Featuring Cyclops, the Bongo family, and quite a number of other oddities.
By Stan Mott. Published in Road & Track, June, 1978. Reprinted by permission.
Start at the first panel in the gallery.
Stan Mott behind the wheel of the Cyclops. The original Smart Car.
Build your own Cyclops II.
Correct me if I err, but here are some observations about Cyclops Night Out:
1.) The Bongo family Cyclops morphs under the full moon into half weirbeast and half 1928 Bugatti Royale Coupe Napoleon. If you’re going to dream, little car, you might as well go all the way, right?
2.) The beast pops a yo-yo (180 degree drifting turn) through Big Mac’s, where aliens are serving alien food. Note many of Stan Mott’s creations in the parking lot including various blobs, beasts, pigs, hotrods, saucers and buggies; powered by atomic, wind, steam, and dragon leg.
3.) With the cops now in tow, the monster goes stomping Rolls Royce limos at a Hollywood premier of “Close Encounters of the Weird Kind”. A crowd of dandies, zanies and a few aliens are in attendance.
4.) Next scene is Honest Foochow’s Late Night TV Moo-V Used Car Sales, where a begging blue elephant, land yacht with “star” and “port” markings, and a blind vet observe the goings on. I lived in the LA area in the 1970s, and crazy car dealers did broadcast live commercials from their lots during breaks in the late night movies, so I can verify that the reality was (almost) as surreal as Mott’s vision. We called it La-La Land.
5.) Check Mott’s comments about racing on Mulholland Drive (also a favorite of Gary Cooper, John Carradine, James Dean and Steve McQueen) in his remarks found with “24 Heures De Choo Choo” on this Dean’s Garage site.
6.) Stan Mott wrote and drew this story half a world away on his yacht in the Mediterranean Sea, and Road & Track devoted four (4! Count ‘Em! 4!) full pages without ads to present this epic. Remarkable!