“The Munsters” is a classic 1960s sitcom featuring a family of, well, monsters. The father, Herman Munster, is a Frankenstein’s creature; his wife, Lily, and her father are vampires; the son, Eddie, is a werewolf; and the niece Marilyn is human, or at least human-looking. Given the show’s theme, it was only fitting that the Frankenstein’s monster would drive a car George Barris Frankensteined together.
The Munsters Koach is a ghoulish cross between old, almost Victorian fashion and all-American traditions such as the roadster, while also providing ample seating for the whole family. The vehicle looks old and new (for its time) and is tied together by its paint job. While “The Munsters” broadcast in black and white, on set, the Koach continued the show’s Halloween theme with a beautiful black paint job, blood red velvet seats (that’s literally what the color was called) and a coffin’s worth of brass and chromed steel.
To call the Munsters Koach the result of a monstrous undertaking would be an understatement. Barris and crew hand-made the vehicle’s 133-inch frame, radiator, and fenders. Meanwhile, three Model Ts were sacrificed to form the car’s signature shape. Barris also added a 289 Ford Cobra engine and internal details such as telephones, a stereo tape deck, and an electric shoe polisher. Also, even though TV audiences couldn’t appreciate it, the Munster’s Koach was topped off with 40 hand-rubbed coats of Black Spyder Pearl paint. While George Barris only had 21 days to finish this monsterpiece of a car, he put his blood, sweat, and tears into it, and it shows.
