Ed "Big Daddy" Roth

1932-2001

On April 4th 2001 the Hot Rod Community lost one of it's most important contributors to what the "Hot Rod" has come to be. Condolences go out to Ed Roth's family and friends from The Pharaohs Car Club of St. Louis. As far as I can remember back, Big Daddy and Rat Fink have been icons in Hot Rodding. The artistic talents of this man have inspired many a drawing of mine. I can't imagine a Hot Rod sketch without some kind of monster smokin' the pavement, body through the roof and blowin' flames from the open headers. Fink stickers were manditory decorations for the head board on my bed as a kid, Finks still grace the decor of my home today. Some of the wildest one off show cars I have ever seen are also creations of this Hot Rodding pioneer. Rolling works of art, literally. I beleive in an afterlife and if my impression of Heaven is correct, brand new Heaven's Chariots are being built right now , with hand formed bodies and blown injected big blocks of course.... Big Daddy, you will be dearly missed, but never forgotten.