Dune Buggy Star Cars

Dune Buggies were a big hit in the 1960’s and TV noticed the interest, so naturally put them on TV! Dune buggies appeared in many shows and “beach” movies, but a few were customized to become unforgettable “Star Cars!” The main Star Cars that emerged were the “Bugaloos” buggy, Speed Buggy cartoon, and Wonderbug.

Bugaloos buggy and the original cast in the Macy’s Day parade

Here’s an excerpt from “Cars of the Stars” about the car:

1970s – A Barris Fun Buggy four-passenger fiberglass body was used as a base for the hockey stick silhouette design of the Bugaloos Buggy, featured on “The Bugaloos” television series. Since the concept of the show, starring Martha Raye and the four Bugaloos, showed the group with wings enabling them to fly, it was determined logical for the car to “fly” and to “ride” on water. The buggy was equipped with two large flapping butterfly wings, and twin screws installed under the rear body for high-powered water sporting. Oversized headlights looked like the eyes of a bug, while the taillights were tunneled portholes that illuminate at night. Wide oval Firestone tires were installed on Ansen one-piece sprint wheels. The interior was individualized for each Bugaloo – each star having his/her own telephone system and Muntz stereo tape system with individual earphones. The buggy was painted in a green, yellow and orange butterfly theme with orange and purple pinstripes. – Cars of the Stars, ©1974 . http://bugaloos.net/bugaloo-buggy.shtml

Speed Buggy was never a real car, just a cartoon inspired by the 1968 Walt Disney Pictures film The Love Bug and the Speed Racer anime franchise. Only 16 episodes, but there were in heavy rotation in re-runs!

The cast of Wonderbug in the transformed version of the car.

Wonderbug was a segment of the first and second season of the Americantelevision seriesThe Krofft Supershow, from 1976 to 1978. A live action group of kids found a “talking car” and it would transform int Wonderbug!

Even Spiderman got into the action, and a Spidermobile was featured in several comics during the Dune Buggy Craze! A “real” version was built of this in 2015!

Built by Jack Orell in Georgia

There are other lesser known Dune Buggies, and many films and shows featured a stock buggy at the beach, but this short list are the most famous on screen versions of the fun open air “Kit Car” craze known as “Dune Buggies”!

BUGALOO BUGGY FOR SALE, ALONG WITH THE SNAKE PIT AND BUNK BED CAR!

BY NATE TRUMAN

I am always glad to see that an original star car has been kept and loved by a fan or fans over the years, no matter how obscure.  I was at the right age when the bugaloos came on to have a crush on the pretty british girl on the show, and sit through the silly antics of Sid and Marty Kroft shows, so even though you may have never heard of the bugaloos or their buggy, I thought it deserved a mention in my star car blogs!  I knew the show was awful, but hey, she was cute, and there was nothing else on. And she was cute.

The only reason to watch the Bugallos!

We only had a few channels way back then, and kids shows you took what you could find on Saturday mornings, then it went to golf around 11am!

I have gathered together some photos below as well as “official” write ups about the car from my star car books (the ones made with paper) for those who want to learn more!  Its disappeared and changed hands over the years, but it’s back in the light and up for sale next month in Europe!  It could definitely roll with StarcarCentral.com members, but not sure without the fairies in the car, it would be recognized any more, as the show was on for such a short time.  Now as for the cute british girl, she lives in Spain and has a daughter.  I Think it was just that cute accent….  After sitting through a few videos,,  I still think she’s a cutie pie, but the show is even worse than I remembered! Yikes! What was Sid and Marty smoking back then? 🙂

Mercedes-Benz World will soon host the sale of some of the wackiest cars ever made, including the Bugaloos Buggy from the  children’s TV show of the ’70s.

The Bugaloos Buggy was used on The Bugaloos tv show between 1970 and 1972.

This was from the era of the fiberglass dune buggies, and all the custom car makers were doing big business selling and customizing these drop on bodies during the late 60-s and 70’s.

the Bugaloos Buggy was purchased by a collector from a Barris Auction in 1983. The car is said to have come directly from L.A., and spent some time in a Spanish museum. After that, the buggy was sold to another collector in 1990, and was placed in underground storage in 1993 where it remained for at least a decade.

Buggy with current owner, Gary Hillman (r), and creator, George Barris

Buggy

Seen in public for the first time since being sold at auction in 1983, the Bugaloo Buggy is pictured above featured in a car show in Sweden, April 10-12.

The Bugaloo Buggy has been found – AGAIN! The last we knew of the whereabouts of the Buggy was in France in dark, underground storage. Well, I am happy to say the Buggy is back in the light and has a new owner, Gary Hillman!

