One of the most significant honors awarded during the 57th Detroit Autorama was to Darryl Starbird who was recognized as Builder of the Year with an amazing array of his custom cars on display. Recognized worldwide as The Bubble Top King, Darryl's career spans more than 60 years and his designs have been influential in the world of hot rodding for decades with many of them still being used today.
With beginnings dating back to his teens growing up in Wichita, Kansas he began honing his customizing skills with his first car, a '41 Ford drop-top, treating it to a Continental kit, rear skirts, '48 Chrysler rear bumper, and a cool rake. It was at this time when Darryl began to learn metal crafting, leading him to become more deeply involved with reshaping panels and creating signature looks that had never before been seen.
In 1954, at the age of 21 he opened the doors of the Star Kustom Shop and during that year his first feature on a '47 Cadillac appeared on the pages of Rod & Custom. As the years passed numerous cars would receive the Starbird touch, and in 1959 he received his first cover feature with a '55 Plymouth in Hot Rod.
It was also the year Darryl undertook creating his most radical design when he hauled a wrecked '56 Thunderbird into the shop and in 11 intense weeks brought the Predicta to life. The Predicta was unlike anything the automotive world had ever before seen, with its space-age restyling, first-ever Lucite bubble top, cockpit interior, and tiller steering. Debuting at the National Roadster Show in 1960, it set the automotive world on fire, won the top honors of the show, and set the pace for customizing for years to come.
A deal with Monogram Models would allow Darryl's Predicta and future Starbird designs to come to life atop kitchen tables across America. At this time Darryl opened a much larger shop known as Starbird Custom Auto Creations while he continued to create countless other bubble tops, including the Forcasta, Fantabula, Electra, and the wild three-wheeled Futurista. In total, eleven bubble-top creations would roll out of the shop in addition to numerous other award-winning customs. As the decades moved on, Darryl continued to bring many more designs to life, often using modern production vehicles and even melding cutting-edge chassis and drivetrain combinations with those of vintage bodies.
Today Darryl is still active in the custom car world while operating the Starbird National Rod & Custom Car Museum and Hall of Fame in Afton, Oklahoma alongside his lovely wife of 55 years, Donna. He still has a workshop on the museum grounds and is primarily focused now on restoration of past Starbird creations when he's not on the road doing personal appearances. An inspiration to us all, Darryl has truly left his mark on the custom car world.
 It was wonderful to see Darryl...  It was wonderful to see Darryl meeting and greeting many of his fans throughout the weekend. With countless stories to share it was a weekend to remember for everyone. |  Darryl's legendary creation...  Darryl's legendary creation the Predicta debuted at the 1960..... |  .....National Roadster Show....  .....National Roadster Show. It was the very..... |
 .....first bubble-top custom;...  .....first bubble-top custom; it..... |  .....began its life as a wrecked...  .....began its life as a wrecked '56 Ford Thunderbird. |  Monogram Models approached...  Monogram Models approached Darryl in `63 to build a full-size version of their Big T model kit for a sweepstakes giveaway. Once awarded, the car never resurfaced and Darryl replicated the car with Predator Performance to its original glory as seen here. |
 Nothing says performance like...  Nothing says performance like a hopped-up vintage 283ci V-8 nailed to the `rails. Darryl made sure that the Big T would have plenty of power thanks to loads of go-fast goodies, including Tri-power, a hot cam, and just enough chrome to dazzle your eyes. |  |  Original builder Dave Stuckey...  Original builder Dave Stuckey got it right the first time when he installed the DeSoto Hemi V-8 into the Li'l Coffin giving it one of its many signature looks; here bathed in gold vibe and breathing through six deuces. |
 Originally owned by Dave Stuckey,...  Originally owned by Dave Stuckey, then Larry Farber, and Monogram; Darryl purchased the Li'l Coffin in 1967 from Monogram. It was shown in three different forms and almost burned to the ground in 1981 before Darryl restored it to perfection as seen today. |  With the Crystal Ball Merc,...  With the Crystal Ball Merc, Darryl chopped the `51 coupe 4 inches and gave it a true fastback look, while the body was sectioned 4-inches. It was treated to endless custom updates including '54 Buick side trim and a custom grille bar. It was then placed on an '87 Chrysler LeBaron platform (complete with its interior) and finished in decadent House of Kolor candy red. |  Cristina is Darryl's latest...  Cristina is Darryl's latest effort, which started out as a rare '41 Lincoln Continental. In order to place it on a 2000 Lincoln Continental chassis, Darryl widened the body by 6 inches, reshaped and widened the fenders, designed a new windshield and posts, and also sectioned the body 4 inches. In addition, he shortened the rear quarter panels 12 inches before finalizing the car with a mirror finish of maroon and silver gloss. |