Perhaps you’ve heard of the Mohs Safarikar. Perhaps, well, probably not, given only three ever made it to the streets. Let alone the safari-lands. Yet, if you ever saw the behemoth, it would be impossible to forget. This land yacht, built on a custom chassis of an International Harvester, came from the mind of Bruce Mohs, born on October 29, 1932 in Madison, Wisconsin. It was not the only unique car he built!
An inventor, entrepreneur, and auto enthusiast, Mohs’ creative spirit was matched only by his eccentric personality. Known for building some of the most unusual vehicles in automotive history, Mohs left a legacy as a trailblazing, unconventional thinker who dared to push the limits of what cars could be.
Early Life and Career of Bruce Mohs
Mohs grew up in Madison, the son of Carl and Doris (Baldwin) Mohs. He pursued higher education at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and later served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War, stationed in Newfoundland. After returning home, he married Jeannette Hight in 1963. The couple spent 51 adventurous years together, during which Bruce’s imaginative mind fueled a lifetime of unexpected projects.
A prolific traveler, he explored over 100 countries, accumulating knowledge and inspiration from around the world. His ventures were as diverse as they were ambitious—ranging from battleship construction to seaplane manufacturing and, most memorably, to building some of the most remarkable cars of the 20th century.
The Ostentatienne Opera Sedan (1967)
In 1967, Bruce Mohs unveiled the Ostentatienne Opera Sedan, a vehicle that embodied his flair for extravagance and innovation. Built on a custom chassis supplied by International Harvester, the Opera Sedan weighed a massive 5,740 pounds (2,600 kg) and featured a unique 119-inch (3.02 m) wheelbase. Designed with passenger safety in mind, the car had solid steel side rails instead of conventional doors, forcing entry through the rear—a truly unconventional choice.
The Opera Sedan wasn’t just a car; it was a mobile statement piece. It could be tailored to the whims of its buyer, with custom options that included Ming-style oriental rugs, refrigerators, and sealed beam taillights. Even the tires were a spectacle—filled with nitrogen and measuring 7.50 x 20 inches. The Opera Sedan was powered by an International Harvester truck engine, further emphasizing its massive and rugged nature.
Despite its ambitious design and price tag—ranging from $19,600 to $25,600—the Ostentatienne never took off commercially. Only one was ever produced, solidifying its place as a rare automotive curiosity.
Mohs Opera Sedan Restoration
In 2009, after nearly two decades in storage, Bruce Mohs’ personal Ostentatienne Opera Sedan was brought back to life through a collaborative restoration effort. Two Wisconsin high schools—Freedom High School’s Automotive Program and Auto Club in Freedom, WI, and Shawano High School’s “Hot Rod High” in Shawano, WI—took on the challenge of restoring the massive vehicle. Under the coordination of Mohs’ close friend Fred Beyer, students and instructors spent 16 weeks and over 400 hours repairing rust, fabricating panels, and restoring the body and paint. The Freedom High School team, led by instructor Jay Abitz and associate Bob Abitz, focused on bodywork, while Shawano’s “Hot Rod High” students, alongside retired teacher Fred Beyer and Mike Carnahan, handled the disassembly, mechanical repairs, and reassembly. Generous contributions of materials came from PPG, 3M, and various mechanical parts suppliers.
The restored Opera Sedan made its public debut at the 2009 Iola Car Show in Wisconsin, where it garnered significant attention. It was later featured in the August 2009 issue of Hot Rod Magazine, the February 2010 issue of Kustoms and Hot Rods, and displayed at both schools’ annual car shows. The vehicle spent nearly a year on display at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford, WI, before joining the collection at Wayne Lensing’s Historic Auto Attractions Museum in Roscoe, Illinois, where it remains alongside the equally iconic SafariKar.
The SafariKar (1972)
Not one to be discouraged, Mohs introduced the SafariKar in 1972. Built once again on an International Harvester chassis, the SafariKar reflected Mohs’s penchant for combining practicality with the bizarre. Its aluminum body was upholstered entirely in Naugahyde vinyl over foam padding, making it one of the few cars ever to have a padded exterior.
The SafariKar’s most distinctive features included outward-opening doors that slid on four linear rods, designed to protect passengers during side impacts. The car also boasted a retractable hardtop system and a fold-down bed in the rear, ideal for camping or off-road adventures. True to Mohs’s style, it came loaded with optional amenities, including a television, a butane furnace, a two-way radio, and four-wheel drive.
Although it had the potential to appeal to adventurers, only three SafariKars were ever produced, all in 1972. Despite Mohs’s attempts to market the vehicle throughout the 1970s, no further production took place, making the SafariKar a rare and quirky footnote in automotive history.
Legacy
Bruce Mohs’s foray into car manufacturing was as eccentric and unconventional as the man himself. His two vehicles that remain enduring symbols of Mohs’s visionary mind and fearless approach to design. Mohs passed away on February 1, 2015, at the age of 82, leaving behind a legacy as a bold inventor, writer, and dreamer. He was a man who lived life on his own terms, defying convention at every turn—whether as a car builder, world traveler, or family man. Though only a few of his cars were ever built, they remain fascinating artifacts of automotive history, reflecting the mind of a creator who was always full of surprises.
