Motoring With ‘The Munsters:’ Where Is the Famous Munster Koach & Drag-U-La?
When Munster-mania swept the nation after the show’s debut in 1964, fans were obsessing over more than just the residents of 1313 Mockingbird Lane. Family cars Munster Koach and Drag-U-La became instant icons with a never-ending stream of model kits, die-cast toys, reproductions and an international car club all arising after the show’s two-season run.
Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster on the show, now carries The Munsters torch at conventions and car shows the world over, often showing up to appearances with his own Munster Koach. The actor enjoys giving fans an up-close experience with one of entertainment’s most treasured automobiles.
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“I could easily make a very good living doing nothing but traveling around the country and pulling the Munster Koach out,” laughs the veteran actor. “It draws that much attention. I could pull into an empty parking lot and unload the Koach and put up a tent. People would show up in no time.”
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About the Munster Koach
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The Munster Koach with its infamous “blood red” velvet interior was originally sketched by Tom Daniel and built at Barris Kustoms to the tune of around $20,000. The car is a whopping 18 feet long and is armed with a 289 cubic-inch Ford Cobra engine under three 1927 Model T Ford bodies. The car features three compartments for family members to sit in, rolled steel scrollwork, gas lanterns for headlights and a gold-plated gravestone radiator.
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Patrick, just 11 when the series launched, would scour each new episode script hoping to find the words “Munster Koach” on the page. “I loved it because it meant two things,” he recalls. “I got to ride around in the coolest car, up in that little coachman seat which was like a perch, and it meant that we would be shooting outside, which was always fun.”
There is an officially licensed Barris replica of both cars at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois. They told us the original Koach is at the Orlando Auto Museum (though that also appears to be a replica) and the Drag-u-La is in a private collection.
Vroom Vroom in the Drag-U-La
Everett Collection
The other Munster vehicle was Grandpa’s Drag-U-La, originally featured in the episode “Hot Rod Herman” and again in the post-series film Munster, Go Home!. The coffin body is rumored to have been procured by Barris associate Richard Korkes in a handshake deal with a funeral home director and is powered by a 360 Ford Mustang engine that all sits on a custom tube frame chassis. The grill is a marble gravestone, and the radiator is solid brass.
“The mid ’60s were a wonderful time for cars,” says Patrick, “and a wonderful time for television.”
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September 2020
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