The story of how the Orbitron came to be parked outside a porn shop in Mexico is nearly as colorful, and probably embellished, as the man who created it. Buick finned drums and early Ford brakes sat inside Astro slotted chrome wheels wearing single-groove Inglewood whitewall cheater slicks and Cal Custom fake knockoff caps. The asymmetric fiberglass and plywood body rode on a ’56 Chevy rear end and an early Ford dropped axle. Under hood was a midship-mounted small-block Chevy engine wearing early finned Corvette valve covers and three chromed Stromberg 97 carburetors, backed by a Powerglide two-speed transmission. Other key characteristics included Roth’s signature acrylic bubble top, flashy candy blue paint and an interior featuring fur carpeting and an actual color television. In a play on the era’s latest electronic invention, the lights were intended to function like television tubes, which when illuminated together would create a strong white light beam. The unique nose incorporated a strange half-round/half-rectangular headlight housing that shone a white headlight on the rectangular side, and a set of red, green, and blue lights in the round side.
Built in 1964, Orbitron was designed to look like a slingshot dragster with “space age” influences, as evidenced by the car’s raked stance and dragster slick rear tires.
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