The Golden Sahara II, one of America’s most storied custom show cars, will cross the block at Mecum’s “Larry’s Legacy 2025” sale on Saturday, Sept. 20, as Lot S198, offering collectors a rare chance to acquire a rolling time capsule of midcentury imagination and 21st-century craftsmanship.
The late Larry Klairmont spent more than a decade collecting rare and coveted classic and collector cars, along with thousands of items of Road Art and memorabilia to complete the look and feel of his Chicago-based museum. A long-time dedicated customer of Mecum Auctions, Klairmont had full faith in the company’s proven ability to draw the best audiences in the world, which is why the museum has selected Mecum to handle the upcoming sale of his treasured collection. Mecum Auctions has spent more than 38 years building trust among the collector car community, offering more than 2,000 collections of varying types in that time. For the company’s lucky bidders, such collections often offer rare buying opportunities for vehicles that have long been tucked away or that have never changed hands at all, along with the peace of mind that the cars were held in the attentive care of a true-blue collector car enthusiast. Click here to register for the Larry’s Legacy auction, to be held on-site at the museum’s downtown Chicago location this Sept. 19-21.
Commissioned by Ohio showman Jim Street and originally crafted from George Barris’s personal 1953 Lincoln Capri, the Golden Sahara began life in the mid-1950s as a jewel-box custom with pearlescent finishes, gold accents, and a lounge-like interior featuring television, audio equipment and even a refrigerated bar. The car returned for a major reinvention as the Golden Sahara II, a tech-forward vision piece developed at Delphos Machine and Tool in Dayton, Ohio, at an estimated $75,000—an extraordinary sum for the era.
The Golden Sahara II’s reputation rests on its audacious “car of tomorrow” feature set. Among its period concept technologies: an automatic braking unit using antenna “feelers” in the bumperettes, remote and voice-activated functions for starting and stopping, options for pushbutton and lever steering, and the show-stopping illuminated Goodyear Neothane tires. The car parlayed its fame into screen time, appearing in “Cinderfella” (1960) and on the television program “I’ve Got a Secret” (1962), where Street demonstrated its driverless capabilities.
Street retained the car until 2018, when it was acquired by Chicago collector Larry Klairmont. Klairmont selected Speakeasy Customs and Classics to restore the Sahara to its exhibition glory, with Goodyear and Kelsey Tire collaborating to recreate the transparent-look, lighted tires using solid urethane and programmable LEDs molded to period-correct size and pattern. Despite a last-minute transport mishap before its public return at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, rapid repairs enabled the car to debut on schedule, and it has since been displayed at the Petersen Automotive Museum and other venues.
Offered in white and gold over a matching interior, the Golden Sahara II carries a 317-cubic-inch V-8 paired with an automatic transmission—true to its roots as a luxurious, driver-assist concept rather than a competition build. Documentation and period imagery chart its trajectory from Barris custom to show-business celebrity to museum centerpiece.
Mecum advises that vehicles from the Larry Klairmont Museum Collection were prepared for long-term display and may require recommissioning prior to road use, including fuel, braking and electrical systems. All lots are sold as-is/where-is, with buyers responsible for their own inspections; no authenticity claims are warranted by the seller or auction house.
For collectors seeking a singular artifact of American custom culture—equal parts Hollywood spectacle, technology demo and design statement—the Golden Sahara II represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity. See it here.
