Cool Custom TV and Movie Cars of the 60s

I'm not just about pinch pleat curtains and ceramic kitties. I can be a car guy when I need to be. This post is about the cars you saw on TV and in the movies in the swinging 60s.

Here's today's high octane post.

C'mon does this car even need an introduction?

For those of you (all three of you) who may never have seen this car, it's the Batmobile from 1966's Batman TV show. It was built by George Barris and was seen in nearly (if not every) episode of the series.

The Batmobile

Another show came on the air in 1966 - The Monkees. The boys needed to get to gigs so Dean Jefferies made this custom GTO for the series. It wasn't seen too often in the show, but it made the rounds in car shows.

The Monkeemobile

1966 was a good year for another rock and roll band - Paul Revere and the Raiders. George Barris was asked for a custom car to bring a bit more attention to the band. This is what he came up with.

Paul Revere and the Raiders and their Raider's Coach

Bewitched was pretty big in the 1960s. One episode was written about a custom car. I wasn't a big Bewitched fan (I was an I Dream of Jeannie guy) so I don't recall the episode, but the car was pretty cool. It was called The Reactor.

The Reactor

Darrin (or is it Derwood?)Stevens, Larry Tate, and some other guy.

Wait a minute, let's go back a couple of years. I forgot 1964. You have to have seen The Munsters. This car was built for the show and made pretty regular appearances in it. It was 18 feet long and probably pretty hard to park.

The Munster Koach complete with the Munster family.

Going back to the mid 60s and the rock and roll thing. Vox, a musical instrument and amplifier maker, needed a promotional vehicle to shine a little light on them. They provided amps and instruments to the Monkees, Raiders, and the Beatles. Here is what they got for their advertising dollars in 1967.

The Voxmobile.

77 Sunset Strip was a hot program in the very early 60s. It was about a private detective agency next door to Dino's Lodge (a Dean Martin associated restaurant). Edd "Kookie" Byrnes was the valet at the restaurant and the "teen idol" of the show. He drove a Bucket T very similar to this one.

Reproduction of Kookie's Bucket T

I'm not sure if there is a connection between Snoopy's day dreams about being a WWI flying ace battling the Red Baron, and this particular Red Baron, but let's pretend there is so it will fit in with my theme.

The Red Baron

If you were a teenager in the 60s you knew something about surfing even if you lived in Nebraska. You grab a long board, paddle out, turn around and raise, and ride the wild surf, baby. How the heck do you get that long board out to the beach? In your very own surf woody. I happen to really like this one.

Looks to be about a 1960 Ford. Not famous, but very cool.

Remember Fabian? He was more of a 50s guy in my book, but he was trying to stay relevant in the mid 1960s. He made a movie called Thunder Alley in 1967. They even dragged Annette Funicello off the beach to be in it. It stunk, but had an interesting car in it. Looks like a touched up '67 Dodge Charger.

Fabian and Annette and a '67 Charger.

And lastly here is a car from a Frankie and Annette movie - Fireball 500. Take Frankie and Annette, add Fabian (again with this Fabian guy?), a couple of fist fights, a splash of NASCAR and you have a stink pot of a film. But again, a decent car to look at. This was Frankie's tow car. He actually hauled his race car on a trailer behind this one. Yeah, that's real.

It started life as a '66 Barracuda, I think.

Hope you enjoyed this trip down the hot car memory highway. And as always

We'll be back later with . . . more stuff.