The Sonny & Cher Mustangs

[FL SAAC]

Sonny and Cher really rocked it in the 60s. This groovy husband and wife duo had charm, a knack for writing or choosing the right songs to perform and record, and legit musical talent. It helps that they were attractive too: Sonny, a compact guy, had the hair, the 'stache, and the bellbottoms and Cher brought her own smoky brand of sexuality to the team. They were so popular they ended up with their own television show in the early 70s, and even after divorcing, outlasted their legal parting to still get TV and concert audiences rocking in the isles throughout that decade and beyond. And they sure drove a cool pair of Mustang customs.

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Carmakers have long courted Hollywood and other celebrity types into driving their products. Clark Gable driving his Jaguar XK120 and Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing certainly helped sell a fair number of those premium sports cars in the 1950s. Cars have been part of movie and TV scripts since their beginnings, but the art, science, and business of product placement really crystalized in the 1960s by putting James Bond behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger and Thunderball, and of course with the casting of Highland Green Metallic '68 Mustang GT390 fastbacks in Steve McQueen's Bullitt.

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It isn't abundantly clear how a pair of San Jose-built 1966 Mustang convertibles got earmarked for Sonny and Cher, but they did, and were handed over to the self-proclaimed "King of Kustomizers" George Barris for his own brand of remodel. Sonny's car was designed around a gold and brown color palette, with Cher's a dazzling, and much more feminine pink motif. The late Barris commented that "Sonny and Cher go back a long way with me. They were the hippest young couple I can remember. They dressed way out and wild, and Cher was the most beautiful young woman imaginable." Barris' wife Shirley helped them each choose colors and design their cars. Ford was definitely a willing participant in this surefire public relations hit stunt, as the cars, over time, have been photographed wearing California state black-and-gold manufacturer's license plates, although for show and photoshoots, the cars wore dummy plates with their stars names on them.

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Both cars were 289 V-8 convertibles with automatic transmissions. Sonny's car was a 289 A-Code four-barrel car engine 225 horsepower; Cher's a slightly less aggressive 200-horse two-barrel carbureted car. Both have power steering and power brakes but no air conditioning, and floor shifted 3-speed automatic transmissions, faux wood trimmed steering wheels, and full length center consoles. Pretty much bread and butter cars, which was to Barris a blank canvas.

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Barris' body mods for both cars were quite similar, including full repaints. The main color for Cher's car is called Hot Candy Pink and Sonny's is Murano Gold. Barris and company reconfigured both cars' front ends giving them silver mesh twin grilles and a bit of a "beak" in the middle about where the standard running horse and corrals would normally rest; the stock headlights were also swapped for Lucas European style rectangular units, each in their own chrome bezels. Barris must have really favored these headlight units, as they ended up on a number of his creations over time. The front end redesign is handsome enough, but oddly, resembles an early '60s Pontiac Tempest, something Ford surely never had in mind

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The rest of the mods were typical of Barris at the time; each Mustang's hood wears a pair of bright metal "grilles" intended to look like some sort of hoodscoops, but more closely resemble ventwork you might find at an industrial heating and air conditioning supply outlet; Barris was famous for this type of mod; not in any way functional and often found at the hardware store or home center. He once customized the grille of his Model T hot rod using knobs from his family kitchen's cabinets, about which he said his mother wasn't abundantly thrilled. Each car got deluxe Mustang rocker panel trim and faux sidepipes, although it appears the cars wear small functional notched dual exhaust outlets in the lower rear fascias. The taillight treatments are completely custom, with their origin unknown—they somewhat resemble the wide rear lights on a mid-'60s T-Bird or a '68 GT/CS, but are not divided into three sections as they are on those Fords, nor are they sequential. Sonny's car wears brown paint in its "coves" along the stock door and fenderlines, while the Cher car's coved panels are painted a more distinct red to contrast the rest of the body's Hot Pink.

