The Golden Sahara Model

GOLDEN SAHARA MODEL

Japanese Yoshihiro Hobara is on a quest to build a series of his all time favorite famous Barris Kustoms Shop created Custom cars in scale 1/25. For this article we concentrate on the model he created of the Golden Sahara I.

 
The Golden Sahara model: One of the wildest Custom creations to ever come from the Barris Custom Shop. The Golden Sahara was base on George Barris his personal 1953 Lincoln that was in a wreck. The idea for the Custom was sold to Dayton, Ohio based Jim Skonzakes and the Barris Shop went to work. No panel was left alone, and the end result was a stunning futuristic automobile that would shock the custom car crowd for many years to come. Yoshihiro based his model on the Lindberg 1953 Ford Hard Top kit, which was not to far off from the Lincoln the Barris Shop had started with. So that was the easy part. Fortunately for Yoshihiro, the built on the Golden Sahara was captured with some photos which where used in the Barris Technique book Volume 3. Those along with several feature of the Golden Sahara in the magazines from the mid 1950’s and more recent publications were used to research the car. And help recreate the car in 1/25 scale.

Early stage of the built show the 1953 Ford body already shaped to look like the Golden Sahara. A lot of cutting, shaping and adding shaped pieces of sheet plastic as well as body parts from the parts-box have been added to get the body this far.
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Long rear fenders were mostly shaped from sheet plastic and left over body parts from other kit. A parts box spare tire cover was reshaped and blended into the trunk. Headlights openings where created from left over parts combined with sheet and strip styrene and blended into the body.
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A modified hood was created with the front of the opening acting as a scoop. A peak was added on the front fenders just above the reshaped wheel opening, and parts-box bullets were added to the front.
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The whole front end needed to be reshaped from the 1953 Ford. Spare box headlights were added and a new grille opening cut in the shaped sheet styrene front.

Check, check and double check with the detailed photos to make sure all the shapes are right… TEs fitting of the wrap around windshield. Inspiration also came from period music.
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Body shape is ready for the first coats of heavy primer.
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It is always great to put the first coats of primer on a model, especially when it is so complex as the Golden Sahara. Not you can see the full lines of the body without looking at all the shaded of plastic and filler. Its also the stage where you realize there is still a long way to go. Much shaping and sanding still to be done.
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Most of the primer has been sanded away and the body shape is getting very close and is now getting really smooth as well. Now its time to work on the details. Interior, taillights. The front bench comes from the parts-box, and still needs typical Golden Sahara details. The rear bench is all scratch-built.
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The taillights were crafted from left over clear red plastic. The lower sections of the taillights come from the parts-boxThedash was mostly scratch built from sheet styrene.
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With the windshield installed it is really to start look really good.
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Close up of the early stages of the dash board. Pencil marks show where the tuck and roll needs to be. The TV comes from the partsbox and is set into a scratch build surround.
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Close up of the early stages of the rear bench. A lot of work already has been done, but much more work is needed.
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Nearly finished interior, and the body is back in primer again.
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Interior is now also in primer. Still lots of sanding to be done.
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Final test fittings before the car is taken part again for paint… yeah!
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White painted body parts, and the first test fitting of all the parts after paint… very exciting.
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Windshield installed… and a reminder of how it wall started. The Lindberg 1953 Ford Victoria.
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Time for the details. The hubcaps, fortunately only two where needed due to the skirts in the back.
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Tada… the finished mode. Detail paint has been added and gold foil has been added for a lot of the trim sections.
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The interior was painted to match the real car’s interior created by the Carson Top Shop.
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Gold paint, gold bare metal foil and adhesive backed chrome strips make up the large Golden Sahara Fender skirts.
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The only after market part used on the car are the three Barris Crests done in brass by the Model Car Garage and detail painted by Yoshihiro.
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Displayed on the Jack Stewart Ford book. Yoshihiro used several photo and information from the Jim Skonzakes chapter on the Golden Sahara for his model.