Monogram George Barris Bathtub Buggy

[larrygre]

Hey folks,

Anyone know of any references on this car? So far I have only been able to unearth two photos and neither one of them are helpful as far as building and detailing this model. Any help is gratefully appreciated.

[samdiego]

That thing was a real car? Have you seen the model photos on showrods.com? They have the BB there, but it's only as accurate as that builder's reference. Show us the photos!

Edited July 8, 2009 by samdiego

[iBorg]

Strange as it seems, this strange thing actually was built. I don't know whether it or the model came first. See barris.com: http://www.barris.com/gallery_cars/Novelty...thtubbuggy.html.

Mike

[ZIL 111V]

Model Car Science made a 3 pages article on "how to" assemble the BB, back in Sept 1969, when the kit was fresh on shelves, the real one was already touring the "Kustom-Show Rod" events across the country

Only one BW left profile photo of the real BB + 10 BW pics showing tips & techniques of the days......Silver & Gold leaf Rub'N Buff, Hazel's Pearl white enamel, etc.

........Odd that Monogram kitted this Barris Show Rod.....Tought that MPC, back then, had an exclusivity agreement with the "King"

[ZIL 111V]

Now we can built accuratly this Barris kreation.

Midwest Muscle Cars sold this odd beauty.....20 pics

40 years later....the sink works

[John Bisci]

If anyone needs them, I have a number of color and B&W reference photos. If you e-mail me, I'd be happy to share them (free-of-charge, of course).

And -- believe it or not -- the real car actually appeared in the July 1989 issue of PLAYBOY. It appears in an article/pictorial called "B-Movie Bimbos" and is an excuse to photograph women with showrods -- including the Bathtub Buggy and the Red Baron. The Bathtub Buggy pic is a full-page portrait shot of the rear of the car (back of the tub, license plate, gas tank, side lamps, etc.). I can send those too -- let me know if you want them G-rated (with the "naughty bits" Photoshopped out) or the R-rated (untouched Playboy pics -- there's a sudsy girl posed in the tub and she apparently forgot to get dressed!) pics.

I also have a color pic from the 1980 hardcover book, "Showtime" (a 20-year history of Bob Larivee's ICAS shows). If you like showrods and do not have this book, I highly recommend it. It also contains color pics of the TV Batmobile, MPC Paddy Wagon, MPC Fire Truck, Roth's Outlaw, the Monkeemobile, Boot Hill Express and many, many more. I picked up some copies at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas a few years ago for only $10 each.

The new Bathtub Buggy reissue (thankfully) has the decals printed in GOLD (I have no idea why the originals were red!) and much nicer rear tires. Bravo!

JB