Larry Grobe's 1954 Kaiser Manhattan - The VooDoo Sahara

The VooDoo Sahara by VooDoo Larry Kustoms. Built as a tribute to the Barris Kustoms built Golden Sahara, VooDoo Larry's VooDoo Sahara combined details from both versions of the original Golden Sahara. The build was started in November of 2014 and completed in August of 2016. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The VooDoo Sahara as it sat in November of 2014. Larry got the car as a parts car when he bought a Kaiser for his girlfriend Colette. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Bumper mounts made, and Larry is getting ready to lay out the sheet metal for the rear quarters up to the bumper ends. Once completed, the twin fins will be 8 inches long. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Camaro front clip welded on. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

January 21, 2015, the first side getting there. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The inner structure of the driver side fins were made using round rods. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Early February of 2015 Larry was making all the trunk rain channels and the inner trunk lid bracing. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

8 foot of fin taking shape. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

February 19, 2015 the double fins on the driver side were lined. In this photo Larry has mocked up the 1958 Mercury taillight in the fin. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Larry working on the rear seat and window surround. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

April 10 Larry started to frame out the front end, trying to figure out the right angle of the fender extensions. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The Kaiser ready for undercarriage welding in April of 2015. Photo courtesy of Lawrence W Grobe, from Pre 62 Radical Kustoms on Facebook.

Photo courtesy of Lawrence W Grobe, from Pre 62 Radical Kustoms on Facebook.

The back of the car was lowered with a 2 inch C-notch in the frame. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Larry working on the hood. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Larry pancaking the hood and fabricating the scoop. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

May 31, 2015. The front end is taking shape as Larry is almost done with the headlight surrounds. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Bullets mocked up in the front end. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The VooDoo Sahara as it sat June 9, 2015. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Larry working on framing out the passenger side fins. After calculating from old photos of the Golden Sahara, Larry found out that he had to add 3 inches to the top of the fins that he first made. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

1960 Chevrolet Corvair headlight bezels were mounted vertically on the car. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Mercury bucket seats installed. The seats were mounted on Monte Carlo swivels. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The VooDoo Sahara as it sat July 30, 2015. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The VooDoo Sahara amongst other shop projects. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Mid August of 2015 Larry chopped the windshield on the VooDoo Sahara. The top was chopped 3 inches. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The top structure on the VooDoo Sahara was made from round rods. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The top sheet metal tacked in place. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The roof from the Kaiser was used to make the 6 foot long fender skirts. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Larry fine tuning the skirts. He also built out the rear quarter panel for the flush fit skirt. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Larry working on the rear end bullets. The lower bullets are for the exhaust. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

September 15, 2015 Larry pushed the VooDoo Sahara outside to check out the profile. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The skirts on this version had been lengthened to 81 inches. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The grill bar was made from two 1959 Oldsmobile rear quarter trim pieces. A single chrome bullet was mounted in the center of the bar. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The removable T-tops hinged. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

A construction photo of the VooDoo Sahara taken in July of 2016. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The VooDoo Sahara made its debut at the 2016 KKOA Leadsled Spectacular in Salina, Kansas. Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

Photo courtesy of VooDoo Larry.

The VooDoo Sahara was shown at the 2020 Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. Photo courtesy of Charles LaGreca.

Photo courtesy of Charles LaGreca.

Photo courtesy of Charles LaGreca.

1954 Kaiser Manhattan owned and restyled by VooDoo Kings member Larry Grobe of VooDoo Larry Kustoms in Elk Grove, Illinois. Named the VooDoo Sahara, Larry’s Kaiser is a tribute to the Barris Kustoms restyled Golden Sahara. Early in the build, Larry decided that his creation would borrow styling elements from both versions of the Golden Sahara, but with a signature VooDoo twist.

Beginning the Build

In 2014, Larry bought a Kaiser for his then-girlfriend, Colette. The deal included a parts car, which he decided to use as the foundation for the VooDoo Sahara. Work began in November of 2014, with Larry and his apprentice, Brian Franse, putting in long nights and weekends at the shop.

The car was first stripped down and prepped for radical body modifications. Larry installed a Camaro front clip before moving on to the rear of the car, where bumper mounts were fabricated and sheet metal was shaped for new quarters. By early 2015, he had begun creating the car’s signature twin fins. Built on an inner framework of round rods, the fins eventually stretched eight feet long, extending eight inches past the bumper ends. A set of 1958 Mercury taillights was mocked up in the double fins, echoing the Golden Sahara’s futuristic styling.

Radical Custom Work

During January and February of 2015, Larry fabricated new trunk rain channels, inner trunk lid bracing, and a completely reshaped rear seat and window surround. The frame received a two-inch C-notch to drop the back of the car, giving it a lower, sleeker profile. The hood was pancaked, and Larry fabricated a custom scoop to flow with the car’s long, smooth lines.

By spring, the front end began to take shape. Larry extended the fenders forward, mocked up bullet details, and completed custom headlight surrounds. Vertical 1960 Chevrolet Corvair headlight bezels were mounted in the nose, tying into the radical front design. A custom grille bar, made from two 1959 Oldsmobile rear quarter trim pieces with a single chrome bullet in the center, completed the futuristic front view. Inside, Mercury bucket seats mounted on Monte Carlo swivels were installed to give the interior a modern, show-car feel.

Fins, Skirts, and Roof

The car’s massive rear quarter panels were expanded to fit handmade fender skirts measuring over six feet long. To achieve this, Larry cut up the roof of the donor Kaiser and reshaped it into the giant skirts, which he later fine-tuned to fit flush against the quarters. At one point, the skirts stretched to 81 inches in length, creating a dramatic side profile.

By mid-2015, Larry chopped the windshield three inches and fabricated a new roof structure out of round rod. The sheet metal top was tacked into place and featured removable T-tops. In September of 2015, the car was rolled outside for the first time with its new profile, showing the dramatic lengthened skirts, double fins, bullets in the rear (including lower bullets for the exhaust), and its futuristic roofline.

Final Stages

Through 2016, the project came together with finishing details. Larry hinged the removable T-tops, refined the panels, and prepared the car for its debut. By August, after nearly two years of intense evenings and weekends, the VooDoo Sahara was ready.

Debut and Show History

The VooDoo Sahara debuted at the 2016 KKOA Leadsled Spectacular in Salina, Kansas, where it immediately captured attention as one of VooDoo Larry’s most ambitious builds.

In 2020, the car was shown at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California, where it stood alongside some of the most celebrated customs in the country, further cementing its place in modern custom car history.