Where's the Purple People Eater gone to?

I have never seen the car first hand, but would sure like to. From the pictures I've seen I have to agree with those who have serious doubts about its drag strip potential. Does anyone know what it would take to pass tech? I'm thinking, too much work, money, time.
That said, Ryan hit it right on the head, its the poster child for the Rat Rod movement.
Frank

 

1. Drag strip? does the car really have to proove a point? Not in my book.

2. I reckon it's kicked hot rodding butt like few other car's built in the last decade due purely to the fact that there isn't a `hot rodder' who doesn't like it.

3. Marky can park it in my living room any time he want's to.

Cheers,

Drewfus

 

Daign- The rails are boxed and braced, and the cage ties in near the firewall area. The car has revved up pretty high to my knowledge without problems at Squeaks here in Bakersfield...as far as just collapsing, I don't thnk it would realistically, but I don't think it's as sturdy as it would need to be to do some serious racing.

I'll put my interior and rear suspension pictures up later this evening....

 

With the moor that high it would have to get tons of forward bite. (Open wheel dirt track lingo for traction)

Roy

ROAD ROCKETS INDY

 

If marky RUNS that car, I will be there to support it, because it would be cool as hell, to SAY he DID it,,,

I think it rules that he is GOING for it,, with the cage what use to be a MODEL, might end up to be a fun little dragster,,,

Good fucking kid... I love the idea of seeing it actually RUN down a STRIP, regardless of the times it makes,,,

I never thought it would even GET a CAGE,,,,,

FUCKING NEAT

germ

 

I've got 100 bucks that says it makes it down the track smoking the rubber off the hides the whole way...

If you saw the grin on that kids face everydamntime he drives it, you'd know EXACTLY why he built it.

Germ loves you,
Jason

 

SBC......PPPPPTTTTttt!!! I Know you were kidding, but this car makes a point very good about the SBC cookie-cutter arguement. If he'd have put a SBC in this car noone would be talking about it. That's why I would never build a SBC car - just to be different. Sorry to all of you SBC guys (RYAN included) but thats the way I feel and I will never change.

Now that I have stirred that pot - I have always dug the PPE. It captures the same excitement as any Roth car or custom ever made from this era or the one we are always looking back at. Pure pleasure - even as impractical as it may be. I am sure it is hell to see around that engine do drive even in a straight line, and I would be she rides like a hardtail Harley too. Plus, if that Poncho makes half as much torque as it looks like it can make it would be a bear to keep on the road even if you could see all around you. Regardless of all of that it is still rad....

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Don't take me for my word, I'm not the sharpest peanut in the turd.

 

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We don't STOP at no stinkin' yellow lights..

[This message has been edited by Hemi (edited 03-03-2003).]

 

I'm thinkin he'll need to move that fuel tank too...



I shot it in late 2000 (pre-cage) and it still had a few things that were still in a mock-up state (tack welds), most likely so they could get it together for Paso and such. I thought of it as a 1:1 scale model but Marky talked about making it strip ready, even back then. I watched him DRIVE it into a Mooneyes show once (whomp-whomp-whomp, viva blower surge!) and you couldn't have pried the grin off his face with a crowbar. If/When he does run it, I'll be there holding hands with Germ.

If I remember right, the rails were boxed, then drilled inside and out.

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Think of the dog... rickamado.com Now 16% cooler!

 

I'd do Marky in that car... and isn't that part of what its all about? I bet there are gals all over O.C. wanting an E ticket ride with Marky in that car!

 

hey ya'll, two years ago at the mooneyes xmas party the ppe made a grand entrance, yes, maybe it was unloaded off a trailer down the street, but it was bad as hell seein' it drive up and down s. norwalk.

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Left to right: Nick O'Teen, Dan Collins, and Marky




POW!


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We don't STOP at no stinkin' yellow lights..

 

Cage looks cool,,

The thing that bothers me about this POST the most, is the fact that the KID is building something he actually wants to RACE..
Sure it started out as a damn HOT WHEELS car, a big attention getter....
And when I looked at druring its deate at PASO, I skratched my head too,,,,,,

but I think he really has the DRIVE to change some things around and give it a shot at the strip...

I think he is more concerned about JUST GOING DOWN THE TRACK with something he BUILT. rather then worrying about THE TIME,,,,

If he meets the COMMUNIST RULES(tm) that RUINED PURE DRAG RACING,
Grab a BEER and LET the KID fucking run with it.. If he ran a 14,
his dick would be hard when he got out of the car....

Thats good enough for me,,,,

and also I kinda BOTHERED BY THE JOCK-O MENTALITY that is filtering the HOT ROD world with us YOUNGER guys???

did the fucking FRAT HOUSE CLOSE DOWN, ???

RUN with it DUDE,,,

fuck it,,
germ

 

im tired of LABELS,...i thought that thing was bitchin the first time i saw it and I still do. i see past all the "WAIT A MINUTE, HE CANT DO THAT!" and the " WELL,.. THATS NOT LEGAL!"'s .i agree with JACK-O if marky wants to run it down the strip ,THEN marky WILL run it down the strip... to many nay-sayers in our "SPORT" which is fine,just makes the REWARDS that more tastefull for the ones who go AGAINST THE GRAIN...


just my two PESOS...

 

Ryan,wasnt directed at your post or really anybody on this thread,i understood what you were saying and i agree he'll need ALOT of work to get that thing to pass a tech inspection, but i just give him credit for originally stating his goal from the git-go and from what i can tell he's still trying to acomplish it. i just think its cool. when i said "nay-sayers" i was mostly refering to all the flack the people writing into R&C talikng shit when it original debuted.

 

Hey jerk-O why don't you STOP typing(tm) LIKE me,,,, your bothering me...

