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.
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