The 1972 Mohs Safarikar Is the Weirdest Rare Car You Can Buy
What if we told you that long before Elon Musk, a wealthy eccentric with a quirky sense of humor founded his own automaker and created automobiles with unusual features? Our study on Hemmings revealed that he went by the name Bruce Baldwin Mohs and described him as a "serial entrepreneur" and innovator. Mohs began his business by building bicycle sidecars, but he finally tried and failed to mass produce cars.
Mohs took great satisfaction in equipping his vehicles with "luxurious" equipment like a fridge or a CB radio. Targeting the ultra wealthy people who desired contemporary amenities in their daily transportation, such as a butane-fueled heater (he really created a car with a butane-fueled furnace), he hoped to compete with brands like Cadillac and Lincoln.
One day, Mohs realized he was neglecting to market to a group of automobile customers that were badly underserved: large game hunters. There were certainly enough of automobiles for famous people, dignitaries, and business moguls, but what about those who required a vehicle ideal for pointlessly killing elephants and giraffes?
the Mohs "SafariKar" Based on a 1969 International Travelall four-wheel-drive chassis and powered by a 6.3 liter V-8 engine, the SafariKar. Beyond those rather typical foundations, the SafariKar is an absurdly bizarre idea.
Mohs obtained the three front seats from the production business of star Steve McQueen, and for some strange reason Mohs had the whole outside of the automobile coated in Naugahyde. The doors open on pistons rather than hinges. The aluminum body parts of the car are completely hidden.
The SafariKar's standout feature, however, is a hard top that folds down. This feature enables the owner, who normally sits in the back of the vehicle, to stand up, rest their rifle on a cushioned rail, and fire at a helpless animal that was startled by the amount of ostentation on show.
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Just picture yourself as an antelope drinking from a creek, and the last thing you see is a guy who looks like Van Pelt standing up in a SafariKar with a huge gold-plated grille firing a gun at you. Fortunately for the animals, that scenario never came to pass. Only three SafariKar prototypes were made by Mohs in 1972, and each one cost $14,000 (about $100k in 2022 dollars). Today, there are just two remaining copies, one of which is being sold at Mecum Auctions.
The exact model seen here required 4,800 hours to restore, but everything still functions, including those odd doors. Yes, it is all coated in naugahyde as well. Therefore, if you ever desired a shot at owning the weirdest rare car on the planet, here's your shot.