Please Buy This 1973 Mohs SafariKar Prototype
How many times have you found yourself hunting for big game in Africa only to realize your vehicle isn’t nearly ostentatious enough? Worry not my magnate friend, as the perfect safari companion has just popped up for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Known as the Mohs SafariKar, this SUV-based sedan is one of the wildest automotive prototypes you’ll ever encounter.
The Mohs SafariKar was introduced in 1973 by entrepreneur Bruce Baldwin Mohs. Mohs had previously made a name for himself by inventing items such as the instant milkshake and the highway barrier reflector. By the late 1960s, Mohs was ready to begin his journey into the automotive business. His first vehicle would arrive in 1967 by way of the one-off Ostentatienne Opera Sedan.
By 1973, Mohs would introduce the SafariKar, which was intended to be an all-terrain luxury vehicle for big game hunters. The vehicle itself is based on a 1969 International Harvester Travelall, and retains the SUV’s 392 cubic-inch V-8 and automatic transmission combination. The Mohs features tungsten alloy bulkheads, while the International bodywork was replaced by Naugahyde-wrapped aluminum panels. The roof is also an aluminum unit, which can be rolled back by hand to create an open-top experience. The doors are affixed to sliders as well, which work in tandem with pivoting seats to ensure you always have a shot on your target. Luxury amenities include items like AM/FM and CB radios as well as an air conditioning system. Unfortunately for all of the big game hunters of the 1970s, the SafariKar never made it past the prototype phase due to tightening EPA regulations. Only three prototypes were ever constructed.
This particular example has recently undergone a 4800-hour restoration, during which time the entire vehicle was worked over. The seating area has been entirely retrimmed in vinyl, and 14 yards of new carpet was installed throughout the interior. According to the seller, a total of 2,700 aluminum rivets, 7,000 stainless steel staples, and 40 large cans of spray adhesive were also utilized during the restoration. Combine the sheer rarity of this machine with that amount of restoration work, and it is no surprise the seller is asking $150,000. While that’s inherently a ton of money to spend on a rather obscure prototype, this Mohs SafariKar is genuinely unlike anything else on the road today. For better or worse.
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