Its amazing what you can find out within a short space of time within the Jowett world providing you have the right contacts - below is a copy of the cars history from leaving the factory to what it is today
E1 SAL 508R
'Shipped 20 December 1951 to Angell Motors of Pasadena. ColourCopper with beige upholstery.
Body reported to be 372 on panels. There was no brass plate
R J Condon of 4033 Mount Blockburn Avenue, San Diego 11, California (1963 JELtd enquiry).
Then V Noland again of California from 1966
Judah Casburn of Hollywood, California owned it from 1980 to 1987
Nester Sierraalta, Apdo 19014, Quinta Crespo, Caracas 1014a, Venezuela (he contacted George Mitchell) became involved: he bought the car in 1982 but it was never collected. Has a collection of mostly British sports cars.
Ted Miller bought it from Casburn in 1988, he said the bonnet had been cut along the centre-line and LH was body number 134 and LH wing was 531. The RH Bonnet and wing was body number 372 (original).
Jim Miller took it from Ted in 1999 in exchange for ch. 778
The chassis was sold (about 2006) by Jim to Mark Moriarity for him to restore the ex-Cushenberry Custom Car – also known as the Dream Rod. However the chassis centre bearing support cross-assembly had been cut off by Jim, removed, and fitted to the chassis of theFarina Jupiter ch 33.
The Car Craft Dream Rod had been designed by the staff of Car Craft Magazine in 1961. Car Craft Magazine commissioned Bill Cushenberry to build it. Bill built the car on a 1952 Jupiter chassis using a VW torsion bar in front. The frame was originally done in gold metalflake. The front fenders and doors were taken from a 1960 Pontiac, upper rear quarter tops are from a 1960 Chevrolet Corvair, the windshield and top are from a 1953 Studebaker and the rear window is a rear window from a 1957 Borgward Isabella Sedan turned upside down. Inside, the car featured a 1958 Mercury dashboard restyled with a 1959 Lincoln ashtray. The car got its power from a 289 Ford engine (271hp). It was introduced in 1963, the High-Performance V-8 has been the subject of myth, legend, and folklore. The Dream Rod was completed late in 1963.
A construction photo of the Dream Rod taken in February 1963 Photo by Dick Day
In 1966 the Dream Rod was sold to the ISCA (International Show Cars Association) which commissioned a substantial revision to the car's styling. Called the “Tiger Shark” the car wasn't as successful as the first iteration. New alterations on the car included a hood scoop, the side roof scoops were closed, the trunk lid was eliminated, the rear was stretched 6 inches, the rear window, grille opening and front fenders were also modified.
In 2005 Mark Moriarity bought what was left of the Tiger Shark from Dennis Palien of Milwaukee. Mark decided to restore the car back to the first version, so he bought this Jupiter chassis and after three years of hard work, he presented the fully restored Dream Rod in January 2009. Mark Moriarity is a bit of a collector of these sorts of cars.
In Ted’s words, the Cushenberry car has now swallowed two Jupiter chassis! The original Dream Rod having been built in the 1961-63 on an unidentified Jupiter chassis. Mark Moriarity has returned it to original condition with the chassis of this Jupiter.
Quite independently, the body-sets of both Jupiters have found their way to the UK for the restoration of 2 Jupiter that otherwise would have been lost to us'
