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Silhouette (show rod)

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Silhouette was a show car built by Bill Cushenberry in 1962. It debuted at the 1963 Oakland Roadster Show, and earned Cushenberry his first Master Builder Award.[1] In 1968, it was also one of the first sixteen Hot Wheels cars.[2]

History

Designed in collaboration with artist Don Varner, Silhouette was Cushenberry's first full-on show car. He hand-hammered 20-gauge steel over a shortened 1956 Buick chassis, fitting a front-hinged bubble canopy (supplied by Acry Plastics).[3] It was candy-painted, mixed with black, red, and gold.[1] The car was powered by a Buick nailhead V8 (later fitted with Hilborn fuel injection) and ran on reversed Cadillac wheels.[1] Like a number of other show rods at the time, including The Mantaray , it had a bubble canopy.[4]

Silhouette debuted at the 1963 Oakland Roadster Show, and earned Cushenberry his first Master Builder Award.[1]

Around 1968, the engine was changed to a 289 cu in (4,740 cc) Ford. The car appeared in a 1968 television special, "Wonderful World of Wheels".[5]

Somewhat later, Silhouette was stolen and disappeared; in 1998, the car's location remained unknown.[6] In 2013, the bubble top and some mechanical parts had been located, but the engine and the rest of the body remained missing.[7]

  • Hot Rod magazine, May 1963
  • Popular Customs magazine, January 1966

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Mauldin (1998), p. 83.
  2. ^ Anthony Altorenna (18 September 2018). "The Original 16 Hot Wheels Cars From 1968: The Redline Era". Hobby Lark.com. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  3. ^ Mauldin (1998), p. 83–84, 87.
  4. ^ Rothermel, Rich (April 2000). "Dean Jeffries: Runnin' Flat Out Since 1951". Rod & Custom. pp. 67, 71.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  5. ^ Mauldin (1998), p. 87.
  6. ^ Mauldin (1998), p. 88.
  7. ^ "Where is the Bill Cushenbery Silhouette?". Jalopy Journal. 5 July 2013.

Sources

  • Mauldin, Calvin (December 1998). "Bill Cushenberry: Custom Creations for the Future". Rod & Custom. pp. 83–89.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)


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