Tag Archives: George Barris

Car Spots, Fun Stuff

Car Spot: 56 Lincoln Continental Mark II Custom Bubbletop

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Wildness from the George Barris Kustom Shop

The 50s were a crazy time for custom cars. Builders were known for going way over the top in their creations and this week’s car spot, seen at this year’s Chicago Auto Show, is no exception.

56 Lincoln Continental Mark II Custom Bubbletop
If you look closely you can see a 56 Continental. That gold color, wow!

Created by Lee Wells, who worked for Barris, and a client who wanted to create a no-expense spared dream car. Under the hood is a Hillbourn fuel injected 368 cubic inch Lincoln V-8 with braided lines and tons of chrome, four carbs, and finned valve covers finish off the engine bay. Inside was Icelandic sheepskin floor covering, walnut dash, buckets seats all around that swivel outward, a TV, stereo tape player, electric razor (that’s a first I think in a custom car), and drink decanters.

RELATED Spot: See our coverage of the show.

56 Lincoln Continental Mark II Custom Bubbletop interior
An interior that would make most luxury cars look cheap

The Bubbletop Continental was a hit on the show circuit for decades and still attracted a decent amount of traffic at the show. Our daughter, Meg, who walked by while I was editing thought this looked like something out of The Jetsons.

56 Lincoln Continental Mark II Custom Bubbletop rear
Can you see George Jetson driving this?

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this car spot. There are lots of others. We also have a ton of car reviews so if you’re looking for a certain car, chances are we’ve reviewed it. Stop back next Friday for another one of my spots along with some of its history. Have a great weekend.

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Fun Stuff

Pull over, I need to get to a phone….

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Life before iPhones

If you’re 50-60 “ish”, you will get a great laugh at this blog entry. “I need to get to a phone.” or “Pull over, I need to get to a phone”, were phrases everybody used. Almost always said at least once on detective shows like ‘Starsky & Hutch’ (1976 Ford Gran Torino), ‘Kojak’ (1973 Buick Century Regal 455), and ‘Mannix’ (originally drove a custom Toronado convertible made by George Barris’ shop, then early 70’s Dart GTS, then a ‘Cuda). Had to toss the cars in. If you’re a millennial then this will be a history lesson before we became so connected. I told my 16-year-old daughter about what I was going to blog about and she was amazed. Continue reading Pull over, I need to get to a phone…. →