Car and Driver: Own a Piece of George Barris History with This Corvair-Powered Buggy

-Although he’s best known for creating the first TV Batmobile, the custom creations of the late George Barris have been spotted on America’s television and movie screens for decades. From Jurassic Park to Dukes of Hazzard and beyond, he produced and modified some of Hollywood’s most memorable cars. Here’s one of his lesser-known creations: this VW-based, Corvair-powered T-Buggy, which served as a personal prototype for a buggy kit Barris would eventually sell in limited numbers.

According to the seller, the buggy was built by Barris in the ’60s to promote his custom-car shop. It’s powered by a Chevy Corvair’s flat-six engine, although the exact displacement isn’t mentioned. The Corvair’s air-cooled and rear-engined nature is an oddity among GM products, but the engine is a natural fit for a Beetle-based buggy. (Of course, so were the VW engines also offered to buyers.)

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At some point, the Buggy made its way to a shop in Sacramento, California, where it received a full restoration no doubt with some input from Barris himself. With six days of bidding left on the auction and a starting price of $48,500, we’re guessing there’s some room for this one to grow. A prospective buyer would get more than a clean T-buggy—they’re getting a piece of history, too.

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