Dick Megugorac

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Dick Megugorac
Born(1928-02-05)February 5, 1928
DiedJanuary 13, 2016(2016-01-13) (aged 87)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesMagoo
OccupationCustomizer
Years active1940s–2010s
Known forAutomotive pioneer
Spouse(s)Lois Riggen
Children2

Richard Megugorac (February 5, 1928 – January 13, 2016), commonly known as Dick or by his nickname Magoo, was an American land speed racer and customizer.

Early life[]

Megugorac was born in Santa Monica, California, on February 5, 1928.[1][2] In his early teens, he began working on cars, starting before he got his driver's license; he joined the whose members included Stu Hilborn, Jack Engle, George Barris, and Jack McGrath.[1][3] He spent 18 months with the American occupation forces in Japan after World War II as a mechanic's instructor, and returned to settle in Los Angeles, setting up a garage there.[1][3]

Customizing career[]

In the 1960s, Megugorac and brother-in-law co-founded Riggen Slot Cars to capitalize on the fad at the time; the company became one of the most successful makers of slot cars.[1][3] In the 1960s, he opened Magoo's Hot Rods in Canoga Park, California; he would be aided by his (later) wife, Lois, who did upholstery work.[1]

Megugorac built "some of rodding's most prominent hot rods",[1] including a number of entries for the Grand National Roadster Show at Oakland, among them the winning car of the 1979 America's Most Beautiful Roadster trophy. Known as , and built for Brian Burnett, this was a highboy Deuce powered by a Ferrari V-12, and is still running.[1][3] Megugorac provided the first-ever Goodguys giveaway car, a '29 roadster,[1] and built early giveaway cars for the National Street Rod Association.[2] Megugorac customized almost all aspects of his cars, including chassis fabrication, engine building, body work, and custom paint, although he left upholstery to his wife.[1] Megugorac focused on getting the details correct when car customizing, and had a reputation for building cars that had "bomb-proof reliability" and "could be driven anywhere, anytime".[1] said that if he wanted a custom car to actually drive, he would go to Megugorac.[1]

Many of Megugorac's project cars were featured in major magazines, including Hot Rod, , , and others.[1] Megugorac was named to Darryl Starbird's National Rod & Custom Hall of Fame.[1] Among his admirers, and a longtime friend, was Tom Medley, creator of Stroker McGurk, who drove a signature '29 highboy roadster. "Magoo builds really bitchin' '29s," Medley once said. "Stroker would have approved!"[1]

Personal life[]

Megugorac met Lois Riggen, Carl Riggen's sister, in Los Angeles in the 1940s. They were married for 40 years and had two sons.[1][2]

Megugorac died on January 13, 2016, in Phoenix, Arizona, age 87.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Medley, Gary (December 31, 2017). "Dick Magoo Megugorac – Hot Rodding's Quiet Genius". Goodguys Rod & Custom Association. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Richard Magoo Megugorac, 1928–2016". Los Angeles Times. January 17, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d Brennan, Brian (January 13, 2016). "Richard "Magoo" Megugorac Hot Rodding Pioneer Passes". Hot Rod network.

External links[]

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