Truckin', a Barn Find for Deadhead Gearheads

Ronnie Schreiber
by Ronnie Schreiber

You’re not likely to be able to buy John Lennon’s Rolls-Royce Phantom V limousine or Janis Joplin’s Porsche 356C cabriolet. Janis’ family isn’t selling and neither is the museum in British Columbia that owns Lennon’s Rolls. I doubt that the Kesey family would part with Further/Furthur, whether it’s restored or continues to return to the elements. Don’t despair, though, of losing your dream of owning a psychedelic artifact of rock ‘n roll history.

In 1965, a group of San Francisco musicians formed a band called the Warlocks and started playing at events sprouting out of the explosion of the psychedelic scene. They became the house band for Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters’ legendary/famous/infamous Acid Tests, chronicled in Tom Wolfe’s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and changed their name to the Grateful Dead. One of their fans was an exceptionally bright scion of a distinguished family by the name of Owsley Stanley III. Stanley, known to Deadheads by either just his first name or “Bear”, his nickname, was smart enough to have done just about anything he set his mind to, and in the mid 1960s, he set his mind to making the purest LSD on the planet. In time that would earn him a couple years in a Federal prison but in the mean time it generated quite a bit of cash. Putting a psychedelic spin on an old tradition concerning money and art, Owsley essentially became the Grateful Dead’s patron, pouring money into sound equipment and working as the band’s manager, soundman and recordist early on.

To haul that gear around to gigs, to Acid Tests and down to Los Angeles where the band recorded their first album, in 1966 Owsley bought a 1949 International Harvester 2R15 truck. In the spirit of the day, Owsley had an as yet unidentified artist friend of his overlay the Studie’s red paint with shapes of blue, orange, yellow and white, in the style of early Acid Test and ballroom posters. When Owsley went “up the river” in the early 1970s the truck was stored with an artist friend. When he got out of the joint, the Dead were a much larger enterprise, playing much larger venues. Owsley got to work building the Wall Of Sound, which required more than just a one ton pickup to get from gig to gig. Stanley left the Studebaker in his friend’s barn and went on with his life.

Owsley Stanley was killed in an automobile accident in Australia last year at the age of 76. The truck, nicknamed “The Dred” by Owsley, because it wasn’t much fun to drive, was assumed to no longer exist until it was unearthed as part of an estate by art dealer Steve Cabella, who represents 1950s and 1960s era artists. Cabella says that it’s still in original as used by Owsley and the Dead during the Summer of Love condition and has a hand written note from Owsley authenticating the truck. He’s offering it for sale at Hemmings, but he’s treating it like a historic artifact so I don’t think he’s going to let just any hippy with a pickup camper buy this art car truck. The listing says, “we will be accepting the best offer we receive from a serious museum or collector.” The Hemmings listing is here, and The Dred now has its own web site set up by Cabella at GratefulDeadTruck.com.

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, a realistic perspective on cars & car culture and the original 3D car site. If you found this post worthwhile, you can dig deeper at Cars In Depth. If the 3D thing freaks you out, don’t worry, all the photo and video players in use at the site have mono options. Thanks – RJS



Ronnie Schreiber
Ronnie Schreiber

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, the original 3D car site.

More by Ronnie Schreiber

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  • Zackman Zackman on May 03, 2012

    Although never much of a fan of the Grateful Dead - I preferred Canned Heat (still do...), and not knowing a thing about this truck, I happen to like all old trucks. I did my share of psychedelic/black light art back then, too. Mikey, the old stuff DOES sound better on a turntable. That's a documented fact - just ask any old codger like me! My favorite old truck is a certain 1951 Chevy that a buddy's dad owned. He ran a body shop and painted his truck a light purple and affixed a large daisy decal on each door and called it his "Love Truck". I wanted to buy it soooo badly, but as I was in high school at the time, and had no money, I could only dream about owning it. His dad did sell it and I would on occasion see it running up and down Rte. 66 in the Times Beach/Eureka, MO area when I visited my friend in 1968. The truck in question looks to be in fairly good shape.

  • Skink Skink on May 03, 2012

    If one intends to type 'Studebaker', and it comes out, 'International Harvester', one should start looking at the keys! ;). I'd love to own that truck. BTW, FWIW, one way to identify this one as a '49 to '53 model is the two-pane windshield.

  • Kwik_Shift Hyunkia'sis doing what they do best...subverting expectations of quality.
  • MaintenanceCosts People who don't use the parking brake when they walk away from the car deserve to have the car roll into a river.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I’m sure they are good vehicles but you can’t base that on who is buying them. Land Rovers, Bentley’ are bought by Robin Leaches’s “The Rich and Famous” but they have terrible reliability.
  • SCE to AUX The fix sounds like a bandaid. Kia's not going to address the defective shaft assemblies because it's hard and expensive - not cool.
  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
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