Customs I finished my Mysterion clone and have a book contract!

Yep. Those girls took several color and B&W shots during that photo session. I particularly like that photo since it looks like the blond has bees in her beehive hairdo!! The top photo below is the most famous one from that session.

 

HOT OFF THE PRESS - McFarland Publishing, the guys who published my book is offering a discount on all transportation titles they publish Discount is 25% off all titles from July 16 thru July 31. Discount code is TRANSPORT25

https://mcfarlandbooks.com/
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/ed-roths-mysterion/

 

Just what I need; another car book.

 

Sorry!!!!!

 

Sorry. Wasn't being sarcastic..Ordered one. The old R&C cartoon article just wasn't enough.

 

Gotcha. I was tongue-in-cheek too. Trust me, the book is NOT a profit center. Car and book are labors of love. As you point out, of all cars to be denied a detailed photo essay this is the least likely candidate. All of us Baby Boomer gearhead Roth fanatics have hungered for 50 years for more info on this car which was never to be. I HAD to do something about it for all our sanities!

 

I just ordered one. I'm curious what I will find.

 

Are they auto-graphed?

 

LOTS of little know, less cared about facts I guarantee!!!!!

 

Not from Amazon, or McFarland, or other book seller. Only ones I have autographed was during a book signing at AutoBooK/AeroBook store in LA last November. My penmanship is so bad, just take a pen and make a scribble about 1.5" wide and it will look 100% authentic.
With my autograph and $5, you can get a cup of coffee anywhere in town.

 

Got this one yet?

 

Yep. In fact I got an original copy from Tom Davison and had it restored and published it my book. Tom is a hero in my book since he is the guy (kid at the time) working for Ray Farhner and was charged with taking the car to shows as shown in that picture. If you look closely the car is chartreuse green metal flake that Tom painted it for Ray. Tom was standing there when they cut off the front and rear axles and sent those to Roth and junked the rest of the car. Tom is my source for the truth about the end of the car.

 

You got some press see here:https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ed-roth’s-mysterion-still-mysterious.1123439/

From Hemmings link: https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/...n-ed-roths-mysterion-remains-well-mysterious/

So is it true you are trying to sell?

 

Yes, am selling it at the Petersen Museum, Sotheby's auction in December. I don't want to leave it stored in the trailer and have no way to display it. Joy was in the building, let someone else have it now, hopefully displaying it where everyone can see it.

 

Did you ever get it to run?

 

Yes, ran it for about a minute. Headers started turning so I shut it down. I still had the LA Classic Car show to do plus a couple other shows too so I didn't want to discolor the headers before that. I shut it down and haven't started it since. has alternator and great rear brakes so is marginally drivable considering there is no room for a human and will roast the drive in a couple minutes!! It does have a vent fan in the interior so could be survivable. Life has run me over, retiring in December and moving from the People's Republic of Kalifornia to Texas, so I want to get it in the hands of someone who can give it the TLC and exposure it deserves. Building it was the bucket list thing, don't know what to do with it after that. It does run and I expect a new owner to spend the time and assets to have it drive for a video then restore the headers for show.

 

Holy shit! You have mad skills Jeff, just superlative work. Congrats on an outstanding achievement!

 

Well you even made your own story on Fox News LOL.

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/ed-rot...superfan-built-his-own-and-its-up-for-auction

 

Congrats on the exposure! Just saw the article myself and came over here to post the link. Glad to see @loudbang beat me to the punch!

 

Where did you guys see this? Couple colleagues in the oil biz have also alerted me this morning.

 

go to the article and hammer the stupid comments from the non-gearheads

 

Saw it on the Fox website https://www.foxnews.com/

in the auto section.

 

Did that already. A LOT of ignorant people on that thread.

 

I am used to those negative comments about Roth's work. As I said in the Mysterion book it is like Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) quote from the movie Pretty Woman (ask your wife), "People's reaction to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic. They either love it or hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul." Folks who make comments on impracticality of the car just will never be able to appreciate the magnificent art piece that it is. It will never be part of their soul.

Also I get kick out of my car getting top billing like this in publicity for the auction when the Sotheby's rep I worked with said the star item in the auction is a car that appraised at something like $22MM!! Cars have to be appraised over $200,000 to be allowed to register a reserve price. Little cars like mine have to ride the wave and take what we can get. I am not greedy, I would be happy with 1% of the price that other car gets!!

 

Seen this one yet?

 

Yep. In fact it is in my book with a comment from the kid who took the picture, 12yr old Sig Hansen who I was able to track down. He confirms that the car ran at this show in Santa Barbra in 1963. See the soldering iron and gas tank behind the car and Ed fiddling with the center carb (air cleaner is off) on the driver's side engine. Sure looks like Ed is trying to start it. Here is the comment he gave me for the book.

“I do remember him starting it up, but did not see it ‘move’, not to imply that it could not. This photo is actually a couple of hours before the doors opened for the show. I had the time wrong and my mom left me off way before the show started, so they took pity on the little kid and let me in to wander around with my funky little camera. Quite a mix at the show, a ski boat, mildly customized C2 Vette, and a custom Impala are some of my photos but Ed’s car was obviously a stand-out.”

 

Building the car ... think all the superlatives have been used up. Doing the documentation to share is above and beyond. Loving the book. Cheers

 

Thanx so much. Just always was a must-do my whole life. I didn't have a choice. Glad you like the book. Sounds like you are EXACTLY the person I wrote it for.

 

Not to belabor the point but the detail, the engineering, the reengineering, research, the fabrication, the craft, the artistry... it's all there. You would have been a true partner in crime for the Man himself. You made his masterpiece a reality even he didn't leave you anything but clues. Makes me believe in reincarnation. Excuse the pun.