Kookie’s Kar, the long-lost famed T-bucket credited with starting the nationwide craze in the 1950s, will emerge from its decades in hiding this May to join the no-reserve offerings of the Jim Street Estate Collection as they cross the Mecum auction block at Dana Mecum’s 31st Original Spring Classic at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.
Kookie’s Kar is unanimously regarded in the Hot Rod community as the catalyst of the T-bucket craze that overtook the custom auto industry in the mid- to late-1950s. Built by the late Norm Grabowski and later occupying a star-car role in the hit private detective series “77 Sunset Strip” as actor Edd Byrnes’ personal driver, “Kookie’s Kar,” as it came to be known, is an unquestionable icon among historically significant custom cars. Its sudden disappearance in the 1960s led to much speculation as to whether the car still existed at all, making its reemergence some 50-plus years later all the more intriguing.
Found carefully tucked away within the storage facilities of Ohio’s late Jim Street, as he was known, the car remains intact, still wearing its final iteration of customization. With its return to the spotlight this May 15-19, it’s time for a new owner to take hold of the torch and keep thriving the legacy of the one-and-only T-bucket revolution-starter: Kookie’s Kar.
Dana Mecum’s 31st Original Spring Classic auction is open to buyers, sellers and spectators. To view the list of consigned vehicles or to register as a bidder for this and all Mecum auctions, visit www.mecum.com, or call (262) 275-5050 for more information.
Schedule:
Dana Mecum’s 31st Original Spring Classic
Indiana State Fairgrounds
1202 E 38th St
Indianapolis, IN 46205
May 15-19, 2018
Admission: $20 in advance online, and $30 at the door and online after May 14—per person, per day; children 12 and younger receive complimentary admission
Preview: Gates open daily at 8 a.m.
Auction: Vehicle auction begins at 10 a.m. daily
TV Schedule on NBCSN: TBA
(All times Eastern)