Legendary 1953 Lincoln Capri Golden Sahara II with Glowing Wheels Could Be Yours for the Right Price

In 1954, a car rolled onto the stage at the Petersen Motorama in Los Angeles and the crowd couldn’t look away. Built from the remains of a 1953 Lincoln Capri, the Golden Sahara was the future in a car, created by custom car legend George Barris. With 24-karat gold paint and glowing tires it was one of a kind. Now its evolved form the Golden Sahara II is headed to the auction block at Mecum’s Larry’s Legacy sale on September 20, 2025 in Chicago.

George Barris a name synonymous with custom car culture started with a broken Lincoln Capri after a collision with a hay truck in Sacramento. Instead of junking it he saw potential. With financial backing from Ohio businessman Jim Skonzakes known as Jim Street Barris transformed the wrecked sedan into a showstopper. The first one debuted in 1954 had a wraparound windshield, a half-bubble top and a paint job mixed with fish scales for a pearlescent glow. Inside white mink carpeting, a TV, a phone and a refrigerated cocktail lounge screamed luxury. Cost $25,000 a lot of money for the time it toured the country, car shows and dealerships, recouped Streets investment.

By 1956, Street wanted more. He poured another $75,000 into the project and the Golden Sahara II was born at the Delphos Machine and Tool shop in Dayton, Ohio. This one pushed the boundaries further. Quad stacked headlights, twin-V tail fins and more gold plating made it futuristic. An electronic control system created by Jim Rote introduced a uni-control lever like an aircraft, controlling acceleration, braking and steering. Antennas in the front bumperettes allowed automatic braking and a remote control system allowed the car to start, stop and move without a driver – a bold move for the time. Crowds went wild when it appeared in the 1960 film Cinderfella with Jerry Lewis, its doors opening automatically as he approached.

What caught people’s attention most were the Goodyear Neothane tires. Developed by chemists William Larson and Anthony Finelli these translucent, tubeless tires had 18 light bulbs embedded in each wheel. Dyed in bright colors they lit up the ground, flashing as turn signals or glowing in the dark. Goodyear thought they were the “tires of tomorrow” but they were a novelty, too complex for mass production. Still they were the defining feature of the Golden Sahara II making it a rolling symbol of innovation. On the 1962 game show I’ve Got a Secret host Gary Moore watched in amazement as Street demonstrated the car’s driverless capabilities and the audience was in awe.

After all the fame in the 1960s the Golden Sahara II disappeared. Street hid it in his Ohio garage and would take it out for midnight drives. It stayed out of sight until 2018 when it popped up at Mecum’s Indianapolis auction and sold for $385,000 to Larry Klairmont. His Chicago based Klairmont Kollections Automotive Museum became its new home but with Klairmont passing in 2021 and the museum closing the car is up for grabs again and no reserve.

Klairmont had Speakeasy Customs and Classics in Chicago to revive the glowing tires. Goodyear and Kelsey Tire worked together to create new urethane tires using a vintage mold and programmable LEDs to mimic the original Neothane glow. The restoration was finished just in time for the 2019 Geneva Motor Show but disaster struck during transport. A collision damaged the grille, fender and drivers side door. Danrr Auto Body in Illinois worked around the clock to get it fixed so it would shine in Geneva. Later they stripped and repainted it to perfection and it went to the Petersen Automotive Museum and the Kelsey Tires SEMA booth in 2024.
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