Met Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee on the Freeway!
This Post is based on a comment left by Dean Moore on our Bobby Darin DiDia 150 Feature Car Page. First, if you don’t know who Bobby Darin is shame on you, but that just means you didn’t grow up in the 50s/60s. Bobby Darin was a very special musical talent who died much to young but while he was here he left a remarkable legacy. He was not only an extraordinary musician he was also a car guy. The car he loved was designed by clothing designer Andy DiDia. Construction of the DiDia 150 lasted from 1953 until 1960. Darin wanted the car very badly and purchased it for $150,000 (that would be approximately $1,500,000 in today’s dollars). This space craft on wheels is powered by a V8 engine and has a 125 inch wheelbase! This was not a show car. Bobby and his wife, Sandra Dee often drove it to the Academy Awards and on other special occasions. It also appeared in movies of the time.
Sometime in the early sixties, our contributor Dean Moore was coming back from his grama’s house in LA. As is usual in LA he and his family became stuck in a traffic jam on the Harbor Freeway. Next to them was this very wild car from the future, it had huge fins and a glass bubble top; it even looked like jet engines were coming out the back.
Driving it was Bobby Darin, another man was in the passenger seat with Bobby’s wife, beautiful Sandra Dee, in the back all curled up sitting on her legs, all casual like a teenager, smoking as Dean recalls.
What would you do if this pulled up beside you on the freeway?
Dean says his mom rolled down her window and asked what kind of car it was; Bobby Darin was very cool and nice and told his clueless mom about it. Dean and the family didn’t know at the time they were speaking to such big stars. Dean says he still remembers how nice and friendly Dean was; sticking his head out and acting like an average guy.
