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 $350,000 - and entirely restored it to its former glory. Robert told Ridiculous Rides: "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
00:00 it definitely was one of America's most famous cars.
00:03 Welcome to Claremont Collections, home to over 300 antique, classic and unique vehicles.
00:26 One of the gems in this incredible collection is the Golden Sahara.
00:31 Back in the late 50s going into the early 60s, it definitely was one of America's most famous cars.
00:41 It really caused a stir. People were spoken to and asked what they thought of the vehicle.
00:47 One person thought it was a movie star's car. Another person thought it was just too much.
00:55 People were interested. It looked like the car of the future.
00:57 This is the second Golden Sahara and its inspiration came from an unlikely source.
01:04 George Barris thinks up this car because of an accident, a car accident he has.
01:10 They drive underneath a flatbed truck, demolish the roof, blow the doors out, basically take a new car and trash it.
01:23 George took the car and turned it into the Golden Sahara One.
01:26 Golden Sahara One started the story, but it was the sequel that cemented the legend.
01:32 After owner Jim Streep took it out on the road, but then at the height of its fame, it disappeared from the public eye.
01:41 After touring the United States for four or five years, Jim just retired the car, put it back in his collection.
01:48 And after the late 60s, the car was spoken of and different stories were told, but no one really got to see the Golden Sahara.
01:55 Jim Streep kept it in his own collection for about 50 years and when he passed away, we decided to buy it.
02:02 Bought in 2018 for a reported $350,000, the car had seen better days.
02:12 Here comes this car and it's an antique yellow gold car, it had duct tape all over it.
02:18 The natural beauty of the vehicle was evident. This car is a timepiece. The car deserved to be restored to its glory.
02:27 And rebuilding such a unique custom vehicle was challenging to say the least.
02:33 The hardest part of the restoration was accurately remaking some of the parts that were custom.
02:40 We had a problem with one of the rear tail lenses. We had a piece that was actually 3D printed, a mold created, and we cast it out of acrylic.
02:47 And you couldn't tell which of the tail lenses that I had cast.
02:51 The other part of the car that was challenging was the cones on the vehicle.
02:55 They're really prominent on the front of the car, some people call them bumper cones.
02:59 We had some receipts from the vehicle and it told us that the cones were custom made and they were made at a place that spins metal.
03:07 So we had to find a company and they spun the metal and remade the cones and they're beautiful.
03:12 And recreating some parts took a little detective work.
03:17 After we decided to get a hold of Goodyear and to say can you please make these tires, Keith Buckley did the research.
03:25 He found in the archives there was no longer a process to sincerely make neothane tires like they did back in 1960.
03:35 So our collaboration with Goodyear brought again the neothane tire.
03:40 We used today's technology as they did back in 1960.
03:45 So instead of wrapping the rim with a traditional bulb, we used LED lights that we can now change the colors.
03:51 We probably spent close to $200,000 to restore this vehicle.
03:56 Along with its incredible look, this car also has some interesting controls.
04:03 There's actually four different ways of steering the vehicle.
04:05 The traditional steering wheel, micro switches on the dashboard, there's one on the driver's side, there's also one on the passenger's side.
04:13 And you can use the unit roll to accelerate the vehicle, brake, or left to right.
04:20 The steering wheel actually detaches so you can take it off.
04:25 So if the steering wheel was not attached, you'd still be able to steer the vehicle.
04:30 This particular vehicle had a small TV embedded into the dashboard.
04:35 It also had a reel-to-reel recorder and player in the center position.
04:41 And they even mocked in a phone to give you the idea that one day people would be making telephone calls from their car.
04:49 That will never catch on.
04:51 Everything about the Golden Sahara was over the top.
04:55 It had poppet doors, a vibrating seat, hydraulic trunk.
05:00 Even the interior of the vehicle was accented in 24-karat gold trim, mink carpeting.
05:09 It even had a bar in the rear, although it may be frowned upon today.
05:14 And if you thought there was something familiar about the rear end of the Sahara, you'd be right.
05:19 Take this car, take the pearl paint off it, paint it black.
05:24 What does it look like?
05:25 George Barris' company also built a car for Gotham City's most famous resident.
05:30 It looks like the Batmobile. That's what's iconic about this car.
05:35 There are no other Golden Saharas. There are no other Golden Sahara IIs.
05:40 This vehicle would easily fetch over a million dollars.
05:43 But to us, it's priceless.
05:46 [Music]