Disclosure: This site may receive compensation from some link clicks and purchases.
What better way to kick off Halloween than to feature a car from the TV show The Munsters? This dragster was built using a real coffin that was purchased illegally. Apparently, you needed a death certificate to buy one at the time. We bet it really goes like stink too because the coffin is fiberglass and the power is provided by a 302 V8 with dual quads. It is offered by The Volo Auto Museum without a price, but we bet that the number of zeros is frightening!
Well, that needed a coffin so you know they would find a way to “dig one up” somewhere!!!!
Happy Halloween!!!!!!!
I miss Fred Gwynne.
And Al Lewis too.
As with anything from Volo. Documentation is key and the majority of their cars aren’t the real deals that they claim they are. This car is most certainly a replica. So the number of zeros added aren’t quite as many as you’d think.
I agree with Albert. Many of those TV show-based cars from that era, were duplicated, and not always by the original creator. Some were damaged, and replacements were required quickly, others were required to be at more than one place at the same time, due to promotional showings or filming locals.
That’s why I say documentation is everything when it comes to a car like that. It’s like my original screen used Herbie that I own. I still have the original California pink slip for the car. So there’s no denying it.
I agree Albert. I seem to have seen about three of them myself and they all claim to be the real thing.
Given the proximity to Chicago, one would think it was a used coffin anyway … and who knows how many previous owners.
It is not the car in the clip. The car in the clip has shorter pipes, a canopy, no roll bar, and decorative lantern rear lights … and those are the things I noticed without paying much attention.
Replica or rebuilt not to specs
Love the ‘Munsters’ ! Loved building the plastic model way way back when. What was it ? 99 cents ? The movie ‘Munsters go Home’ is chock full of cool 60’s period sports cars.
George Barris built some real doozies, didn’t he? One of his weirdest custom jobs for the obscure horror movie “The Car” starring James Brolin. That modified 1971 Lincoln was without a doubt, his ugliest creation. Evil-looking, as it was meant to be!
http://www.feoamante.com/Movies/C/Car/BarrisCar.jpg
Jim I loved that car , and that movie is so bad it’s good !!! I wonder what happened to them ? ( must have been more than one )
Apparently, three “The Car” vehicles were made. Have a look here:
http://www.ibc34.com/DCHISTORY.html
I saw this movie at the drive-in, and after we left the place, everyone was blowing their car horn in the same sequence as “The Car!”
….”toot–to–to–tooooot! Enjoy!
~
When you are walking down the street at night
And behind you there’s no one in view.
But you hear mysterious feet at night,
Then the Munsters are following you.
If you should meet this strange family
Just forget what some people have said,
The Munsters may shake your hand clammily
But they’re not necessarily dead.
Behind their house you mustn’t be afraid
To see a figure digging with a spade.
Perhaps someone didn’t quite make the grade
With the Munsters, with the Munsters.
If when you’re sleeping you dream a lot,
Ghoulish nightmares parade through your head,
And then you wake up and scream a lot,
Oh the Munsters are under your bed.
At midnight if creatures should prowl about,
And if vampires and vultures swoop down.
And werewolves and fiends shriek and howl about,
Oh the Munsters are out on the town.
One night I dared peak through their window screen,
My hair turned white at such a crazy scene.
Because every evening its Halloween
At the Munsters, at the Munsters.
So if the coffin was obtained “illegally,” why is it made of fiberglass?
I was wondering about that too. Was the industry offering fiberglass caskets back in the 1960s? Another “Product of tomarrow” that didn’t work? If it was illegal to buy a casket (in California?) without a D/C back then, couldn’t you just buy one in another state and truck in across the boarder?
Just curious?
Because this car is as fake as the day is long. But since George Barris is tied in to Volo, no one will ever know or bother to find out. It’s probably got George Barris’ name signed super big across the top of it too.
I am the guy who built that car. It was sold first to a company called…Behind the scenes..Owned by Tim Allen. It was then sold to Volo then George Barris himself took ownership of it till he passed. I have built 4 of them. This one was street legal and popped wheelies. It is a movie replica/tribute.
Replica Car. The real one had a Ford 352 engine as listed in a 1966 Hot Rod Magazine article. Also stated a real coffin was obtained with some difficulty. Ford 302 wasn’t on the streets in 1966 and the real car’s coffin was metal.
The real one had a 289 in it…They borrowed a steel casket and made a fiber glass mold.
The link’s gone bad and the car’s gone from their site. Interesting!
~ spooky!
All fixed now!
Tough crowd! This one was just a joke for Halloween guys. At least we were able to confirm that it is a replica of a hacked together movie car…
Good find Jesse! Fake or real, it was fun to see! Keep up the good work!
I saw the one at the Galpin collection which is supposed to be legit. Either way it’s always cool to see the cars of my youth in person. Also saw the Munster Coach at Barris’s shop.
You guys are good! Here is a photo of the real one used in the movie:
That is not the movie car…That is the tv car…Canopy was removed and a roll bar installed for the movie…Munsters go home. The canopy car was in Hot rod Herman.
fun to drive anyway.
This is very strange because on their website, if you go to the home screen and click on the rentals and look at what rental cars they have available, the dragula they have on there appears to be the original. So maybe they have two and recreated the second one based off of the first one?
i didnt have the right dragula car to build with and am out of slimline chassies but i did build the munster coach and the boothill express they did take alot of time to build pretty painstakingly work id show pictures but im still behind the times with computers