Was the Barris "Californian" Toronado a Real Car, Or Only an MPC Kit?

[Snake45]

Yesterday on another board, someone posted a Bruce McCall-esque painting in which a familiar looking car appears in the background. Took me a few seconds to recognize what it is--it's George Barris's Californian custom Toronado. I commented "I bet I'm the only guy on this board who knows what the car in the background is." The guessing began. Didn't take too long for a couple guys to come up with the Barris name, but not the Californian. Had two guesses of some customs he did called the Esso 67-X and Esso 70-X. I'd never heard of these so I looked them up. They're Toronados and they're similar in many ways but not the Californian.  So then I tried to google the Californian itself, and could find no reference to it, either in text or pictures, aside from the recently reissued MPC kit. So the question is, was the Californian a real car (most likely, a rework of one of the Esso cars), or ONLY an MPC model design?

I'd have posted the painting itself but there's a firearm in it and I have no desire to violate forum "policy" on this. It's not controversial or political at all, or shouldn't be. If a Mod tells me publicly that it's okay to post the pic, I'll be happy to do so. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

I don't know, but the MPC kit is WAY more attractive than the easily sourced photos of Barris' version(s).

Only a true master could take a reasonably handsome car, slather on a host of disjointed "kustom" crapp, and think it was an improvement.

As an aside, I actually liked some of his work (Ala Kart, Surf Woody), I learned a lot from his magazine articles, and he seemed to be a pretty OK guy the one time I got to meet him, but geez...some of his stuff is just beyond awful.

MPC "Californian"

One Barris version

Edited June 1, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[Snake45]

Huh. Now you've gotten me thinking. Is it possible the Californian wasn't a Barris design at all, that it was entirely dreamed up by MPC? Could I just have assumed it was a Barris joint because it's so ugly? 

[stitchdup]

on some of the boxes it says its harry bradleys luxury sports car

[Ace-Garageguy]

31 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

on some of the boxes it says its harry bradleys luxury sports car

Aha...  ?

 

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[sfhess]

37 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

on some of the boxes it says its harry bradleys luxury sports car

Barris was known to take credit for other peoples' work...

[Snake45]

42 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

on some of the boxes it says its harry bradleys luxury sports car

Oh my yes, now I see it! Although a brilliant and influential designer, he could also crank out the eyesores with the best of 'em, from time to time. 

He just passed in the last couple weeks, if you hadn't heard. 

[Snake45]

7 minutes ago, sfhess said:

Barris was known to take credit for other peoples' work...

Yup. Got busted for it many times, too. 

[JollySipper]

Toronado...... one "high toned SOB"!

( I wonder if anyone will get that reference.... )

[Can-Con]

6 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I don't know, but the MPC kit is WAY more attractive than the easily sourced photos of Barris' version(s).

Only a true master could take a reasonably handsome car, slather on a host of disjointed "kustom" crapp, and think it was an improvement.

As an aside, I actually liked some of his work (Ala Kart, Surf Woody), I learned a lot from his magazine articles, and he seemed to be a pretty OK guy the one time I got to meet him, but geez...some of his stuff is just beyond awful.

MPC "Californian"

One Barris version

There were actually 4 of those orange eyesores built, Bill. 

An advertising gimmick [gone wrong??]

" To celebrate Canada’s centenary at Expo 67, Imperial Oil Canada (Esso) commissioned four custom-built 1967 Oldsmobile Toronados from George Barris of Hollywood."

[1972coronet]

[Ace-Garageguy]

5 hours ago, Snake45 said:

Oh my yes, now I see it! Although a brilliant and influential designer, he could also crank out the eyesores with the best of 'em, from time to time. 

He just passed in the last couple weeks, if you hadn't heard. 

Yes, Mr. Bradley, much as I admire him and a lot of his work, definitely had some bad days too.  

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi!

From what I read at the time, Bradley designed it, and both MPC AND Barris got at work building the design, only in different scales. Oh well...

CT

[Mark]

Barris' Toronados were built in '67, Bradley designed the MPC Californian sometime in '68, if not '69.  MPC liked to reuse old kit tools, the Californian was just another one of those deals like the Magnum GTII where they got one more hit off the tool before it got shelved.

Dean Jeffries also got in on the Toronado customizing thing, his interpretation is the best of the bunch.

[Mark]

8 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I don't know, but the MPC kit is WAY more attractive than the easily sourced photos of Barris' version(s).

Only a true master could take a reasonably handsome car, slather on a host of disjointed "kustom" crapp, and think it was an improvement.

As an aside, I actually liked some of his work (Ala Kart, Surf Woody), I learned a lot from his magazine articles, and he seemed to be a pretty OK guy the one time I got to meet him, but geez...some of his stuff is just beyond awful.

