Here at Restomods, we’re fans of the bespoke cars of the 1950s known as kustoms. Beautiful, unique, imaginative cars that represent the best combination of designers and cars that the 1940s, 50s, and 60s had to offer. We’ve talked about hot rods before, but it’s about time we discussed the works of George Barris, Bill Cushenberry, the Alexander Brothers, and more, and give them the respect they deserve. In this list, we’ve compiled 10 of the coolest Kustoms from their golden age. There’s far more cars we could get on this list, and if we’ve missed out one of your favorites, let us know!

The Monkeemobile

The Monkees are either, depending on your viewpoint, purveyors of classic pop music, or a boring manufactured boy band, a kind of bowl-cutted One Direction. Regardless of your views on their music, we can all agree that the Monkeemobile, the car featured in their eponymous TV series, is a work of art. Based on a Pontiac GTO, the car’s designer, Dean Jeffries, carved it into a unique kustom.

The original car featured a 6-71 blower, solid rear axle, and had a heavy rear end. Why? Well, Jeffries reasoned that sometimes you’ve gotta be able to pop a wheelie. The blower was later removed due to the overwhelming difficulty of controlling the car, replaced with a dummy unit.

The kustom was a strikingly strange looking car, as though a courtroom artist had to sketch the distorted lovechild of a GTO and a Ford Model T. That’s no bad thing, the car’s certainly cool, featuring a front and rear that were both stretched out by more than a foot, and a massive canvas roof. The trunk had been hollowed and replaced with a bench seat, giving the car a total capacity of 7, making it, effectively, a far cooler MPV. The rear taillights were exaggerated, the windshield cut and tilted, and the front wheel wells lengthened for the car’s trumpet exhaust. Adding to the drag strip aesthetic, there’s also a rear-mounted parachute. A bizarre and awesome bit of 60s auto culture, the Monkeemobile is a testament to Dean Jeffries’ skill as a designer.