Look at this car: Zimmer Golden Spirit

posted on December 15, 2023

Take a break with these pretty pictures

Every few Fridays, we like to bring you moments of zen in the form of some of our favorite motorcars from around the Turo marketplace. Let’s keep the fun going. We like cars, you like cars, so let’s look at some cars.

Nostalgia can be a puzzling indulgence. You can see it in modern cars with retro touches like the PT Cruiser, Dodge Challenger, and Plymouth Prowler, but for some, those don’t go far enough. Enter the neoclassics: pseudo-vintage maximalism, luxuriously draped over a modern vehicle’s body. And here we have one of the best examples of the neoclassical approach — a 1983 Zimmer Golden Spirit.

The Golden Spirit was the flagship model of Zimmer Motor Cars and was produced from 1980 to 1988 in Pompano Beach, Florida. This zany contraption boasts a design full of frivolous opulence, but it hides a Ford Mustang V8 and chassis, meaning it’s fairly simple to drive and maintain. The wheelbase, however, has been stretched four feet to give the Golden Spirit the look of a 1930s limousine, or something that would be driven by a villainous cartoon billionaire.

For the 1980s Zimmer design department, more was more. A gold-plated bronze eagle hood ornament caps off a grille festooned with trumpet horns and spotlights, fender-mounted spare wheels sit next to teak-trimmed running boards, and behind the opera windows and half-vinyl roof, there’s a rear luggage rack and trunk that looks like it carries a third spare.

The exterior’s chrome and gold accents carry on to the interior, which has an intriguing hodgepodge of rad ‘80s features with genuinely luxurious touches. Walnut dash panels atop the Mustang gauges, Recaro racing seats, and hand-cut German crystal flower vases are just a few highlights from this eclectic combination. It’s two parts Great Gatsby, one part Marty McFly.

Mher’s Golden Spirit is one of just about 1,400 examples ever built. It’s a rare bird and a funky piece of automotive history, and possibly the most unique driving experience you can have.