LOS ANGELES, California – Tweedy Pie is considered one of history’s most famous hot-rod T-Buckets, spawning over 11 million model kits and other assorted memorabilia. It features some of the earliest pinstriping examples by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth – a custom hot rod builder who achieved cult status in the California street racing scene of the 1960s.

Roth performed a complete rebuild on the car, adding a lot more chrome, a slick white pleated vinyl interior with purple ”mink” carpeting, nerf bars and, of course, his signature pinstriping. The powertrain was upgraded from a Ford flathead to a more potent ‘57 Corvette V8 with six Stromberg carbs, mated to a Ford 3-speed transmission. In behind was a ‘48 Ford “banjo” rear end with chromed differential. Up front, Roth added quad headlamps and installed chrome reverse steelies wrapped in snazzy whitewalls. Roth’s reputation was established as a custom flame painter of considerable talent. He then parlayed his silkscreened, caricatured “weirdo shirts” from a counter-culture craze into a profitable, mass-market enterprise.

The savvy Roth, who spoke in “beatnik” lingo, well understood the anti-establishment movement of 60s youth, and his repulsive creations, particularly “Rat Fink” elevated him beyond the status of contemporaries George Barris and pinstriper extraordinaire, Von Dutch. Roth’s fame and fortune allowed him to pursue his passion for building custom hot rods – and his wild creations pushed the boundaries of customization to new levels. He was a pioneer in the use of fibreglass that, overlaid on hand-sculpted plaster forms, became uniquely designed shapes the likes of which had never before been imagined.

Tweedy Pie, a 1923 Ford Model T Roadster, was originally built by Bob Johnston in the mid-1950s. Johnston, being an airplane instrument technician, fitted it with what Roth later called “the best gauges known to man”. Once the build was completed and the body was painted in Royal Triton Purple, the car was turned over to Roth for pinstriping.

Over the years, Tweedy Pie garnered several awards and was featured on many hot-rod magazine covers. After running into him at a car show, Roth, who had always liked the little T-bucket, convinced Johnson to sell him the car. So in 1962, Tweedy Pie was sold to Roth for the sum of $1,500US.

By this time, the car was in pieces; rumour has it that Roth collected it “in a basket.”

Ed “Big Daddy” Roth passed away in 2001, still actively involved in hot-rod building. In 2007, Tweedy Pie was sold at an auction for the astronomical sum of $335,000. Fickle tastes and the economy being what they are, the iconic hot rod was re-sold recently by RM Auctions for roughly half that, at $176,000.

The powertrain was upgraded from a Ford flathead to a more potent ‘57 Corvette V8 with six Stromberg carbs, mated to a Ford 3-speed transmission. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush/Auto123.com

Thanks to: www.auto123.com

Main photo thanks to: blogs.hemmings.com