1965 Roth Road Agent

1965 Roth Road Agent in Tales of the Rat Fink, Documentary, 2006

Class: Cars, Custom — Model origin:

Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene

Comments about this vehicle

Author	Message
atom ◊ 2009-08-05 13:26
skywatcher68 ◊ 2009-08-28 18:37	The Road Agent is one of the vehicles being auctioned next month at the Petersen Museum. Ca. 100 hp, 145 cu. in. overhead valve opposed six-cylinder engine, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, live axle front suspension with torsion bar, independent rear suspension with coil springs, two-wheel drum brakes. While most Roth rods started out as bent conceptions of bodywork and chassis, Road Agent, created in 1964, was different. It was conceived as a radical drivetrain first. The severe wedge-shaped body followed as a consequence of Roth’s prescient decision to abandon big front-mounted V8 engine(s) and look to more innovative rear- and mid-engined layouts which gave his free-form concepts even more freedom to innovate dramatic bodywork. The front-engined, rear wheel drive layout came close to maxing out with Mysterion’s pair of canted dual FE Fords. The dry lakes crowd could keep on adding engines. The drag bunch could pile massive superchargers on top of cubic inches. They were real cars but caricatures of Roth’s fanciful tee shirt monsters’ rides. Always a step (or two, or three) ahead of the wave, Roth rethought the entire subject. www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars-RW.cfm?SaleCode=RW09&CarID=r049&fc=1

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atom

◊ 2009-08-05 13:26

skywatcher68

◊ 2009-08-28 18:37

The Road Agent is one of the vehicles being auctioned next month at the Petersen Museum.

Ca. 100 hp, 145 cu. in. overhead valve opposed six-cylinder engine, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, live axle front suspension with torsion bar, independent rear suspension with coil springs, two-wheel drum brakes.

While most Roth rods started out as bent conceptions of bodywork and chassis, Road Agent, created in 1964, was different. It was conceived as a radical drivetrain first. The severe wedge-shaped body followed as a consequence of Roth’s prescient decision to abandon big front-mounted V8 engine(s) and look to more innovative rear- and mid-engined layouts which gave his free-form concepts even more freedom to innovate dramatic bodywork.

The front-engined, rear wheel drive layout came close to maxing out with Mysterion’s pair of canted dual FE Fords. The dry lakes crowd could keep on adding engines. The drag bunch could pile massive superchargers on top of cubic inches. They were real cars but caricatures of Roth’s fanciful tee shirt monsters’ rides. Always a step (or two, or three) ahead of the wave, Roth rethought the entire subject.
www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars-RW.cfm?SaleCode=RW09&CarID=r049&fc=1

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1965 Roth Road Agent