We got this forwarded to us from Pat Ganhal and its quite and interesting story about the fate of the Aztec. It's from the www.alnussbaum.com site LINK TO STORY: http://alnussbaum.com/resources/pages/lvl_2/theaztec_55chevy.htm "One Eye" Bobby Wilcoxson liked fast women, fast race horses and fast cars. With proceeds from one of his bank heists, Wilcoxson bought one of the most famous hot rod's ever customized: The Aztec. A 1955 Chevy, the Aztec was many things but fast one not one of them. William "Bill" Carr, an insurance company adjuster from Hollywood, California by way of West Virginia, moonlighted as a hot rod customizer in the 1950's. Carr worked nights in a shop owned by George Barris, the legendary hot rodder and famous creator of the original TV Batmobile, the Munster's Coach, and the Black Beauty from the Green Hornet, just to name a few. Carr bought a brand new 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air and customized it. The Aztec appeared at a hot rod show in Washington D.C. in June, 1959 where Carr told a Washington Post reporter $20,000 had been spent customizing the Chevrolet Bel Air convertible. Sometime in 1961 or 1962, Carr sold the Aztec to "Bob Wilcox", one of bank robbing "One-Eye" Bobby Wilcoxson's aliases. Carr was paid some cash and given a new Pontiac. A short time after the deal was done, FBI agents showed up at Carr's house asking questions. Before it was known publicly Wilcoxson was a wanted man, he left the Aztec for safe keeping in Phoenix, Arizona, in my grandparent's garage. My father, a young auto body and fender repairman and an expert car painter from Salinas, California, visited his parents in Phoenix and looked the car over. I was with my father on that that trip - at the rip old age of two! "Most of the body was molded from lead so it was a heavy car," Jim Hurley said. "It was so heavy that changing one flat tire required a floor jack lifting the frame behind each wheel well." Wilcoxson was soon named on the 10 most wanted public enemies and the FBI seized the Aztec from my grandparents garage. As the story goes, the G-men tore the heavy car apart looking for stashed loot, weapons and evidence, according to Wilcoxson's half-brother, Jim Hurley. The Aztec was next auctioned to a man in New Jersey who modified the original customizing, and sold it. The FBI eventually seized the car again when one of its subsequent owners was caught transporting illegal drugs. Thus, the "Curse of The Aztec" was born. The car sat rotting away in a New Jersey junkyard. Barry Mazza, a hot rod man now living in Florida, acquired the corpse of the Aztec in 1991, barely saving the cl***ic's remains from the jaws of a car crusher. Today, thanks to Mazza's tender loving care, The Aztec is restored to its original customized glory. The popular car appears periodically at hot rod shows around the country.
Ha thats funny... I guess Fast girls, Fast Cars And Fast Money.. hahaha but the Aztec was lead heavy and a custom so he probably was using it to get the chicks...
Was reading about this in Rodder's Journal a couple of days ago (back issue #22 I think). A few of the details are different in that version, but regardless, a neat story. Mazza did a wonderful job, along with the others involved in restoring/recreating it...not much left by the time he was finally able to pry it away from its owner of the time. (That owner actually retrieved it from the crusher waiting list, not Mazza.) Screwball, he is a member here....one of my favorite magazine writers of all time...always felt like he did his research and didn't "write for the advertisers", but rather for the everyday hot rodder.
Saw the aztec at Lead East when it was about half restored,we thought it was the Half Aztec at that point! Sorry, it just looked so bad we weren't sure what it was.
Cool story. Nice to know that it's being brought back to it's former glory. Good solid looking kemp. Goes to show you never really know where they go when you sell em.
I wish I could nail down the year but I walked out of my front door to see the Aztec drive up the hill on Oglethorpe St in Hyattsville, Md. It was in the very early 60s. There was no mistaking it. I was a big fan and I sent away for the Special custom cars annual magazine that had it on the cover. I told one of my buddies and he said yeah it's being raffled off at the P.G. Plaza shopping center. I went up there and sure enough it was there in front of the Peoples drug store on the mall. The mall was open air but it was on the pedestrian walkway in front of the stores under the overhead roof. No I didn't buy a ticket. I heard later that it was all a scam but it was there. I have no idea who owned it at that time but it still looked good. I was stunned to see it drive up my street in a 40s era Wash. DC. subdivision. We would see custom cars in the D.C. armory show every year when the custom cars were trucked in for the last big show of the show car circuit. The D.C. show was a big deal back then. I never thought I'd see it driving up my street!! I'll always remember that day.
It is very interesting that one of the most famous customs has a very dark past.In fact,it took Barry Mazza more than one try to buy the car.It was located in Tuckerton,NJ.It is about an hours drive from me.I remember when Barry had bought a 55 Chevy and was actually going to "clone" the car when all hope was kind of lost in buying the original.
I've seen the Aztec in person, it's incredible. I've seen Pontiac Azteks too... Just as incredible... That somebody at GM signed off on it.
The Jalopy Journal
