A joystick replaced the steering wheel and pedals in Ed Roth’s Beatnik Bandit. The chrome-plated control was mounted on the center tunnel and governed steering, throttle, transmission, and braking.
The arrangement made the Bandit as much a futuristic design statement as a conventional custom car. Steering was transmitted through a hydraulic ram, allowing the driver to guide the car without a normal steering wheel. The clear canopy and single central gauge reinforced its aircraft- or spacecraft-like appearance.
The Beatnik Bandit’s joystick should not be confused with the remote control Roth used when displaying the car. At shows, a long cord could be plugged into the vehicle to start the engine, turn the wheels, and raise or lower the canopy. That external device was for demonstration; the joystick was the driver’s onboard control.