Darryl Starbird's Predicta
Long ago, custom cars were something completely different than what we think of today. Instead of hunting around for abandoned 50-year-old classics to rebuild and modify, visionary stylists with names like Barris, Wilhelm, Cushenbery, Starbird, and Jeffries sought to improve on the new iron that was rolling off the lines in Detroit and elsewhere. Near new, and in some cases brand new cars and trucks were delivered to these metal masters to be sculpted and restyled into something that stood out on those mid-century American streets. They weren’t looking to the past, they were looking to the future.
Darryl Starbird was an ambitious young customizer with a great eye and some tin-bending skills to match. He put his Star Kustom shop and his hometown of Wichita, Kansas on the national rod and custom map with his visionary creations, and the little blue bubbletop you see pictured here played a big role. With the recent merger of Starbird’s National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame and the Museum of American Speed, we have the privilege of getting up close to the legendary Predicta.
Building on the momentum of a more mild custom ’57 Thunderbird, Starbird wanted to do another early ‘Bird with some new and wild touches. He went on the hunt, only to realize that in 1959 these still-new cars were hard to find on the budget of a young custom car builder. So, he hit up the local junkyard and found one, or what was left of one. It was a carcass that most would have walked right past, but the man had a vision.
Once back to his chicken coop-turned custom shop, Starbird filled in what was missing with some factory Thunderbird panels, then started creating. He added pieces of ’59 Buick rear quarters, giving the car its signature fins. Then, he continued that prominent line all the way through to the front fenders. A ton of metalwork followed to create the sleek nose and grille area. A much-modified T-Bird hood was also added as the trunklid. Quad headlights with frosted covers were added to the front, and the grille was finished out with white-painted ’59 Caddy taillight lenses. More Cad bullets were added to the oval-shaped opening in the rear, with the outer six serving as functional lights.
We have to talk about the top. This is the part that really caused the jaws to drop at all those custom car shows in the 60’s. Taking cues from some of the factory “Dream Cars” of the 50’s, Starbird blew the top out of Lucite and added a mechanism to hinge it at the rear. The top makes the car, and without it the car might have been just another custom T-Bird.
The interior was also revolutionary and forward-thinking. The show-car requisite white Naugahyde and TV screen weren’t the big news here. Where’s the steering wheel, you ask? Starbird’s outside-the-box thinking went beyond the accepted standards of how a car is driven. He created a “tiller” steering system using the chrome stick protruding between the seats and steering pieces from a Ford and Chrysler. There were pedals on both sides, permitting the car to be driven from either seat.
Some customs are best with the hood closed, but Starbird went above and beyond under the Predicta’s hood. A much-chromed, injected Chrysler Hemi was fitted to an impressively detailed engine compartment. Pretty much everything was either chromed or painted pearl white.
After a 2-month(!) thrash, the Predicta was finished, or at least close enough, to debut at the ’60 Oakland Roadster Show. The bubble hadn’t quite made it to the top, so it was displayed next to the car. Bubble or not, the car was a sensation. It made the cover of Car Craft and Motor Life magazines. Interestingly, that now famous Car Craft cover shows the Predicta with the bubble airbrushed on. Close inspection reveals that it’s not quite right, but the throngs of car crazy kids who gobbled up the magazine didn’t seem to care. The Predicta was famous, and so was Starbird.
Custom cars lead interesting lives, as we discussed in another Starbird story about the Lil’ Coffin. This one was freshened up a few times, street driven by Starbird (imagine pulling up next to this crazy thing on a random old weekday morning in Wichita traffic!) and even run down the dragstrip at the ’60 AHRA Nats in Kansas City. It was majorly redone and resprayed red before being sold to Monogram in 1962. The resulting model kit further cemented the Predicta’s legacy as one of the most famous customs in the world, then and now. The car then kicked around California, passing through multiple owners and various questionable reboots. Thankfully, Starbird was able to save the car from an uncertain fate when he brought it back home in the early 70’s, ultimately restoring it to its former glory and the version you see in these pictures.
There’s more to the story here. Lots more. Mark Gustavson has had a lifelong love of the Predicta, and he’s literally writing the book on it, due out soon from McFarland Books. In the meantime, for a deep dive into all things Predicta, be sure to check out his fantastic Predicta Project site. We graciously thank Mark for providing much of the information for this article.
Bubbletops and tiller steering may never have made it into the automotive mainstream, but the Predicta is a great example of the boundless creativity of Starbird and his mid-century custom peers. Standing next to the car in the Museum of American Speed, you can feel the excitement and optimism of the era, as well as the boundless creativity of the man who brought this wild vision to life. Darryl Starbird saw things differently, and helped us to do the same.