"John Wayne's Station Wagon"
John Wayne, aka The Duke, was more of a sporadic customer at Barris Kustom; his signature car being Pontiac Wagons. He would bring his station wagons to George at Barris Kustom Industries to raise the windows and raise the tops.
As George stated, "John didn't want to stoop his head, he wanted to just slide right in." The Duke was never looking for a wild kustom; all the designs he commissioned from Barris were simple and geared to his comfort & that of his family. George even recalls John having a motor home painted along with 2 or 3 total wagon kustoms.
Every now and then, our old "kreations" happen to come back to us for a little touch up. This 1975 Pontiac Grand Safari Station Wagon with a 455 cubic inch engine happens to be one of those projects! It's still owned by the Wayne family and is the last wagon John Wayne himself used locally with his family. For this project, we will be doing an on-frame restoration.
Stay tuned as this restoration unfolds… we will recap each step, and more importantly the history that comes with it!