The quiet genius of Tom Daniel.

It seems like every day there is news of another legendary automotive person passing away, and the legacy that most of these people leave is well known in the automotive world. But the passing of artist Tom Daniel hits a little differently. Not only was he a friend of mine and many others, but his influence on custom car culture never seemed to stop. It continues to flow through the custom car world in ways that most people don’t see or understand. Tom’s genius hit right in the middle of the crazy 60’s when the muscle car and custom show rod movements were at full throttle. The vehicles he unleashed on the public through Monogram, Revell, and Mattel captured the imagination of every kid that was racing Hot Wheels or building models back then. The Red Baron, Paddy Wagon, Ice “T”, Cherry Bomb, T’Ranchula, Pie Wagon, Munster Coach, etc. became the inspiration of millions of kids who went on to be real car builders.

Why were they different? Because Tom was a real designer that didn’t just create custom bodies but instead designed complete chassis and drivetrains that made sense and worked with the custom bodies he created. He designed the whole package, and building those models is how most of us young car guys learned how things worked. However, his influence to think outside the box didn’t stop in the 70’s. It continues to this day, as new generations find Tom’s art and apply ideas from it to current hot rods, muscle cars, rat rods, customs, etc. If you’re a car person, you have seen or been around a Tom Daniel design or influence, whether you realized it or not.

The reason a lot of people don’t realize his influence is because Tom was a quiet guy who never really wanted the limelight. Instead, he just wanted a place where he could focus on his art, and he found that in a secluded town in Utah and pretty much disappeared from the automotive world in the 80’s. But the industry never forgot him.

 A few years ago, when we were doing a story on him for GEARZ, he was genuinely surprised when I told him how influential his creations had been on multiple generations, including myself. I told him that he was the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan, whose songs and songwriting defined a generation, and continues to influence music today. In the same way Tom’s art defined an era and continues to influence today. He just laughed and told me I was crazy, but I could see the twinkle in his eye. A typical quiet genius. So, thanks Tom, for all you did for this industry. You are in God’s hands now, so you can finally sit down the brushes and rest.