What happened to the 'Eliminator'?

I have read the blogs about the 'Eliminator', Billy Gibbons' '33 ZZ Top Coupe.
The blogs claim it wasn't stolen, it was making a tour and resided in the "Rock-n-Roll Museum" for a time.

But that wasn't what Don Thelan understood after arriving at his shop (Buffalo Motors) and finding the door broken into on the alleyway entrance and the Coupe gone.

Please clear this up, a number of 'notables' understood the car to have been stolen and never recovered. What's the skinny?

 

It was at the NHRA museum during the GNRS 2010. I don't remember seeing it there during the 2011 show though. Unless something has happened after the 2010 show, I am betting it is still in good hands. I can't imagine anyone wanting to steal such an iconic/recognizable car, but stranger things have happened.

 

Billy still owns it. He doesn't get rid of anything.

 

Since Don Thelan Passed in the late 90's and the car was at the NHRA museum last year, I think that info is incorrect.

 

My wife and I were at the Rock and Roll hall of fame last year in July and took this photo of ZZs coupe. I sorta had to sneek a picture as they had signs all around that said NO photo's.

 

Which one? The original or the clone or two?

 

Do a computor search with .........eliminator coupe rock and roll hall of fame. Ive seen a copy .......this is the real car.

 

Just found.......ZZTOP.com-CHAT......The guys talk about where the cars are on display.

 

Billy still owns it.

 

Years ago after the first couple of ZZ top vidio's came out on MTV with the Eliminator coupe ,one of the local drag strips was advertising that the famous coupe would be on display at their track on Sunday. A bunch of us decided to drive our Rods over that eve and stay Saturday night ,watch the drags and take some pictures of the famous coupe at the track in the morning.
The next day we got up and opened our motel door and we were shocked to see what we thought was the Eliminator coupe sitting right in front of our room. We quickly grabbed our cameras and were taking pictures when this guy comes out of a room next to us and tells us that it was a clone and not the real car ,but one of a couple that Billy G had built to look like the Eliminator coupe and tour around the country.
He told us that most of the time he was paid just to unload the car and drive it down the track and then load it up and take it right to the next town. He also said that the original car was still being used (at that time) in vidio's and they could'nt afford for something to happen to it. I can say I saw at least.... ONE of the imposters.
The coupe looked alright.....but was'nt detailed and finished as well as the original. If you were sitting in the grandstands at the drags you could'nt tell the difference.

 

Well, there's a witness to what I know as somebody else's story. I had heard of somebody seeing two coupes in a trailer.

 

I forgot to mention that the one I saw was a fiberglass car and we all know that the Eliminator coupe was a real all steel car.

 

Do an Intro!!

 

Ummmm, that's my new favorite video...
A few years ago, there was a Eliminator on display at the Henry Ford...

 

Well, instead of going "Politically Correct", ZZ Top has gone "HAMB Friendly"

Viva la HAMB!

That 5W in the video is many kinds of bad ass...

 

New coupe's name "Hombre"

 

Still supposed to do an intro here
as per the rules, but as a long time Lurker you should know that.

 

No....he had a hot rod built....the H.A.M.B. probably didn't even enter the picture.

 

I know that this is an 8 yr old post.....I just have to say that knowing BFG’s Eliminator with a 33 Chassis built by Pete & Jake’s Temple City, CA, Body by Scott Knight, Chop by Billy “Birdman” Stewart, Paint by Carambia-Beard and orchestrated by Buffalo Motor Cars-Don Thelen and ordered by The Reverand hisself.

The one in the post above may be the “Tour Car” that was commissioned and built by Chuck Lombardo’s California Street Rods that spent some time in their showroom window. Both look nearly identical except the clone is “un-hinged”.
So I’ll post both so ya can see the difference, unaware if there are additional commissioned examples out there in the hot rod world. Real......
Memorex . ........

 

Thanks Kevin, I never knew this or noticed the difference.
Saw a really cool PBS special the other night about the R&R HOF Museum, spotted the car as the camera was panning about.

 

I went to Lombardo's in the early '80s and saw 12 copies in a back room and the real one in the show room. The real one had a real plate from California and the copies had painted copies.

 

According to the new SR rag the Eliminator (non clone) is supposed to be at the SR booth at the 50th Nats in Louisville along with the McMullen 32 Roadster.

 

Took these pictures in 1984 at The Detroit Autorama. Had a buddy who had a car in there that year and back then Autorama would run 4 or five days. While helping him set up his display before it was open to the public, a trailer rolled in, the doors opened and there was the eliminator coupe. To us at the time this car was the ultimate hot rod and the most famous at the time. We helped them roll it out onto the floor and the guy taking care of it gave us each a copy of the chrome keychain from the video with the ZZtop emblem. I still have it and it hangs on the mirror of my car ever since.

 

I

Is it me , or does the real car look much more refined even in those pictures?!

 

I believe it was, even a slightly deeper red but most would never catch that.
Poor Billy really wanted to have P&J’s clone The California Kid Coupe, but I believe Pete felt that he should have his own creation and the Eliminator is the result. No one knew at the time that this single car would have such a seminal impact on the future of builders to come.
IMHO perhaps this car has been seen by many more people who aren’t aware of the other Model 40s that also have an huge impact as well.
Not really sure if BFG gets to enjoy time behind the wheel......

 

Seminole?

 

Seminal -
.
(of a work, event, moment, or figure) strongly influencing later developments.

 

Call it whatever you like but I agree. Cars like this one and others that appeared in many of the music videos of the day such as Van Halen's videos of the time introduced many to the world of cool cars. I loved seeing David Lee Roth's Merc. and the 32 tub that they used in their videos. I think a lot of times I tend to forget when there was no internet and cable tv was new so catching a glimpse of these rides were a little harder that today. It's funny how these cars become stars. I had the chance to meet Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees at a local comic book convention where the Monkeemobile was on display and he jokingly to told me that this car still makes more money than he does.

 

Saw Billy walking around WCC Show when it was in Paso Robles CA. Just walking by himself enjoying the show talking to people, no entourage, just him and his hat