Crazy custom cars lit up gearheads’ imaginations in the ’50s and ’60s, and this “Moon Rocket” made a big splash in that scene. Beginning life as a 1955 Thunderbird, the hopped-up Ford suffered a front-end crash that prompted California owner Jerry Anolik to re-imagine the Ford with custom fiberglass work and an insane blown Cadillac V8. Anolik kept the Moon Rocket for decades before selling it on Craigslist in 2009, and it’s back here on Craigslist now, with a $150,000 asking price. After a meticulous and seemingly faithful 21st-century restoration, the Aromas, California classic looks better than ever. Thanks to Mikey P. for spotting this California creation.
Four two-barrel carburetors top the supercharged Caddy V8. The Quad-Dual Cragar (mis-spelled Crager in the listing) intake came from a Horne design purchased by Cragar that mates four twins to the OHV Cadillac V8s. I recently sold a car for $1500 on Craigslist and my listing included a host of engine and interior pictures. This is the best engine picture of the lot on this amazing custom priced 100 times higher. Let’s not normalize such behavior, folks.
White wall slicks, open pipes, trumpet exhaust, and louvers check off the ’50s Custom punch card, along with ’59 Buick tail lights and other mods. You’ll be unlikely to spot this former magazine cover car trolling the “5” in traffic, but I can’t help but cringe wondering what today’s phone-focused steering wheel holders would do to that gorgeous louvered rear.
No interior shot made the listing, but here’s an older view from CustomRodder.ForumActif, where you’ll find a lengthy article and pictures on this amazing car’s history. Here we see some recognizable T-bird elements, though the towering shift lever stirring the three-speed gearbox certainly didn’t come stock.
Another CustomRodder picture shows the Moon Rocket’s “as retired” state, after a 163 MPH run at Bonneville ended in flames. Unlike many customs, Anolic’s old Thunderbird dodged being butchered, normalized, donating parts to other projects, or having its engine yoked out. Do any modern customs compare to this crazy Moon Rocket Thunderbird?
Face only a mother could love
The long-awaited lower cost Tesla model is finally revealed…
$150k? Good one!!
Sorry didn’t like it was built and I still don’t!
Sorry I didn’t like it when it was built and I still don’t!
There are some 50’s/60’s customs worth that money to me..like the Hirohata Mercury.Starbird’s Predicta etc..cars that look really good customized..this is not one of those.No offence as am sure the customizer put a lot of love into building it,but it’s just too ugly IMHO to worth anything but parts..lol.
This looks absolutely ridiculous. I’ll take 2
🤣🤣🤣🤣
My, is that ever ugly.
So, when the front end got smashed, they just hung some new headlights on it? Some kustoms look better than others.
I wouldn’t pay,$150,000 for it but it’s like an extincted dinosaur.
They weren’t practical and you couldn’t drive them every day but when you look at all the work that went into it you can’t help but be awed by the craftsmanship and sweat that went into it. If you look close this isn’t some fiberglass bondo special it’s metal hand crafted.
I wish this was instead 1 of the missing ’50s GM dream cars – especially …
“It is unclear if the Olds Golden Rocket still exists today. “
Needs more shifter.
And a Norm Grabowski shift knob!
I think you meant ‘krazy kustoms’….
Still looks wrecked to me.
If you look up “Butt Ugly” in the dictionary, there is a picture of this car!
Too many ideas are going on in the design, which makes for one ugly ride.
As usual, the peanut gallery doesn’t disappoint. Many critics who probably can’t change their own oil…
Or, on the other hand, there are people commenting here that have spent their careers building vehicles of all types, from emergency vehicles to race cars. We oftentimes have other people to change our oil. We spend our time coming up with new ideas.
or dont even bother to or even know they are supposed to – check the oil – or wash the vehicle, let alone wax it.
Waste of a Tbird. Is running away considered a “hard pass”?
A face not even a mother could love.
Someone needs to notify Kustomrama. This is their meat and potatoes. Or is it lefse? Ironic that the Norse are keeping the torch, yes?
Couldn’t even get the front and rear nerf bars to match? Colossal SNAFU design.
That thing is just plain fugly.
Showed my wife the pictures of this work of art she said if you buy this I want a divorce………maybe this is the car for me after all barry
I would drive the T- Bird with the smashed front end before this
Ha Ha!!!
I always had a thing for blowers and drag racing and with a new front end I think it would be cool. As it is though it looks like what would happen if a Manta Ray mated with a Mako Shark. =:0)
Nope, love it or not, it represents a period in time when cars were being built over the top , I am glad it was restored and hope someone buys it and preserves it ….It’s right in my backyard practically !
$150,000!!!
It makes you wonder what else you could do with that money.
Spend half of it on liquor and wild women, then waste the rest of it.
This one IS… “unique”. You couldn’t GIVE it to me or put it anywhere near my driveway; but I respect the work that went into building this monster out of a wreck, and then restored it after a “fatal” fire. He that BUILT it, should KEEP it! (maybe it gives him nighmares). firemandk, even though it is near you, I notice that YOU evidently don’t want it. (smile)
LOL…. Couldn’t afford it if I wanted it ….. I would drive it, probably a blast , ugly or not ….. believe me, I have seen worse …. there was this weird guy back in the day in my town who had this Austin Healy with a lip so big and out of proportion ( ON PURPOSE !) that it looked like a smashed duck …. and he had to be pushing 50 with a Beatles haircut…… sort of like Frankie Avalon in that beach Blanket Bingo movie where he also played the English guy in the Roth car ( or Jeffreys) or who ever built it ….. only because it was a show car in it’s day should it remain as it looks …..it is a snap shot in time, there is no denying it .
I am a bit dismayed that so many alleged car guys would heap so much criticism on an iconic kustom that was purposely built to be extremely outlandish. Full kustoms in the ’50’s were sometimes bizarre. But to observe them as if they were intende grocery getters? C’mon people!
Thank you, these people wouldn’t know cool if it ran them over.
Even uglier than a Cybertruck.
Not that ugly, just stranger!
Not that ugly, just stranger!
“the hopped-up Ford suffered a front-end crash”
Why was it not repaired?
I think it is a cool car! Love the styling, but not 150k worth