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High-tech, remote-controlled Golden Sahara II custom car going for auction

Imagine a vehicle with automatic braking, remote operation, self-opening doors and a big screen on the dash. You're probably imaging a Tesla Model X, but we're actually talking about a car called the Golden Sahara II, a custom car originally built in the 1950s, and it's going for auction at Mecum's event in Indianapolis. According to Mecum, this custom car started out as a 1953 Lincoln Capri owned by George Barris, the man who created the original Batmobile. He didn't have it long before it ended up in a crash that led him to use it for a major custom project. He teamed up James Skonzakes, known as Jim Street, to create and pay for the build. In 1954, the car was finished with wild body work, actual 24-karat gold-plated exterior trim and a pearlescent gold paint created from fish scales. It carried the name of Golden Sahara, and it cost $25,000 to build. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In 1956, Street decided to invest a whole lot more into the car. He sent it to a shop in Dayton, Ohio where it was fitted with a myriad of high-tech features. These included a central control stick that could operate the throttle, steering and braking, push-button steering controls on the dashboard for both the driver and the passenger, a remote control for moving it slowly and for opening the doors. It had sonar antennae at the front for automatic braking, a TV in the center stack, a radio, a phone, and even a cocktail cabinet in the back and mink carpeting. All of these features were on display when Street appeared with the car on the TV show I've Got a Secret, seen above, as well as in a period news story in which Street's wife demonstrated the features including the light-up wheels and tires for turn signals. That clip is visible below. The total cost of the car, now called Golden Sahara II, was $75,000. Adjusted for inflation, that's nearly $700,000. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Eventually, Street stopped showing the Golden Sahara II, but he never got rid of it. It was recently found in his garage, and the car will finally go for auction in May at Mecum's Indianapolis auction. The car will be sold in unrestored condition, which looks to be fairly rough, but savable. It appears the remotes are still there, too. The car will be auctioned with no reserve, so it will have a new owner.

Lincoln Anniversary Concept is the future looking at the past

Remember the Audi SkySphere concept the German automaker revealed on August 10? The long, low, meaty two-door designed in Malibu, California that previewed elements of Audi's coming design language? This is not that car. This is the Lincoln Anniversary concept, a long, low, meaty two-door designed at the ArtCenter College of Design — about an hour away from Malibu — as a potential preview of Lincoln design elements. There's clearly something in the waters of the communal car design trend pool, and we dig it. A few months ago, Lincoln announced it had partnered with the ArtCenter, inviting students to create four concepts that they'd showcase as integral parts of meaningful stories about people. The transportation students worked with classmates in other disciplines like film and animation to imagine what Lincolns might be like in 2040 and beyond, and create short films to put the concepts and stories in motion inside future worlds. One concept needed to hold two people, one to hold four, another would hold four at elevated ride height, and the largest would be a six-passenger vehicle. All of them had to deliver on Lincoln's promise of Quiet Flight driving and a theme called C.A.S.E., for connected, autonomous, shared and electric.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Lincoln x ArtCenter College of Design | Quiet Flight 2040 The Glider concept served two people in sedan form, inspired by the Zephyrs and Continentals of yore. As the star of the short "Now You Drive," a son picks up his wheelchair-bound father in the Glider and puts his father in the driver's seat, placing the wheelchair in the back. The father takes the wheel and drives for the first time in years, while the autonomously-capable sedan retracts the throttle and brake pedals and manages speed on its own. Designer Jin Kim posted detailed breakdown of his development work on the Glider, as well as the short film. The page is well worth a visit.       A four-seater SUV concept in the short "Amongst the Stars" features touch-screen windows and an augmented reality panoramic roof. The protagonist gets her first taste of a wide starry night during a family trip to White Sands National Park looking through the glass, the roof aiding her curiosity with displays like highlighting and naming constellations.

Lincoln plans pilot subscription service for pre-owned vehicles

Lincoln's foray into the world of monthly subscriptions will follow the mold of Ford's Canvas program and launch a pilot service offering a range of pre-owned 2017 Lincoln vehicles in West Los Angeles and the San Francisco area. Lincoln first announced plans for a subscription service on the sidelines of the L.A. Auto Show. The luxury automaker says its new service will allow customers to have a vehicle "as if it were their own," with a monthly payment that covers a prescribed mileage package and includes comprehensive insurance, warranty, maintenance and roadside assistance. It'll be based on Ford's nearly year-old Canvas program, also offered in the Bay Area and West Los Angeles. It offers pre-owned Ford vehicles on a monthly subscription basis, including insurance, maintenance and warranty coverage. Terms for that program are one to 12 months, with an ability to swap cars at any time. While Lincoln didn't announced pricing or a start date for its own subscription program, Canvas' existing service starts at $400 a month, not including tax and depending on vehicle and other options, for pre-owned Ford vehicles. Ford in February said its Canvas fleet has more than 600 customers who've logged more than 3 million miles in the two markets. Lincoln joins a growing list of automakers including Volvo, Cadillac and Porsche who are offering monthly subscription services as an alternative to traditional ownership or leasing. The subscription service will also come with Lincoln's Pickup & Delivery program, in which a valet picks up a customer's vehicle for service at any location and provides them with a loaner Lincoln before returning their vehicle. Lincoln also reiterated its plans to expand its Lincoln Personal Driver service first piloted in San Diego and Miami to Dallas, saying it will soon be integrated into the Lincoln Way mobile app. The service, previously called Lincoln Chauffeur, allows customers to call on a screened personal driver who can also assist with errands while the customers attend to other matters. The luxury brand is emphasizing "warm, human and effortless" services as a way to differentiate itself from its competitors. For more information on Vehicle Subscription Services, check out the Complete Guide. Related Video: