Tom Daniel is a living legend and possibly the most influential artist and designer of hot rods ever. Those from my generation remember him best for two things. His wild toy, the "Red Baron" a hot rod based on a polished kaiser helmet and WWI airplane machine guns. But also for his "Munster Koach" as was featured on the TV series the Munsters. But to sum up the career and contributions of Mr. Daniel through two cars is a bit lopsided. It would be akin to saying that Michael Jordan helped the Chicago Bulls win a few championships in the 90's. Tom Daniel, like Michael Jordan, excelled in his respective field, changed the face of culture and had an influence that extends to this day.
Like many artists who were car lovers Mr. Daniels went into his studies hoping to become a designer for the Big 3. He got his wish but the cold Detroit winters proved too much for the family so he moved back to the west coast. It was then that his portfolio and style caught on in the magazines. He could render some very realistic hot rods, however when he let his imagination fly then no one on this world or the next could touch him. His designs were mind-bending, bizarre and sometimes macabre. His rods were all very wicked and the people into the movement couldn't get enough.
Skeletons, dragons, tanks and even steamrollers got the treatment. He inked a deal with Monogram to design models. Monogram was bought up by Mattel and all of the models were then turned into Hot Wheels, reaching further to the masses. He's never lost his passion for the automobile and even designed a contender for the land speed record for his friend Gary Gabelich. Unfortunately Mr. Gabelich passed away and the "American Way" was left unfinished. However Mr. Daniels persists as does his legacy.
Many of the show rod builders that came out of the woodwork (bandwagoners) poached a lot of ideas from Mr. Daniels. The show rod phenomenon had reached the mainstream and in doing so had gotten out of hand, effectively smothering hot rod culture during the 70's. Hanna Barbera studios even produced a series of cartoons called Wacky Races which was targeted at kids that loved the show rods and models. In recent years that cartoon series has been made into several videogames.
Today Mr. Daniel is still highly regarded in the "kustom" car culture and by designers in the pro ranks. He was very recently inducted into the hall of fame at the Diecast Space Super Convention held in Las Vegas. His designs are timeless because they capture an era of early hot rodding culture and are still wild and original to this day. Many of his model kits are still available in reissue form, as well as in Hot Wheels format. These cars even went on to influence various fan projects for videogames. When SCI made tools available for fans to modify and build their own cars for the game Carmageddon the first and most outlandish rides that hit the internet were based on Mr. Daniel's work.
I was fortunate enough to get a quick interview with him and talk to him about his work and experiences. I hope you enjoy this glimpse at a hot rod original.
EDIT: Sadly Google shut down their YouTube alternate so my interviews, and early videos were erased. There was something that Mr. Daniels wanted to expand on but didn't get a chance to do so on the interview. Here is the rest of his quote: "One answer I didn't fully follow up on was your question of my estimation of the so-called 'Big Three' and their chances of survival. I did mention the astronomical liabilities of UAW (United Auto Workers) pensions and health care costs, but didn't get to the fact that as it stands today, the very high salaries of the UAW (when all 'perks' are added in, the average approaches almost a hundred grand per worker), and that cost added to the basic manufacturing costs puts Big Three vehicles at a very large disadvantage - price wise - to so-called imports. .. even when they are manufactured here - such as Toyota is."
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