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The interiors of both cars are really over the top, so typical of Barris and of the era. The seats of Cher's car stitched of genuine Ermine fur, contrasted by black leather. And Sonny's cabin is done up in a wild combo of bobcat fur, saddle leather and suede; both cars are trimmed in very shaggy faux fur carpeting – you might think of it as "ultrashag." At the moment, Cher's steering column wears a Ford accessory Rally Pak gauge cluster; it isn't clear if Sonny's car also did in period, and perhaps that now valuable bolt-on disappeared along the way or never was there. Barris also equipped each car with what passed for high end audio back in the day in the form of a separate 8-track tape player boxed in at the leading edge of each floor console.

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And the driver's seat in both His and Hers has been modified to swivel; something Ford didn't offer in a Mustang. Each car wears a small engraved brass plate and Barris Kustoms' very royal looking logo. Sonny's has a tan convertible top and tonneau cover, while both elements on Cher's are black. And of course a m t produced a plastic model kit containing both cars, which is today highly prized and costs several hundred bucks on eBay.

It wouldn't be a custom car without custom wheels, and this is where the story of these cars appears to have evolved over time, as at least one of them wears different wheels in varying photos, taken at different times. In many early photos, Cher's car wears aluminum "wire mag" style wheels running whitewall tires, Sonny's Mustang is nearly always shown wearing a set of very period retro-looking Radir mags.

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Barris went on to personalize a pair of Yamaha motorcycles for them not long after the Mustangs were done, and remained friendly with Sonny and Cher even after their divorce and careers that also went their separate ways. Further exploits for Cher include several Mercedes-Benzes and a pair of Ferraris as her recording and Oscar winning acting career continued to flourish. The Mustangs' ownership situation has ebbed and flowed over the decades, and the cars have been sold and resold several times since being built in 1966, most recently by Barrett-Jackson, at its Scottsdale, Arizona auction in January, 2018. The cars were logically sold as a pair, and purchased for $146,700 by Manhattan, Kansas enthusiast and businessman Ward Morgan; incidentally for less than they sold for previously. Some would say they had depreciated over the years, or that Mr. Morgan made a very good buy this time out.

Why this pair of Pop Culture Ponies? Mr. Morgan has a substantial car collection, and loves TV, movie, and rock 'n' roll cars. Plus he's underway on plans for a car museum, which will be open to the public, not hidden and locked away in some giant warehouse gathering dust. He favors custom cars and particularly appreciates and enjoys George Barris' works. His collection, and the new yet unnamed museum planned for opening in the fall of 2018, is loosely configured around the notions of cars through time and culture, of the "Past, Present, and Future." Fords and Ford-related hardware among his fleet include a 1907 Model R Ford, several Ford Model As, a few Lincolns, a '69 Mach I, and a 2006 Ford GT. And now the Sonny and Cher Barris Mustangs.

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Nasayers will call them tacky, but those who were there and or dig the looks of the times will love every over the top touch. Rock On!

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The Creator,  the Man, the Myth, the Legend,  the King of Kustomizers, Mr George Barris

[98SVT - was 06GT]

He was still using the tacky carpet when he redid the maroon 57 Tbird that Frank Sinatra bought for his daughter Nancy. In 1970 she sent it to Barris to be freshened up. Paint, interior and yep an engine swap. That's a Boss 302 and 4 speed under the hood.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

When the Model A was introduced Hollywood royalty were able to get to the top of the list for delivery. Not being one to pass up free advertising Henry sent one of the first 200 cars to Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. Them and their new car hit newspapers around the world. After a short time Henry was getting so many complaints about preferential treatment of the elite he stopped the practice. In reality I think he realized he didn't need the added hype to sell the cars.

[Royce Peterson]

I used to see the Sonny & Cher Mustangs when I went to Mustangs Plus. The two Mustangs were very original and unmolested when I last saw them, some time in 2001. The one for Cher was way out there with the fur upholstery.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

How can we forget the Mustang he ruined for Frank Sinatra? Said to have been a K code.