Bugaloo Buggy info from cars of the stars book:

the Bugaloos Buggy, featured on “The Bugaloos” television series.  Since the concept of the show, starring Martha Raye and the four Bugaloos, showed the group with wings enabling them to fly, it was determined logical for the car to “fly” and to “ride” on water.  The buggy was equipped with two large flapping butterfly wings, and twin screws installed under the rear body for high-powered water sporting.  Oversized headlights looked like the eyes of a bug, while the  taillights were tunneled portholes that illuminate at night.  Wide oval Firestone tires were installed on Ansen one-piece sprint wheels.  The interior was individualized for each Bugaloo – each star having his/her own telephone system and Muntz stereo tape system with individual earphones.  The buggy was painted in a green, yellow and orange butterfly theme with orange and purple pinstripes. – Cars of the Stars, ©1974

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 The Bugaloos buggy was another television show car constructed especially at the Barris Kustom shop for Krofft Productions.  The producers desired a small, wild-looking, fun buggy to incorporate into their new NBC-TV series.  To supply an automotive interest for the series, Barris built the buggy in late 1969 to be used in the 1970-71 TV season.  His motivation: the vehicle was to possess all of the fun characteristics that made the Meyers Manx dune buggy famous – yet push the concept beyond the envelope with attention-getting color and design elements.  The goal was a completely different and vibrant look.  Using a four-passenger body mounted on a Volkswagen floorpan, the buggy actually looked just like a  bug – mixing well with the show characters who could fly and walk on water like little flying insects.  The design featured a T-shaped rollbar set over the rear wheels with a pair of “wings” that gave the effect of an airborne bug yet allowed plenty of space for television camera maneuvers.  The chassis rolled on Ansen Spring alloy wheels, highlighted with orange spoked centers.  The fully fendered four-wheeler featured oversized headlights that looked just like bug eyes.  On the outside, the paint scheme was a wild combination of green, yellow and orange applied to copy the markings found on a butterfly’s wing.  There was much more.  The interior was fitted with four custom bucket seats with leaf-like design elements that continued the buggy’s nature theme.  Four Capitol Communications telephones and four Muntz stereo tape cartridge players were also installed.  A four-tone horn was on board as well, offering a distinct tone for each one of the characters.  Fully street legal, The Bugaloos buggy was used extensively in the show.  When the series was introduced to the airwaves, Barris contracted with model kit manufacturer MPC to design a plastic model kit based on the program vehicle (which never saw production. See MCP catalog in Collectibles). 
– Barris TV & Movie Cars, 1996.
The Bugaloo Buggy was sold at the Cars of the Stars collector car auction at the Sheraton-Universal Hotel on Sept. 25, 1983.   The auction catalog featured this write up:

Bugaloo
Another most creative TV show by SID & MARTY KROFFT, the Bugaloos, starred Caroline Ellis, Wayne Laryea, John Philpott, John McIndoe, and Martha Raye.  BARRIS was given the challenge to make the group’s fantasy rod with BUTTERFLY WINGS mounted on the sides of a BOOMERAND fiberglass bodied dune buggy.  This buggy was powered by a VW engine.  The buggy is equipped with four bucket seats and four telephones for the stars.  Multi-colors were sprayed and combined with contrasting pin stripes by BOB BOND.  Quad KRACO units were installed for music backup with the singing group.  This feature toured the HOT ROD SHOW WORLD and ROD & CUSTOM EXHIBITS.

Below are two other cars for sale that are not starcars, but sure could roll with us as well! Snake Pit and Bunk bed car!

 But if speed is more your thing than nostalgia, the Snake Pit (above), also built by Barris, will be a better fit. Made specifically to break speed records, the huge Snake Pit has an estimated 2,000bhp from six Ford Cobra V8 engines.
This inordinately complicated caricature of a car has 48 exhausts, two Ford automatic transmissions, 12 four-barrel carburetors and two Pontiac rear axles.
The bright orange car will be difficult to park for two reasons: it’s 23-foot long, and it doesn’t work, so the buyer will have to employ someone with the taste and skills for the extraordinary to start having a go at land speed records again.
There’s not reserve, but fully functional it’s reportedly worth around $100,000 (£65,000).  The Bunkbeds is another star turn that doesn’t work, though when it does it has a Ferrari-matching 600bhp from an, erm, headboard-mounted V8 engine. It promises to be the best handling bunk bed ever made, thanks to Formula One-wide Goodyear tyres and disc brakes on all four wheels; it can be steered from either the top or bottom bunk.
It’s worth around £15,000 – around the same price as all manner of family cars guaranteed to send their occupants to sleep.

All the cars will be sold at the Historics at Brooklands sale at Mercedes-Benz World, Surrey, on Saturday February 18.