From Texas the Orbitron was traded to a carnival owner in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico in or around 1991. Starbird traded the vehicle some years later to an unidentified collector in Texas. It was thought that the three beams when combined would produce an intense white light the idea came from the then-new medium of color television.įront view of the Orbitron with the unique red, green and blue Lucas headlamps.įellow automotive customizer Darryl Starbird purchased the vehicle from Roth in 1967 for US$750.00. The vehicle's most distinctive feature was its asymmetrical front end with red, green and blue tinted headlamps. Reportedly, the hydraulically operated hood did not fit well due to rushed fiberglass work.
The Orbitron was, in fact, one of his few customs to have a hood. It was one of the very few completed cars Roth deemed to be a "mistake" because he felt the car did not show well since the heavily chromed engine and most of the chassis were hidden. The engine was a leftover from one of Roth's 1955 Chevrolets, having been removed to make way for a then-new Mark IV big-block given to him by General Motors. The frame was handmade of rectangular 2x4 inch steel tubing. Other mechanical features included a 1956 Chevrolet rear end, dropped Ford front axle beam, Buick brake drums and early Ford brakes. One of a series of ordinary doorbell push-button switches atop the hood activated the top from the outside. Topping the cockpit was a custom-made, hydraulically operated Plexiglas bubble top. The cockpit, set at the extreme rear of the vehicle in the manner of a dragster, was lined with fake fur and featured an 11-inch General Electric "1-Touch" portable television inserted in the console.
The body was hand-laid fiberglass, hiding Roth's extensive chrome work to the chassis. Built in 1964, the vehicle was powered by a 1955 or 1956 Chevrolet V8 and was backed by a Powerglide automatic transmission.
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