Monday, June 2, 2014

Musclecar Monday: The Deora - handcrafted surfer's kustom & Hot Wheels fave


Did anyone have this Hot Wheel as a kid?

The Deora: a heavily customized 1965 Dodge A100 pickup truck that was by Mike and Larry Alexander in Detroit for the 1967 Detroit Autorama. After winning many awards, including the highly-prestigious Ridler in 1967, it became the prototype for a Hot Wheels car, and plastic model kit. Sold at auction in 2009 for $230,000.

Based on the compact Dodge A100 pickup, the back hatch of a 1960 Ford station wagon served as the windshield. It was chopped, sectioned, and channeled to create the fully functional, futuristic-looking pickup. The slant six engine and 3-speed manual transmission were moved rearward 15 inches, out of the cab and into the bed and covered by the hard tonnueau. Entrance into the gold painted custom is achieved by lifting up the windshield, swivelling the lower gate and entering through the front.

After a naming contest run by AMT model cars. it was called the Deora. The winning entry was from a 13-year-old boy, and is a technically incorrect version of the Spanish word for "golden".

Chrysler loved the resulting truck so much that they leased it for two years to display with their other factory concept cars.

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