The Famous Golden Sahara II Custom Car Was Just Sold For $1.265 Million

Now that’s what you call a glow-up!

The Golden Sahara II that was originally built by legendary car customizer George Barris has been sold at auction for $1,265,000, more than three times what it was worth the last time it was sold seven years ago.

The car had been on display at the Klairmont Kollections Automotive Museum in Chicago, which was recently closed following the death of its owner, Larry Klairmont.

Barris created the bubble-top car in 1953 from the wreck of a Lincoln Capri with financial backing from fellow customizer Jim Street and toured it on the car show circuit for a couple of years. Street then took the car back and updated it with modified styling, a steering yoke that controlled the gas and brakes, remote control and an automatic braking system.

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The most eye-catching change was the installation of a set of translucent glowing Neothane tires developed by Goodyear, which it hoped to put on sale, but ended up abandoning after several years of development.

The car was featured in the film “Cinderfella” and on the TV Game Show “I’ve Got a Secret” in 1962 before Street put it into storage and out of the public eye, where it stayed until his death in 2017 and fell into som disrepair.

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Car collector Klairmont bought it at the 2018 Mecum Auctions Indianapolis event for $385,000 and had it fully restored. He even collaborated with Goodyear on a new set of tires that approximated the look of the illuminated Neothane tires.

Mecum Auctions was put in charge of selling the museum’s collection through an auction at the facility, where the car was sold on Saturday afternoon.