Show Rods 8 Death of Electra

Death Of Electra '58 T'Bird Double Bubble Top

      What you see on top is Darryl Starbird's

Double Bubble Top Electra. By the third picture

you see what is left of it.Then called X-cel redid

by customizer Puhl ,know for his Illusion in gold.

He knew of Darryl Starbird's work. Yet they had

crabbed over Darryl Starbird's Electra having a

vertical grill in front and horizonal grill in back.

Yet how many knew Plymouth had a stock car in

production that had both vertical and horizonal

grills in front. There is nothing wrong with both

type of grills mentioned if they fit into the design.

Look at the first, fifth and fourteenth picture for

vertical grill. Then look at the ninth picture of

the horizontal rear grill in pan. It is clean and

neat. The pictures of the Electra continue from

picture nine to picture fifteen. Yes, I chose to

repeat this picture number 5 with number 15.

It works because use see even the special interior

Darryl Starbird created with every bubble top

car he made.

   As for Puhl, he was even confused on some his

own custom cars as what to paint them.

  Puhl was hired by the second owner to redo this

custom. He removed the finds by cutting them off.

He took off the '58 bumper that Darryl incorporated

into the nose with custom headlight rectangular type

housings that were perfectly matches after twin type

stock headlights were removed. That curved triangle

side fit perfectly.Look at first picture you see what I

mean. It had a all chrome Buick grill installed in the

'59 T'bird looked clean and cool.  The design is also

smaller compared to X-cel.  The name Phul picked.

Phul's X-cel is shown in picture 2. This is the death

of Electra/ X-cel. In 3 is X-cel a wider cavity with

headlights behind tubular grill. The headlight

cavities are seen, just horizontal small bars are in

these headlight cavities. Phul number 3 picture is

actually red as seen in picture 6. Puhl didn't even

allow X-cel double bar brace to be red. he chose 

black. X-cel even looks more modern to Electra's

more nostalgia look with bullets below grill pan

in the rear. The grills over the taillights our to

the top much like a light sixties car.

    Daryl Starbird had his Electra in metallic with

matching metal frame interior.

   Daryl Starbird try to use one the best favorite

Thunderbird in 1961 with the rocket style. He

gave a bright red paint job with black interior,

and just a little red inside. It looks like it has 

wire wheels and thin tires with his new version

of this double bubble top called Starbird 2000.
The long active link below will get you right to
his sight.
   Now back  to X-cel destruction is picture 2.
Pictures 3, 4, 5,7 are the way Puhl had designed
his version of the car. But you might ask what
with picture 6? This was used for a body wax
ad.Now it was reduced to chrome reversed wheels.
   Puhl had thin black tires and Astro Supreme's
slotted mags. Both Electra and X-cel had Radir
One Ribbed Mags with three prong knock-offs.
these were the wheels that the Barris Batmobile
had. They were on Electra before the end of 
Starbird's ownership. They are in other photo's
not seen but, I might have on my first blog about
Electra being ruined.
   Daryl Starbird told me his custom bubble tops
will cost you over $250,000 if you want one built.
Now you see why you should leave his cars alone?
They are pieces of automotive history; just like
valuable paintings they go up in value.

Darryl Starbird National Custom & Rod Hall of Fame Museum