaining a one-of-a-kind testament to Buehrig’s innovation. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Photographed by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, this rare Howmet TX (Turbine eXperimental) was an ambitious attempt to revolutionize sports car racing with turbine power. Designed by Ray Heppenstall and built in 1968, the TX was the only turbine-powered race car to ever win a sanctioned race, securing two SCCA victories in its single season of competition. Featuring a McKee Engineering chassis and a Continental Aviation gas turbine engine, the Howmet TX later set six FIA land speed records after its retirement from racing. Displayed at Movieworld among other historic vehicles, it stood as a testament to the bold engineering experiments of the 1960s. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured by Tom during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, this unique sports car was displayed with a sign reading Dr. Porsche, hinting at a possible connection to the legendary automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche. With its rounded fenders, distinctive grille, and classic European styling, the car bears a resemblance to early Porsche and Volkswagen-based prototypes. However, its exact origins remain a mystery. Displayed among other rare and historic automobiles, this car added an air of intrigue to MovieWorld’s diverse collection. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, this futuristic-looking vehicle is the 1932 Arrow Plane, an early experiment in streamlined automotive design. Commissioned by Chicagoan Lyman Voelpel and built by the Hill Auto Metal Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, the Arrow Plane served as a testbed for the later McQuay-Norris Streamliners. Featuring an aerodynamic, airplane-inspired body with curved glass panels and a teardrop shape, it embodied the push toward efficiency and speed in early 20th-century automotive engineering. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, this photo showcases The Dale, one of the most infamous automotive scams in history. Marketed in the mid-1970s by the Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation, the Dale was a three-wheeled prototype designed by Dale Clift and heavily promoted by the company’s founder, Geraldine Elizabeth Carmichael. Promising revolutionary fuel efficiency and affordability during the 1973 oil crisis, the Dale attracted significant investor interest. However, the project was ultimately revealed as a fraud, and Carmichael went into hiding with the money. Only two prototype Dales were ever built, and the car never saw production. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, this rare military prototype is the Davis 494X-P, a three-wheeled vehicle designed to "out-Jeep the Jeep." Built in 1949 by the Davis Motorcar Company, only three were ever produced. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, this unique Volkswagen Beetle, known as the Doppelschnabel VW, was a whimsical take on automotive customization. Featuring two front ends seamlessly fused together, this double-nosed Beetle embodied the playful spirit of the era. Its scallop paint job added to the visual impact. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Captured by Tom Winger during his 1979 visit to MovieWorld – Cars of the Stars, these armored trucks were used in a movie about the Great Brink’s Robbery, one of the most infamous heists in U.S. history. On January 17, 1950, a gang of masked men executed a meticulously planned robbery at the Brink’s building in Boston’s North End, making off with $2.775 million in cash, checks, and securities. The crime remained unsolved for nearly six years until a disgruntled gang member testified just before the statute of limitations expired. Photo from The Tom Winger Photo Collection.

Movieworld - Cars of the Stars was a custom car and hot rod museum located in Buena Park, California. Unlike traditional movie car exhibits, Movieworld showcased vehicles painted and customized by some of the most influential figures in Kustom Kulture, including Von Dutch, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, and other renowned artists and builders.

History

The museum quickly became a must-visit destination for enthusiasts of hot rods, pinstriping, and automotive art. It housed a unique collection of hand-painted and customized vehicles, many of which featured one-of-a-kind designs from legendary pinstripers and fabricators. In addition to cars, Movieworld displayed a vast assortment of memorabilia, artwork, and tools used by the pioneers of the scene.

Collection & Legacy

Some of the museum’s most famous pieces included:

• Von Dutch pinstriped creations
• Showcars by Ed Roth
• Hollywood movie cars
• Rare automotive artwork and memorabilia

Movieworld - Cars of the Stars eventually closed down, and its collection was dispersed. Many of the original Von Dutch artworks and custom vehicles became highly collectible, with pieces resurfacing in private collections and auctions. Despite its closure, the museum remains a legendary chapter in the history of Kustom Kulture, reflecting an era when hot rods were more than just cars—they were rolling pieces of art.