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From
the book Barris TV & Movie Cars by George Barris
and David Fetherston. You can order the book from
amazon.com and check out Barris'
other great creations.
"Mannix had three notable points of interest; it was one of the most violent shows of the sixties, it was the longest running***, and it featured a special George Barris custom Oldsmobile Toronado. " *** Editor's note: Although Mannix enjoyed eight season's on the air it was not the longest running show. "For the series, Barris was asked to create an adventurous, sophisticated automobile that would suit a man of action. After looking over a series of scripts, he decided that a convertible Oldsmobile Toronado would do the job. He presented his Mannix Roadster concept to producer Bruce Geller and series star Mike Connors, who both gave it their approval." "Barris transformed an Oldsmobile coupe into a roadster with a leather-covered tonneau cover installed over the rear seat area. This tonneau wrapped around the seats and formed a type of storage container for crime fighting and survival equipment. The interior also contained other amenities, including hidden gun compartments, radio-telephone, short-wave transceiver, and a tape recorder." "To create this Toronado Roadster, Barris fabricated a sub-framed X-member and installed it in the floor for strength. A sectional roll bar was also built which sat under the new tonneau cover. This new design followed much of what Oldsmobile had done with the Toronado’s production bodywork. However, Barris created a clean, new look for the front and rear end of the vehicle by using many custom touches." "The nose was redone with new fenders, grille and lights. The fenders were extended and remolded with chrome caps on the tip. A new grille opening was fabricated and extended to blend in with the fenders. The grille was installed with a mesh backing topped with a fine tube grille and custom oval Cibie head-lights. A special fiberglass hood was built with a pair of wind-splitter ridges that flowed back into the cowl." "At the rear, Barris’ design called for a spoiler that formed a recessed sequential taillight panel that used the stock bumper design. It was a neat custom trick. The trunk lid rolled down the bodywork and then rose up over the new spoiler – immediately falling away – much like a 1971 Pontiac Trans-Am. (Note: Barris designed the Mannix car in 1967). A set of side pipes was also installed and the roadster was painted platinum Star pearl metallic silver blue with black Star pearl on the lower quarter panels." "The convertible arrangement of Barris’ concept proved perfect for filming. Because camera work was easier with an open car, the design presented more opportunities to see the star in action. As a result, the car appeared in many episodes of this popular television series. Its popularity was apparent since model toy maker MPC later released a one-twenty-fifth scale model of the Barris creation."
Virtual
office ace Jax filed this report when she
This vehicle was designed and built by George Barris specifically for the series. It was fashioned from a "66 Oldsmobile Toronado. The roof was removed, an X beam welded under the floor for reinforcement, and a leather-covered tonneau top added to form a two-seater. The front and rear ends are entirely custom made, as well as the hood and deck, which are made of fiberglass. The rear signals are sequential. Exhaust pipes are side-mounted. The interior is mostly black-vinyl in a simulated exotic grain. Both seats feature an air-circulation system via brass-screened buttons. The console armrest has a gun compartment built in. Behind the console is a compartment holding a telephone and Muntz tape deck. The chrome- laden dash includes a shortwave radio. The Olds' powerplant is original - a 425 c.i.d "Rocket V8" engine generating 385 horsepower. Since the car has front-wheel drive, it uses a special split version of the Hydra-matic transmission. The lower portion of the car has been repainted in a metallic burgundy.
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