HIDDEN from public view for over 50 years, in the early 60s, the Golden Sahara was one of America's most famous cars. Originally built from a car that was wrecked in an accident, the first Golden Sahara was built by George Barris. It was the Golden Sahara 2, however, that was brought to public attention and cemented the vehicle as revolutionary. Four different steering options including aircraft-inspired controls; in-built television and tape recorder/player; electronic doors; vibrating massage seat; a hydraulic trunk and light-up neothane tyres made this car truly ahead of its time. A 24 carat gold trim interior, a white mink carpet and a mini bar in the back seat also goes to show how this vehicle was created to be over the top. At the height of its fame, having toured all over the USA for over four years, owner Jim Street retired the car into his collection. After Jim passed away, current owner Robert Olson bought the derelict car for a reported over $350,000 - and entirely restored it to its former glory. Robert told FutureStudiosCars: "The hardest part of the restoration was accurately remaking some of the parts that were custom." Robert even collaborated with Good Year to bring back the long-gone neothane tyres. "We probably spent close to $200,000 to restore this vehicle - this vehicle would easily fetch over $1 million, but to us it's priceless," Robert said.
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MotorTranscript
00:00It definitely was one of America's most famous cars.
00:14Welcome to Claremont Collections, home to over 300 antique, classic and unique vehicles.
00:23One of the gems in this incredible collection is the Golden Sahara.
00:32Back in the late 50s going into the early 60s, it definitely was one of America's most famous cars.
00:39It really caused a stir. People were spoken to and asked what they thought of the vehicle.
00:45One person thought it was a movie star's car.
00:48Another person thought it was just too much.
00:51Other people were interested. It looked like the car of the future.
00:55This is the second Golden Sahara, and its inspiration came from an unlikely source.
01:01George Barris thinks up this car because of an accident, a car accident he has.
01:09They drive underneath a flatbed truck, demolish the vehicle,
01:15blow the doors out, basically take a new car and trash it.
01:20George took the car and turned it into the Golden Sahara 1.
01:24Golden Sahara 1 started the story, but it was the sequel that cemented the legend,
01:30after owner Jim Streep took it out on the road.
01:34But then, at the height of its fame, it disappeared from the public eye.
01:40After touring the United States for four or five years,
01:43Jim just retired the car and put it back in his collection.
01:46And after the late 60s, the car was spoken of and different stories were told,
01:51but no one really got to see the Golden Sahara.
01:54Jim Streep kept it in his own collection for about 50 years,
01:58and when he passed away, we decided to buy it.
02:00Bought in 2018 for a reported $350,000,
02:06For a reported $350,000, the car had seen better days.
02:13Here comes this car and it's an antique yellow gold car.
02:17It had duct tape all over it.
02:19The natural beauty of the vehicle was evident.
02:22This car is a timepiece. The car deserved to be restored to its glory.
02:28And rebuilding such a unique custom vehicle was challenging to say the least.
02:34The hardest part of the restoration was accurately remaking some of the parts that were custom.
02:40We had a problem with one of the rear tail lenses.
02:43We had a piece that was actually 3D printed, a mold created, and we cast it out of acrylic.
02:48And you couldn't tell which of the tail lenses that I had cast.
02:52The other part of the car that was challenging was the cones on the vehicle.
02:56They're really prominent on the front of the car, and some people call them bumper cones.
03:00We had some receipts from the vehicle and it told us that the cones were custom made
03:04and they were made at a place that spins metal.
03:07And we did find a company and they spun the metal and remade the cones, and they're beautiful.
03:14And recreating some parts took a little detective work.
03:19After we decided to get a hold of Goodyear and to say, can you please make these tires,
03:24Keith Buckley did the research.
03:28There was no longer a process to sincerely make neothane tires like they did back in 1960.
03:35So our collaboration with Goodyear brought again the neothane tire.
03:41We used today's technology as they did back in 1960.
03:46So instead of wrapping the rim with a traditional bulb, we used LED lights that we can now change the colors.
03:53We probably spent close to $200,000 to restore this vehicle.
03:58Along with its incredible look, this car also has some interesting controls.
04:03There was actually four different ways of steering the vehicle.
04:06The traditional steering wheel, micro switches on the dashboard, there's one on the driver's side,
04:12there's also one on the passenger's side.
04:14And you can use the unit roll to accelerate the vehicle, brake, or left to right.
04:23The steering wheel actually detaches, so you can take it off.
04:26So if the steering wheel was not attached, you'd still be able to steer the vehicle.
04:32This particular vehicle had a small TV embedded into the dashboard.
04:37It also had a reel-to-reel recorder and player in the center position.
04:43And they even mocked in a phone to give you the idea that one day people would be making telephone calls from their car.
04:51That will never catch on.
04:53Everything about the Golden Sahara was over the top.
04:56It had poppet doors, a vibrating seat, hydraulic trunk.
05:03Even the interior of the vehicle was accented in 24-karat gold trim, mink carpeting.
05:10It even had a bar in the rear, although it may be frowned upon today.
05:16And if you thought there was something familiar about the rear end of the Sahara, you'd be right.
05:21Take this car, take the pearl paint off it, paint it black.
05:25What does it look like?
05:26George Barris' company also built a car for Gotham City's most famous resident.
05:32It looks like the Batmobile. That's what's iconic about this car.
05:37There are no other Golden Saharas. There are no other Golden Sahara IIs.
05:41This vehicle would easily fetch over a million dollars.
05:45But to us, it's priceless.