Elden Titus, who was quoted...
Elden Titus, who was quoted as saying "Profile is everything!", passed away last Wednesday from cancer at the age of 60.
One-half of the famed Titus Brothers, Elden Titus, passed away on Wednesday in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas, after battling cancer. Working alongside his brother, Jerry (the older of the two), the brothers were a force in the custom car world and are credited with helping save the movement from oblivion during the '70s when Jerry promoted the first Merc/Deuce Reunion, following it up two years later with the creation of the Kustom Kemps of Amercia club, which in turn produced the first Leadsled Spectacular in Wichita, Kansas, in 1981.
Elden, who had built many scale models when he was a kid, eventually began building his own dream cars in 1:1 scale, and worked with Darryl Starbird in the late '60s. One such model he built as a teenager-the Voodoo Spyder-became a full-fledged driver just a couple of years ago. In fact, Elden had been on a roll the past few years with the creation of the Vampyre for Gary Meyers (featured in the February, 2008, issue of STREET RODDER) and was working on a new vehicle, a wedge-shaped custom called the Vibrasonic, at the time of his passing.
The Voodoo Spider was a car...
The Voodoo Spider was a car Elden had first built as a small scale model when he was a teenager and, decades later, he was able fulfill his dream of building it as a real, driving car a few years ago.
The Vampyre is the bubble-top...
The Vampyre is the bubble-top car Elden Titus built for Gary Meyers, and the custom went on to win many awards for its artistry and design.
Elden, left, alongside George...
Elden, left, alongside George Barris, signing autographs at the Darryl Starbird's 50th Wichita Rod and Custom Show in 2007.