The terrifying Munster family in their terrifying car
In the legendary series The Munsters, starring a family that is terrifying in appearance but conventional in form, two vehicles were seen as gloomy as their owners. Probably today they would not pass the ITV, but they can be visited in a museum in Chicago.
Between 1964 and 1966, an atypical family due to its Dantesque but absolutely charming roots settled on American television. In a cultural context in which Universal or Hammer horror films triumphed, the CBS network had the happy idea of creating a family 'sitcom' in which each component of that kinship nucleus represented a recognizable archetype of that genre.
So the 'father families', Herman (played by actor Fred Gwynne), it was the result of an experiment typical of Dr. Frankenstein, clumsy, good-natured and noble as could be; and Lily Munster (who was brought to life by Yvonne de Carlo) She was a vampire born in Transylvania. that she carried out her tasks as a housewife with amazing efficiency but also rescued others from multiple mischiefs and worked in various occasional jobs .
grandpa sam (Al Lewis) was born centuries ago, was a descendant of Count Dracula and could turn into a bat and a wolf; Eddie (Butch Patrick) , the son, was a small lycanthrope who had the dragon Spot as a pet and, finally, Marilyn's niece (Beverly Owen, in the first 13 episodes and Pat Priest in the following), a stunning blonde whose status as an ordinary person brought her nothing but problems.
Herman (the paterfamilias), Lily Munster, Grandpa Sam, little Eddie, and niece Marilyn
With these ingredients, the series turned out to be a success with the audience and, although in Spain it first aired in 1965, it wouldn't be until 1986, coinciding with its revival in the program La bola de cristal, when it reached the category of cult series.
Among all **the elements that made up the fascinating universe of 'The Munsters' (the telephone box in a coffin, the raven clock, Igor the bat...) ** there were two that remained indelible in the imagination of all fans of the series over the years: the vehicles in which the members of the family moved on their journeys.
One (the main) was the Munster Koach and the other (secondary but just as attractive), the DRAG-U-LA. Let's review, then, what these two models were like that made up the terrifying Munster fleet and that are now on display at the Volo Auto Museum in Chicago.
The legendary Munster Koach who gave Lily to Herman Munster
MUNSTER KOACH
It was the family car a hybrid between a Hot Rod and a hearse, in which all the components moved every time they had to carry out some management outside their gloomy mansion.
He first appeared in the fourth episode titled 'Rock-A-Bye Munster', as Lily's birthday present to Herman. Since then it had a place in more than 20 episodes of the series and also in the movie 'Munster, Go Home!', although with different wheels.
Due to his enormous stature, actor Fred Gwynne, who played Herman Munster, was never able to sit in the driver's seat that in the end had to be eliminated so that he would shoot all the scenes sitting on the floor on some ermine fur rugs.
The Munster Koach could reach a top speed of 150 mph. Conceived by designer George Barris (also the creator of the Batmobile) in his own company Barris Kustoms, based on sketches by the producers of the series, they built it Tex Smith and Dick Dean. It is made from three Ford Model T bodies, with a 289 cc, 425 hp V8 engine and a four-speed transmission.
Many details are made by hand such as, for example, the ornamental steel coils that adorn it, in which more than 500 hours were invested. It measures five and a half meters and sports a blood red upholstery on the inside, as well as black pearl paint on the outside.
The Munster Koach, with all the extras a scary family could want
The front end features a dropped axle, split radius rods, and some T-shaped springs. Its design was clearly based on a funeral carriage, although customized for the occasion.
The Munster Koach included a portable lab with curtains so Grandpa could travel during the day, a special seat for Eddie, a television, a shoe shine, and two old French telephones. All the extras a scary family could want!
And in order for these to be operational, a special autonomous Autolite electrical system had to be installed. The cost to build the first amounted to $18,000 at the time (about €130,000 today). Two more units were later built and, interestingly, both reproduction cars have been restored, but the original has not.
The AMT brand produced a plastic-made toy model of the Munster Koach during the broadcast time of the series on television and since then it has been reissued several times. It was also put up for sale for a 1/64 scale model of the car. As a curiosity, A single with the theme Here Comes The Munster Koach was also released.
Although the original Munster Koach is on display in the museum Cars Of The Stars at Keswick, England, one of its two much better preserved reproductions can be seen in the Volo Auto Museum Chicago.
The family vehicle of the Munsters, a hybrid between a Hot Rod and a hearse
DRAG-U-LA
Although he only appeared in one chapter, the one titled 'Hot Rod Herman', he also became an emblem of the series. in fiction Grandfather built it to participate in a competition and thus be able to recover the Munster Koach that Herman had lost in a bet.
In reality, like the Munster Koach, he was also designed by George Barris, with the help of Alex Kerr and Dick Dean, Richard 'Korky' Korkes, Roy 'Tubbs' Johnston and Les Tompins were employed in its construction.
It has a 289 cc engine. 350 hp and a three-speed manual transmission. Five units were built, one for the series and the others for private use. The front of the vehicle looked a marble headstone with the legend: "Born 1367, Died ?" and his body was constructed from a fiberglass coffin that had to be practically smuggled out of a funeral home in North Hollywood, since possession of coffins was illegal at the time.
Also the vehicle's radiator was transformed to resemble a small bronze coffin. The driver's seat was placed in the rear of the vehicle behind the engine, under a plastic bubble. The two rear tires were 10.5-inch racing slots, mounted on custom aluminum and steel wheels.
DRAG-U-LA, built by Grandpa Munster to retrieve the Munster Koach
Each of the flasks was decorated with a large silver chandelier. The front wheels were four-inch Italian rims with wire wheels, and to further enhance the gothic look of the vehicle, Barris installed four Zoomie-style organ pipes on each side of the car in lieu of a standard tailpipe, as well as fitting vintage lamps to both front and rear.
The original car was destined for a Planet Hollywood in Atlantic City, where it hung from the ceiling and after that restaurant closed it was moved to the Chicago's Volo Auto Museum in 2011.
The actors **Yvonne de Carlo (Lily) and Butch Patrick (Eddie)** liked the cars in the series so much that they used custom models to move around when they weren't filming.
De Carlo's Jaguar was transformed by George Barris with two coffin stands, spider webs and a silver wolf's head. For Patrick they built a golden bicycle with interlocking chains and a windbreaker that recreated a spider web. Such a special family could not be transferred in any way.
The original DAG-U-LA hung from the ceiling of a Planet Hollywood in Atlantic City until it closed and moved to Chicago's Volo Auto Museum