2015 George Barris Dragula LE Signed 16x20 Photo “Very Rare Oversized” (JSA)

Description

On April 1
st
, 2015, the professional staff of the MEARS Autograph and Pop Culture Division completed a private autograph signing with the legendary car customizer, George Barris at his North Hollywood, CA office.
The son of Greek immigrants James and Fanicia Salapatas, George Barris was born in Chicago on Nov. 20, 1925. Obsessed with cars from an early age, Barris skipped the family tradition of working in the Greek restaurant business and moved to California at age 18 to begin his dream of building custom cars. He found success instantly, customizing cars for kids, fans, and Hollywood royalty with a client list that included James Dean, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and John Wayne.
George Barris made this pimped-up coffin mobile for "Grandpa" of the 60's Munster TV show.
This dragster goes from 0 to over 180 mph in a matter of seconds with a parachute for brakes. An ornate Owens-Corning Fiberglass casket, trimmed in royal purple velvet silk and embodying a very lively 350 H.P. Ford Mustang engine with a 12 volt Autolite electrical system.
The exterior of the casket, which rests on a tube chassis, has a quiet antique gold finish with sedate Italian gold leaf. Appropriately, the dragster accommodates one person. He is positioned in the rear of the dragster behind the engine and under a clear plastic bubble which allows greater speed through streamlining. At his command is a four on the floor speed shift which diverts the power of the 360 cubic inch engine to the rear wheels, 11 inch Firestone racing slicks mounted on specially made 10 inch deep Rader drag Reynolds aluminum wheels. Up front are imported Speedsport English buggy wire wheels with 4 inch Italian tires. The radiator is a casket in a casket solid brass by Radiator Dynamics, and the grille is a marble gravestone with the following inscription: Born 1367, Died ?
For this project, MEARS had a custom designed 16x20 B&W photo featuring an image of Barris’s iconic Dragula. A racing classic, this image features Herman dressed in full race gear, consisting of black leather biker jacket and matching cap. Not forgetting safety, a pair of race goggles rests on Herman’s head. Upon close inspection, Grandpa Munster can be seen piloting the car in the rear glass covered fuselage. His protective helmet rests on top of the glass. Accurate to the TV show, a sign on the race wall reads, “Mockingbird Race Track”, a tribute to the show’s address.
To document ownership, a smiling head shot of George Barris is inset into the bottom center of the photo. “Dragula by George Barris” is also found in script on the bottom center of the pic.
Keeping with the tradition of the customizer, a Barris style pinstripe signing box was created and placed in the right bottom area of the photo. A mint, blue sharpie George Barris signature is perfectly executed on each photo. Approved by George Barris, this is one of the finest signed Dragula photos on the market. Only 5 of these will be offered at our original introduction price of 5.00. Once sold out, the remaining inventory will be priced according to the current market value. JSA hologram affixed with an LOA from the expert staff of MEARS Auction verifying the authenticity of the piece also accompanying.
(PIC0096)