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Arguably Weirdest Hot Rod Ever, The Bathtub Buggy, Has Been Fully Restored

As far as interesting (and downright weird) but historically fascinating custom cars go, this one is perhaps at the top of the list. Meet the Bathtub Buggy, which has been recently restored to its former glory.
The 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod ever 12 photos
Photo: Kahn Media
The 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod everThe 1968 iconic Bathtub Buggy remains weirdest hot rod ever
The Bathtub Buggy was built in 1968 by Rob Reisner and ultimately caught the eye of famous collector, customizer, and television personality George Barris. He bought it and added it to his funky collection, which included the iconic Munster Koach and the equally-famous 1966 Batmobile, but it was eventually forgotten and fell into disrepair.

As shown on a recent episode of Discovery Channel’s new show Car Kings, the Bathtub Buggy recently got the restoration work it badly needed, which brought it to its former glory. And what an impressive sight it still makes!

As the name suggests, the Bathtub Buggy is a hot rod that has twin bathtubs for passenger seats and, why yes, a plush toilet throne for the driver’s seat. All porcelain surfaces are covered in plush fabric in a slightly dated but still pretty awesome yellow mustard, which matches the gold copper of all that extra “plumbing” perfectly.

Speaking of plumbing, because of the bathroom theme of this particular build, plumbing fixtures have been used for most controls, which truly earns it the title of one of the strangest vehicles ever made. Despite what its appearance might suggest, the Bathroom Buggy is not sluggish: it gets its power from a supercharged Chrysler Hemi V8 and rides on a hot rod style chassis.

The restoration was handled by Galpin Auto Sports and shown on the current season of Car Kings. If the name rings a bell, it’s because it was the official shop of MTV’s Pimp My Ride. Beau Boeckmann of GAS also serves as an executive producer on the show, and he made a deliberate decision to turn the show toward more surprising builds, marking a clear departure from the traditional vehicles usually shown on other car shows.

Car Kings airs on Mondays at 10 PM PT/ET, and Discovery Channel has made the first episodes of the season available for free at this link.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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