This 1946 Ford ‘Greased Lightning’ Toured With Olivia Newton-John

One can’t think of the musical Grease without picturing the heavily modified 1946 Ford coupe that stars alongside John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. That Ford, which is a character in and of itself, features a quirky expression and equally absurd paint scheme, making it one of the most iconic vehicles in Hollywood history, and Ford Authority was able to see the famous car in person not too long ago.

Sitting pretty in the Petersen Automotive Museum’s “Hollywood Cars” exhibit, the striking red 1946 Ford “Grease Lightning” was built by legendary customizer George Barris, who was also responsible for the original Batmobile and Munster Coach. Barris was tapped to modify the 1964 Ford coupe for Grease in 1978. The unique machine features freestanding headlights, a plexiglass hood, and 30-inch fins jutting from the rear, lending it a shark-like appearance from its smiling maw to its aggressively styled rear end.

This particular example of Grease Lightning was not shown on screen. Rather, it was built as a prop for a stage production and promotional tour featuring Newton-John, who played Sandy Olsson in the film. While it never made the big screen, this 1946 Ford coupe was treated to the same lightning-strike livery as its twin, and enjoyed fame and recognition alongside Newton-John while it was on tour.

Speaking of Barris’ handiwork, one of the original Batmobiles, based on a 1966 Ford Galaxie, recently headed to auction, selling at this year’s Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. Barris was personally responsible for building that model, too, but unlike the 1946 Ford from Grease, that particular example was actually seen on-screen in the original live-action Batman series.

Another quirky Ford hot rod surfaced last year after having gone missing for over half a century. The Ford Model T, known as “Uncertain-T,” features a cartoonish build, and even outperformed Barris builds like Grease Lightning at shows across the U.S.