Barris Kustom’s 1998 Mercury Cougar-Based Woodie 2050 Is A Weird Automotive Potpourri

George Barris is best known as the creator of the first Batmobile, but the legacy of the late custom car specialist includes dozens of unique vehicles of all types and shapes.

Some of them were TV and movie cars, while others were made for celebrities or simply people who digged the Barris Kustom way of modifying vehicles. Barris had a thing for hot rods, though over the years he also signed off his fair share of automotive oddities.

Today we bring you a creation that’s highly unusual even for George Barris: a 1998 Mercury Cougar modified to look like a 1949 Ford Woody Wagon. Going by the name of Cougar Woodie 2050 (though it’s titled as a 1949 Ford Barris), this automotive mashup was first introduced at the 1999 Grand National Roadster Show.

The Woodie 2050 features a complete front end from a 1950 Ford with a grille shell from a 1950 Mercury Panel Truck and English Lucas tri-beam headlights. The front doors and top are formed into the flooring section, while the finned and ribbed side pipes come from a Corvette. As for the rear part of the body, it’s from a 1950 Ford Station Wagon, completely fabricated to fit the undercarriage suspension and flooring.

As you can see, the Cougar Woodie 2050 is a potpourri of ornaments, including hand-formed and stained side oak paneling with round pegs, Gold Pearl-of-Essence paint sprayed in 40 coats (the gold flakes are clearly visible in the photos), Colorado Custom Wheels ‘Severance’ style with oak spoke inlays, and a hand-carved and stretched gold leaf Barris Crest at the front.

If the car is a woodie on the outside, we could say it’s a ‘woolie’ on the inside given the lambswool upholstery and carpeting. Other interior details include the gold anodized pedals and George Barris’ signature on the dash – though you’ll have to look for it carefully because the ink has worn off.

As for the mechanical stuff, power comes from a 4.6-liter V8 hooked to a Paxton supercharger and four-speed automatic transmission. A Canover air suspension is also fitted.

The reason we brought this car up, besides the fact that it’s so weird, is because it will go under the hammer at the RM Sotheby’s Auburn Fall auction on September 3-5. It’s offered without reserve, with an estimated value between $25,000 and $35,000.