US’s most famous custom car is a 1953 Lincoln Capri with 24K gold, vanished for decades, resurfaced 2018

This is the Golden Sahara II, a heavily modified 1953 Lincoln Capri adorned with gold and glowing tires.

It was originally made by the creator of the original Batmobile.

The car has so much modern tech crammed in you’d be tempted to assume it was a new concept – but it was actually made in 1954.

And the reason behind the tires is fascinating.

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The whole idea behind the Golden Sahara II Lincoln Capri

The Golden Sahara II started out as a wrecked 1953 Lincoln Capri.

American supercar builder and collector Jim Skonzakes, better known by his alias Jim Street, spent around $75,000 on this car back then.

And $75,000 was a pretty penny in the 1950s.

In order to do this, he hired George Barris, the man behind the original 1966 Batmobile.

Among other things, the Golden Sahara II was fitted with voice commands, sensor-based emergency braking and a remote control.

So this was technically a ‘driverless’ car built in the 1950s because it could be driven using a Boeing 747-style yoke device, which controlled the steering as well as acceleration and the brakes.

The interior also featured a TV and a fridge, like a Maybach or a Rolls-Royce.

The car completely disappeared for a few decades, and no one knew where it was.

It then resurfaced in 2018 when Klairmont Kollections paid $385,000 to have it restored in time for the 2019 Geneva Motor Show – the same event that saw the debut of the Bugatti La Voiture Noire.

What’s with the glowing tires?

The Golden Sahara II was also a bit of a marketing stunt on the part of Goodyear.

Goodyear, which also makes tires for Moon rovers, is always trying out new things.

Back then, Goodyear was experimenting with glowing tires to help drivers see in bad visibility.

The company also floated the idea of tires glowing red when the driver hit the brakes.

The tires were built from something called Neothane, which is basically a translucent form of synthetic rubber, and they contain internal lighting, which means they appear to glow.

On the Golden Sahara II, you can make the tires change colors with a button on the dashboard.

Unfortunately, these tires are just a prototype, so we’re unlikely to see them out on the road anytime soon.