It is with a heavy heart that I am making this post to the readers of Race-Dezert. I just received word that my good friend and off-road legend Dave "Big" Deal passed away yesterday from a medical condition he fought all year.
For those of you who knew Dave and were fans of his work, the significance of his contributions to our racing community is both timeless and obvious. For those of you who didn't know Dave or are new to off-road racing (and automotive) history, Dave Deal was a legendary cartoonist whose work in the early days of off-road racing was seen in Road & Track magazine and many others. "Big Deal," as he was called, also built the first true racing Baja Bug in 1969 and set the last official Tijuana to La Paz "Baja record run" in 1973. Dave also drew the now famous 1971 NORRA Mexican 1000 poster art, along with countless "cartoon" ads of the early 1970s that included AutoHausm Centerline, Jackman and many others. His work was also the inspiration behind the cars that starred in the recent Pixar film "Cars," and for the past five years, created the timeless art for the Wide Open Baja Challenge events at the SCORE Baja 1000.
Dave Deal was a true icon of his generation, a character of personality that loved to thumb his nose at authority and the status quo. He also really, really loved Volkswagens, Porsches, Meyers Manx, the Baja and especially his annual trips to Ensenada's Horsepower Ranch.
As our mutual friend Bruce Meyers said to me yesterday, "You know, you can copy things like a Meyers Manx by ripping off the shapes of my fiberglass. But, you could never copy the talent and soul of a guy like Dave Deal. He was really one of a kind."
Vaya con Dios Dave"Big" Deal. And thank you from all of us that loved Baja and laughing as much as you did.
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This is HORRIBLE news. As most of you know, Dave Deal's work has inspired me throughout my career. I use to get my dads Hot Vw's magazines and try to "re-draw" all those cool "Jackman Wheels" ads back in the late 70's early 80's. In August of 2001 I was going through a magazine with Dave's studio phone number in it and thought it would be nice to purchase some litho's from him. It turned out to be his house and I must have talked to him for about an hour about artwork and his early Baja days. Later that year I got the chance to meet him in person at his house in Vista and he showed me his secret project he was working on....the movie "Cars" and some old "Orignial" works of art. After that, we jumped in his old Baja bug, drove down to his favorite Mexican resturant and I bought him lunch and a couple beers, you couldn't wipe the smile off my face with a jack hammer. I've kept in touch with Dave over the years, and he was always nice enough to help guide in the right direction with my artwork. I e-mailed Dave about 2 months ago so I could have my very own Dave "Big" Deal artwork of my very own to hang on the wall of my office. He e-mailed me back a couple weeks ago stating that he had been sick and was not sure when he would be able to get it done and if i couldn't wait that he would send back my deposit. I told Dave to hold onto it and just focus on getting better, so as you can guess, seeing this thread was quite a shock. I write this with a tears in my eyes.........God Bless Dave, travel well. Rory Ward.
Dave Deal was the "Real Deal". In the 70's and 80's my family was very close to the Jackman family, and I loved all the stuff "Big Deal" would do. Truly a Master at his craft...something rarely seen today. Rory, that was cool that you got to spend time with one of your Icon's...those are truly the Priceless moments in Life.
Having been a former Jackman Wheel Employee ( 1975 -1981 ) and hanging with "Big Deal" a few times the man was truley a one of a kind indivdual, I think they thought of him when the coined the term "Thinking outside the box" He came up with some of the wildest ideas with Harry !
God Speed Big Deal , you will be missed........... Brady
I think this is the info for Dave, someone please correct me if I'm wrong........
David Allen Deal
David Allen Deal, 70 VISTA -- David Allen Deal, 70, passed away Tuesday, October 14, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Velia Deal. Visitation will take place between 4 - 8 p.m., Tuesday, October 21, at Allen Brothers Mortuary, Vista Chapel. Allen Brothers Mortuary, Vista, is handling the arrangements.
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Re: Vaya con Dios Dave "Big" Deal