WILL you HOLD my Beer for me at PASO????

GERM

 

wow !!!!!!!!
i'm hardly ever on here these days and when i click on my lil bro and his ride are a topic again. allthough ryan made some good points shortbus,killer,and germ HIT the bullseye!
the PPE has taken more shit than a latrine.
will a legal nhra sanctioned drag strip ever pass it? from what i've read and discussed with people....i dont think so. but that doesn't mean anything.theres independant drag strips being built all over riverside/san bernardino county right now....and like palmdale's antique nationals there will be a place where he IS going to run the car.and you can bet your ass i'll be there for support. if its a single exhibition pass so be it! who gives a shit! i know pontiac engines and i know the motors potential but i dont know what the car will do with that motor in it. in 59' that engine went 149 mph in a dragster....in the PPE who knows....who cares! personally he's the only brother i've got and if the car smokes the tires halfway down the strip and he only turns 12's so be it! that's alright by me cause he's havin nothin but fun!
the car is not finished! our buddy julio from san diego's bean bandits built marky a bitchen roll cage for it,marky just installed a 57 pontiac rear end . the floor,gas tank location,seating arrangment,tires,slicks,fuel line,battery location is all going to be redone.
the car has received more hate mail than praise and thumbs up....like rick amado once said..."i'd like to see some other 21 year old kid build something like this"....maybe some of it is jealousy? i dont know.....dont really give a shit....and i know marky doesn't!

what no one....and i mean no one knows untill now is the PPE (or something like it) was built in marky's head years ago! he's been drawing stuff like the PPE since he was riding a bike. i've got a picture of him in my hallway. the picture is of him at age 7 sitting in a primered black radio flyer wagon that he blew apart...it's got big and little wheels,primered black,he cut a hole on the bottom of it and bolted a shifter to it,set an intake and carb in the damn thing and cruised the neigborhood with it. it's allways been in his blood....he was born with it!!!!!

CHECK THS PICTURE OUT!

http://home.pacbell.net/a40sgal/mark_wagon.jpg

 

Wow, I never expected this sort fo response to this post.

Personally I love the car, it's crazy and neat. I don't care if it's not practical or if it ever goes down a dragstrip, it just looks neat.

All I was concerned was that it had not been cut up and the parts used to make another car which so often happens.

I have four car garaging at home with everyone of them full but I would find space for it in an instant.



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Alfster

I thought about being rich but it don't mean much.
Look at Henry Ford, all those millions and he never owned a Cadillac!

 

I wasn't going to post on this....but I can't resist after reading Axle's message. I love that pic of Marky as a kid.

This brings me to my insignificant .02. My favorite "BS-ing about cars sessions" are done with my 10 yr old nephew. He KNOWS what is cool.
Marky knew what was cool as a kid and he didn't lose that growing up.

Thats a lot more than I can say for a lot of people who are supposed to be "rodders". Fat asses busting the ass out of their lawn chairs, wiping down their red cars with the billet wheels. People say "Why did Marky build this thing??" "What is it for?" I say....."Why build a cookie cutter billet machine just so you can go to a car show and get a bad sunburn and just set around". That seems like a bigger waste of time to me. Dontcha think?? Hot rodding is supposed to be over the top for crying out loud.

Kids know what is cool.....Just look at that pic of Marky. PPE is a high water mark for the hot rodding world.

Just my .02....Willys.

 

i wouldn't be supprised if there would come out a 1/24
or 1/25 model kit of that car... would be cool with a 1/8 kit, i would sure buy it anyhow
cool huge toy car is what it is, i bet he has alot of fun with it,

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am i the only one without a tagline?

 

I love the car...my letter to R&C was one of the ones published in favor of the car. Still one of my favorite R&C covers in a long time.

I also believe it's better to look good, than run fast. If you add up all the hours you are looking at your car, and compare that to all the hours you are actually in the car and driving it, you will understand my point.

That car could be stored in my garage and never be driven..wouldn't bother me a bit. Hear that??free storage!!! I'll wait by the road for ya! .

 

thanks Hatch, it's one of my favorites too. Definitely one of the most memorable shoots I've done.



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Think of the dog... rickamado.com Now 16% cooler!

 

That's inspirational Alex, the shot of him as a kiod with his sleeves rolled up driving his hot rod wagon... it is so true about jealousy rearing its ugly head... I think the thing is bad ass and hope to see it run down the track some day... maybe Palmdale?
It also sounds like he has his ducks in a row with some of the tech.
...and I know what you mean about the nay-sayers... even with my little SBC drag project going together, I catch a lot of "You know you have to have a legal cage... they don't let altereds run anymore... the short wheelbase is gonna make it unstable..." Well, no shit!
It blows me away at people who would send HATE MAIL... they just don't get it I guess... well, their loss, our gain.
Sam.

 

Axle, thank you, you just made me grin from ear to ear reading your post. That car just does it for me, and I've maintained that from the get-go. Hell, I built the damn website even.
The kids got heart and the car has soul, and that just doesn't lose regardless of what people say.

And Ric, that is my favorite magazine cover of all time, and I've read a bunch. I have like 4 copies put up fer the kids and what not. I don't think there has ev been another cover that smacked me in the head like that one did.

I had seen the PPE, and was looking for reference shots to build a model car of, and all I could find were small pictures and some web stuff, and then BAM!!!!! You nailed it.

 

People actually sent hate mail??? That's bullshit. I nearly blew a nut the first time I saw that thing in Vegas 2000. Hmm, I wonder if I kept that issue of R&C. I don't think I did.

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thirtysix and fortysix
Chrome Czars Motor Club

 

That pic Axle posted...worth a thousand words...it just says it all.

 

Hey look, it has the same wheelbase!