MPC "Californian"

One Barris version

Surf Woody was designed by Tom Daniel.  There is an issue of Rod & Custom with a Sketchpad by Daniel, that predates the Surf Woody. 

TD designed the Munster Koach too.  The original one was built by Tex Collins at Cal Automotive as a running car, the finishing touches were done at Barris' shop.

The Barris Toronados (built for Expo '67) were stretched in the middle by about 10".  One was built from steel and used to make molds for fiberglass body panels.  Barris built a fifth one for his own use.  Not sure if any still exist.

[Ace-Garageguy]

31 minutes ago, Mark said:

Surf Woody was designed by Tom Daniel.  There is an issue of Rod & Custom with a Sketchpad by Daniel, that predates the Surf Woody.

Yup, I have the drawing saved somewhere. Thanks for the reminder. And frankly, I think it lost something in Barris' translation.

AMT doesn't mention Mr. Daniel though, IIRc...at least not on the box.

Edited June 1, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[Richard Bartrop]

2 hours ago, Can-Con said:

There were actually 4 of those orange eyesores built, Bill. 

An advertising gimmick [gone wrong??]

" To celebrate Canada’s centenary at Expo 67, Imperial Oil Canada (Esso) commissioned four custom-built 1967 Oldsmobile Toronados from George Barris of Hollywood."

According to Dale Edward Johnson's book on the car, two over them were gold, one was green and one was burgundy.

[Mark]

I'm pretty sure Rod & Custom did a two-part article on the construction of the Expo Toronados.  They later ran an article on the one Barris built for himself after the fact.  R&C also did an article on the Toronado custom that Dean Jeffries built; it's the best looking of the bunch IMO.

[THarrison351]

8 hours ago, JollySipper said:

Toronado...... one ""!

( I wonder if anyone will get that reference.... )

Stephen King's The Dark Half Richard Stark drove a Toronado. Timothy Hutton played him in a movie

Edited June 2, 2023 by THarrison351

[Robberbaron]

12 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Aha...  ?

 

 

Call me crazy, but I see more than a little styling of the 2nd generation Monte Carlo in the Californian: swooping side window profile, heavily sculptured body sides, blade-like leading edge of the fenders, and a prominent single pair of headlights:

 

The main factor affecting the resemblance is the battering-ram 5 MPH front bumper, which GM was forced to tack onto their already completed design (much like the rest of the industry).

The thing is, the 2nd generation Monte debuted in '73.  If the Californian kit was designed/released around '68/'69, that predates even the first generation Monte Carlo.  Harry Bradley had worked as a stylist for Chevrolet, but reportedly left in 1966 to work for Mattel.  So that's way too nearly for him to have had any first hand direct knowledge on GM's styling plans 9 years out.

However, I do wonder if he used his connections within the auto design world in order to get some secondhand info on the direction GM was going.  Some of the early Chevy styling studies even have a stonger resemblance in some ways:

Edited June 2, 2023 by Robberbaron

[Richard Bartrop]

Or, someone who was working on the Monte Carlo saw the Californian, and got inspired.

[stitchdup]

1 hour ago, Robberbaron said:

Call me crazy, but I see more than a little styling of the 2nd generation Monte Carlo in the Californian: swooping side window profile, heavily sculptured body sides, blade-like leading edge of the fenders, and a prominent single pair of headlights:

 

The main factor affecting the resemblance is the battering-ram 5 MPH front bumper, which GM was forced to tack onto their already completed design (much like the rest of the industry).

The thing is, the 2nd generation Monte debuted in '73.  If the Californian kit was designed/released around '68/'69, that predates even the first generation Monte Carlo.  Harry Bradley had worked as a stylist for Chevrolet, but reportedly left in 1966 to work for Mattel.  So that's way too nearly for him to have had any first hand direct knowledge on GM's styling plans 9 years out.

However, I do wonder if he used his connections within the auto design world in order to get some secondhand info on the direction GM was going.  Some of the early Chevy styling studies even have a stonger resemblance in some ways:

9 years early isn't much in car design. The vw EV vans design has been shared by vw for nearly 20 years and its only recently been releasd for sale. It has been interesting to see the vw t4 design morph through the different versions so there hasn't been a jump in design, more of a gentle flow from one design to the next

[NOBLNG]

No pictures of an actual “Californian” car on the net that I could find. No mention of the Californian in this article either.

http://kustomrama.com/wiki/Harry_Bradley

The grill surround/bumper looks like a wider version of the ‘69 Grand Prix unit to me.

[NOBLNG]

I sure like his ‘64 El Camino.

[1972coronet]

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." - Horus