As a friend of (the now-late) "King of the Kustomizers' George Barris, automobile aficionado Ken Roberts of Arizona knew he wanted a "movie car" for himself. So, in 2013, he started building a replica of the iconic black Jaguar hearse from the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude.
In an interview with Petrolicious, Roberts shares the inspiration behind his custom ride:
Well, the way the thing came about- I knew George Barris for 13 years. The Batmobile was of course a big part of his life, and around the time of its sale I really started to fall in love with the idea of having a “Movie Car.” I’d always loved Harold and Maude and the little Jag hearse from that film, and I was in a position to take on a new project, so we got started with my friend Don Kessler.
We started by scouring the United States for what we assumed must have already existed, we wrote letters to Jaguar clubs, looking for somebody who may have made one already. Couldn’t find anybody though, so Don and I said stupidly, “Why don’t we build our own?” That’s what got it started.
In the movie, Harold builds his in about two days. Well, it took us four years, and more money than I even want to admit to.
Roberts now takes his morbid Jag to car shows. Not everyone has seen the film, so the car sports the license plate: "HAR+MOD."
Thanks, Greg Wright!
