70's George Barris Kustom Surf Buggy

For those of you who have been hiding under rocks your whole life, George Barris is perhaps one of the
most celebrated custom car builders of all time. His efforts along with others in the 1950's brought Custom cars into
the spotlight and they have remained there ever since. Mr Barris and his company Barris Kustom City in Southern California
have built more recognizeable film cars than any other builder. The Batmobile for one...and the list stretches as far as the eye can see.

In the early 1970's when the Dune Buggy craze was in full swing, George Barris was right there with his take on the scene.
His Barris "T" Buggy was one of the most successful of the day, blending the old hot rod looks of a Model T with that of a
fiberglass buggy. They were flashy beasts to say the least, but thats what made them stand out in the crowd.

Being into the film industry, many opportunities arose to promote his creations and when the children's show producers
Sid and Marty Kroft approached him to construct a vehicle for their new series "The Bugaloos" George knew just what to do.
He had been toying with a new Buggy design, one way advanced compared to current day designs and this new show would
be a great place to try it out.

The Bugaloos car was a wild departure from the norm, and so was the show.
It was a small hit, and is now a bit of a cult classic with a group of enthusiasts all it's own.

The body shape was dubbed the Phase 4 Fun Buggy and was put into extremely limited production
in a 2 seater model (the Phase 2) and the longer version (the Phase 4).
Ive done a good bit of research trying to find other examples out there in the world and have come up nearly empty handed.



The original Bugaloos car sits in a warehouse in France in a collection of other film cars...

And I have received an email from a gentleman who has one of the Phase 2 versions that he is restoring.

So from what I have gathered so far...this is one of only two Phase 4 Fun Buggies in existance today.

This example came out of Arizona in the condition you see above.
At the time of purchase we had no clue what the history of it was, but after a bit of
hunting and a good hunch that it just "looked Barris" I found a photo of the Bugaloos car
in a book about Barris cars and then I knew I had nailed it.

A good friend in the auto journalist field took a photo of the car in to show George Barris
during an interview for a magazine in Europe and he verified it as a Barris Kustom.
We have a signed photo of the car with this information that will accompany the car.... see below.

With the knowledge of it's history now at hand, the quest was to create something that has that signature Barris flair
to pay tribute to the man and his creations.

In the 1960's George Barris buit a few truly wild surf themed machines that were always my favorites.

The Surf Woody


The Calico Surfer


The "Out of Sight" ZZR

This body shape has similar proportions to the surf themed hot rods Barris built, and with the strong connection
of VWs and surfing...the "Surf Buggy" concept was born.

So we set out to build it the way Barris might have done it...


First up, a base coat of color to work with...a clean slate.
A good vintage cream color was picked, the minor bodywork was handled and the paint shot.


I took this one on as my "garage project", a car that I could assemble late at night when I couldnt sleep
or when the TV would release me from it's steely grasp.

The mechanicals were all done from stem to stern prior to our aquisition with thousands of dollars of
brand new parts. Front end, steering, suspension, electricals, transmission, clutch, brakes and performance engine
are all extremely fresh (less than 100 miles on the whole package)

The bits and pieces were put back together with each part making a vast improvement in the vision.


Here it's really taking shape...the new tires on the detailed original rims and the Hawaiian print
graphics being applied. The graphics are done in a heavy metal flake red automotive grade vinyl
that has the look of those old Schwinn Stingray seats... (am I dating myself here?)

The surfboard on the roof starts really adding the character.
Vintage surf racks were adapted to the body and the windshield frame and authentic 1960's surfboards
were found to mount on the car.


Back at the shop, more details were added...


The grille was done with serious Barris flair...egg crate chrome with brass buttons.
An authentic Barris Kustom body badge was aquired and fitted to the hood.


Here's a detail shot of the badge...gorgeous.


Iron Cross mirrors added to the windshield frame.
Cool surf graphic decals here and there.


Rectangular headlights mounted on brackets directly off the front beam.


The original chrome wheels were paint detailed to match the body and mounted with new tires front and rear.


Big ol whoppers on the back..(.I now have the center caps for these wheels.)


The rear engine cover was missing so a vintage suitcase was modified to fit to act not only as a decorative piece
but to cover the engine as well...


Open up the suitcase...and the freshly built 1776cc power plant is revealed...


Vintage surf and hot rod decals were sourced out and applied to the suitcase for flavor.


A Barris Kustom sticker sits dead center as well.


The taillights (early 60's Chevy Nova units) were original to the car and were retained.
A Hawaiian license plate was added for even more flash.
(car currently has an Arizona title)


The high back bucket seats have tan and black covers that are in excellent condition.


The back seat area is taken up by a vintage spun aluminum "Moon" fuel tank
capped of with a cool flip top gas cap from an old Dodge Charger.
The bamboo material surrounds the tank and curves up to create a stylish rear window shade and to provide
ventilation for the engine and drivetrain.

The dashboard has a faux alligator skin appearance to it which is hard to see in the photo.
Classic bare foot gas pedal, coco mats and a nifty little chrome steering wheel.
EMPI trigger shifter and a chrome handbrake handle.
Interior sides of the body are unholstered in burlap for that natural beach appearance.
The VDO guages are mounted in the dash but are not fully wired up.
Toggle switch on the left is for the air horns...damn they are loud!

Its got a wild look from all angles, but undeniably fun.
Its a great driver too...really hauls a#* and while it's a bit loud for comfortable highway driving
it keeps up with traffic without losing it's breath.


Here's the photographer from Volksworld Magazine in the UK shooting photos for a feature article...


Here's the folks from Super VW Magazine in France snapping photos for a feature article.
(In fact it will be the Cover Car in an upcoming issue!!)

VW Trends in the US has expressed an interest in featuring it as well.

Audiobahn, a local car audio manufacturer used the car at their recent beach themed dealer party where
the headlining act was Dick Dale, the King of the Surf Guitar. A little patience and a few "pleases"
got him out to autograph the car along with his prodigal son Jimmy Dale.
From the King of the Kustomisers to the King of Surf Guitar... "royalty" has blessed this machine.

I will be posting more photos of the car upon request and will update the text as more press updates occur.


This is a rare opportunity to purchase a very rare part of automotive history.
A fun car and a wise investment for the future...certainly more fun than a T-bill dont you think?

We started off asking
$11,500 obo...
With the Holidays approaching Im open to any reasonable offer... heck even an unreasonable one is worth looking at.

Try me...I might say yes.
(motivated seller here...let me know what it's worth to you...dont worry you cant offend me)


(Now on Ebay with a super low reserve price..Click Here to bid!)

all reasonable offers or interesting trades considered.