Dave Huntress seen here, fabricated and welded the body
of the phone car. You can see more of the masters
work at http://www.tanksbytigman.com
The Phone Car is modeled after a touch-tone desk
model seen in many offices & homes in the
1960-70's. The handset is bolted on, yet
removable for transport. The windshield is smoked
glass and the buttons are fixed to it.
Unlike some art cars which are always-evolving, The
Phone Car is considered a finished piece of rolling
art. It's drivable, street-legal, and has a license
plate that reads "PHONES" (of course!). When the horn
is honked, it rings like a telephone. A few years
after this art car was built, a super hero costume was
created as a kind of tongue-in-cheek addition. Lo and
behold... Teleman was born! He doesn't have a lot of
super powers, but he certainly can fix telephones
Howard Davis (a.k.a.Teleman), the owner of Datel, has
driven The Phone Car in many parades and celebrations.
always attracting lots of smiles and cheers. During
parades many people call out to ask "Is there a phone
in there?", so a cellular phone was installed in the car.
A car phone in a phone car:
priceless!
The Phone Car has been featured in many newspapers,
magazines and on local, regional and national news.
The Phone Car was displayed at the exhibition "WILD
WHEELS: Art for the Road" at the Petersen Automotive
Museum in Beverly Hills, CA
http://www.petersen.org/default.cfm?docid=1019
This was one of the most talked-about exhibits at
the Petersen. The Phone Car had a special feature in
the classic tabloid Weekly World News.
The Phone Car is featured in the book "Art Cars" by
Harrod Blank (2007, Blank Books)
http://www.CameraVan.com/you/giftshop/index.htm
Howard and The Phone Car are also featured in the
upcoming film "Automorphosis" by Harrod Blank,
scheduled for release in 2008.
