Beatnik Bandit & Deora Added to National Historic Vehicle Registry

The Hagerty Drivers Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to preserving automotive culture and history, is hosting its annual “Cars at the Capital” exhibition on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., from Sept. 19-24. Displayed in an eye-catching, brilliantly lit glass enclosure will be the 35th and 36th vehicles to be added to the National Historic Vehicle Register.

The 35th vehicle is the Beatnik Bandit released in 1961 by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. The vehicle was built on an early fifties shortened Oldsmobile chassis with an entirely custom one-off body. Roth’s fiberglass bubble top car creations and irreverent art defined the 1960s custom car craze. The Beatnik Bandit is among his most well remembered cars as it became a best-selling model kit for the Revell company and later a micro-sized Hot Wheels car. Current Owner: National Automobile Museum, Reno, Nevada.

The 36th vehicle is a Dodge A100 pickup truck that was customized by Mike and Larry Alexander for the 1967 Detroit Autorama custom car show. In 1964, Harry Bentley Bradley was commissioned to design the Deora for the Alexander brothers. Named the Deora by a participant in a competition hosted by model kit company, AMT, the DIY scale version helped propel the one-off pickup truck to legendary status. Bradley led the design of Mattel’s first 16 Hot Wheels in 1968 that included scale versions of both the Beatnik Bandit and Deora – cementing the two customs’ places in history and inspiring generations of car enthusiasts. Current owner: Tom Abrams Collection, Detroit, Michigan.

The vehicles have been added to the National Historic Vehicle Register in recognition of their significance in American automotive history and culture. The exhibit and documentation of the vehicles are part of the Hagerty Drivers Foundation’s partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s, Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) that is permanently archived in the Library of Congress.

“These two custom cars captured the national imagination when they were first introduced, epitomizing a period of customization from the great independent car designers and craftsmen,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. “The cars memorialized by Mattel’s Hot Wheels models set the toy market on fire in 1968 and continue to capture the hearts of enthusiasts and help expand car culture.”

“Each generation has a touchpoint to car culture; toys and scale model cars have been a major gateway for so many into the world of automobiles. Celebrating two of the most iconic cars to be miniaturized and make their way to the toy boxes of children around the world is an exciting opportunity,” said Casey Maxon, senior manager of heritage, Hagerty Drivers Foundation.

Each vehicle will be exhibited in the Hagerty Drivers Foundation’s illuminated glass display case on the walkway in the middle of the National Mall between the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the United States Department of Agriculture. The exhibit is free to the public. The display schedule is as follows:

• Sept. 19 – 22 – Beatnik Bandit
• Sept. 22 – 24 – Dodge Deora
• Sept. 22 – “Cars at the Capital Family Festival Day”- both cars on display