George Barris; Hollywood Auto Customizer

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Greetings ~

I've known George Barris since the 1960s. Well, not personally, but that's when I built my first George Barris scale model kit. And ever since I have continued to build them. I'm 72 now and have been building scale models since the middle 1950s.

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Hello! I'm Mr. Ed

Blog Created: 10-31-2023

Last Updated: 11-3-2023

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I have always enjoyed the movie and TV cars and trucks and George Barris created most of them back in the 1960s and beyond. The Munster Couch, Dragu-la, the Monkee Mobile, the Beverly Hillbillies truck, the original Batmobile, the Green Hornet's Black Beauty, cars for Starsky & Hutch plus the Dukes of Hazzard, Elvira's Thunderbird, cars for movies such as the Flintstones and James Bond 007, the list goes on and on. And I mean, on and on. One can only imagine what Hollywood would have done had there been no George Barris. When the film industry needed a car or truck for an upcoming movie production, they simply turned to George Barris. And he ALWAYS delivered.

No auto design idea seemed to be too far-fetched. Whatever the studios asked for, Barris brought it to life. He also designed and built vehicles for celebrities private use. And it didn't stop there. He also built golf carts. Two of the more famous ones went to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. When John Wayne wanted the roof raised in his Pontiac Station Wagon so he could get in with his cowboy hat on, George raised the roof. When Elvis Presley wanted a car that was far-out, he turned to George Barris. George knew all the celebrities and entertainers. And he knew all of the wealthy. During the 1950s, '60's and '70s, it was hard to find a resident in Beverly Hills that didn't own a Barris original vehicle. Or, at least, had owned one at some point in their lives.

So, yes, I have built my fare share of George Barris design scale models. It seemed as if every modeling company had his cars in kit form. Later on they released the die-cast metal versions. And I collected them as well.

Sadly, George Barris is gone now, but his thousands of creations still grace car shows and museums all over. And to see one of his designs, all one has to do is turn on the TV set and dial into any "oldies" channel and watch a show. Chances are, you'll be seeing one of his cars, even if you don't know it.

Rest in peace, George. And thanks so much for all your great ideas and designs and all the great cars, trucks, motorcycles and more.

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George Barris (born George Salapatas; November 20, 1925 – November 5, 2015) was an American designer and builder of Hollywood custom cars. Barris designed and built the Hirohata Merc. Barris's company, Barris Kustom Industries, designed and built the Munster Koach and DRAG-U-LA for The Munsters; and the 1966 Batmobile for the Batman TV series and film.

Born in Chicago on November 20, 1925, Barris and his brother Sam moved to California to live with relatives. By his high school graduation, Barris had customized and sold multiple cars. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of eighteen to build custom cars for private buyers, including the Hirohata Merc in 1951. In the 1950s, Barris's business became Barris Kustom Industries. Barris's company designed and built vehicles for multiple television series in the 1960s, including Batman, The Munsters, and The Beverly Hillbillies. Barris's company designed and built custom cars for celebrities and private individuals. His company also built replicas of cars.

Barris died in Encino, Los Angeles on November 5, 2015.

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Early history ~

George and his brother Sam (1924–1967) were born in Chicago in the 1920s. Their father was a Greek immigrant from Chios. Their mother died a few years after the brothers were born. When Barris was three years old, Barris's father sent the brothers to live with an uncle and his wife in Roseville, California.

By the age of seven, Barris was building and modifying model cars made of balsa wood. His model cars won contests sponsored by hobby shops for careful attention to detail.

The brothers worked at the Greek restaurant owned by their family and were given a dilapidated 1925 Buick for their help. They swiftly restored it to running condition and experimented with changing its appearance. This became the first Barris Brothers custom car. They sold it at a profit to buy another project vehicle. Before George graduated from high school, demand for their work was growing, and they had created a club for owners of custom vehicles, called the Kustoms Car Club. This was the first use of the spelling "Kustom", which would become associated with Barris.

George's photo from the 1944 San Juan High School yearbook.

Barris attended San Juan High School and "rushed to sweep floors at a local auto body shop as soon as school let out". Barris resisted his family's desire for him to work at its Greek restaurant in a Sacramento suburb. He moved to Los Angeles after turning 18 years old to "become part of the emerging teen car culture" and opened the "Barris Custom Shop" on Imperial Highway in Bell, California.

George and Sam Barris built their "kustom" designs for private buyers. George also built and raced his own cars briefly. Soon, Hollywood studio executives and stars wanted the custom cars for personal use and as film props. Robert E. Petersen publicized the Barris cars through car shows and by publishing George's how-to articles in Hot Rod and Motor Trend magazines.

Custom cars and early popularity ~

In 1951, the Barris Brothers designed and built the Hirohata Merc as a customer order based on Sam Barris's own custom car. The Hirohata Merc was shown at the 1952 General Motors Motorama auto show and was so popular, it overshadowed the best work of Detroit's top designers. It also established the early 1950s Mercury as a popular basis for custom car design. In addition, Sam built Ala Kart, a 1929 Ford Model A roadster pickup. After taking two AMBR (America's Most Beautiful Roadster) wins in a row, the car made numerous film and television appearances, usually in the background of diner scenes.

1951 Hirohata Merc.

Sam left the business in the 1950s. George continued in the business with his wife Shirley, and the business became Barris Kustom Industries. The company licensed its designs to model car manufacturers such as Aurora, Revell, MPC, and AMT, which spread the Barris name into the model builder community.

In the early 1960s, Barris, along with other well-known customizers (Gene Winfield, Dean Jeffries and the Alexander Brothers) reworked production cars for Ford's "Custom Car Caravan" and "Lincoln/Mercury's Caravan of Stars". The traveling exhibits were designed to appeal to younger car buyers.

Barris also used the body of Pulsator (designed by Nye Frank) on his snowmobile dragster show car Ice Kutter.

Barris is the subject of the title story in writer Tom Wolfe's first collection of essays The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.

Auto customizing for television, films and celebrities According to Barris, some of his first film work was making soft aluminum fenders for a police car that crashes into the rear of a Mercedes Benz convertible in North by Northwest. The idea was to give the collision a comedic quality while also preventing serious damage to the expensive Mercedes. He also built and supplied cars for the 1958 film High School Confidential and loaned some of his customs for the "future" scenes in the 1960 film adaptation of H. G. Wells's The Time Machine. Other Barris-built film cars included a modified Dodge Charger for Thunder Alley, a Plymouth Barracuda for Fireball 500, the futuristic Supervan for a film of the same name, a gadget-filled Mercury station wagon for The Silencers, and a sinister rework of a Lincoln Continental Mark III for The Car.

Barris' creation of a Lincoln Continental Mark III for the film, The Car.

In the 1960s, the Barris firm became heavily involved in vehicle design for a television production. At the beginning of the decade, Barris purchased the Lincoln Futura, an extravagantly designed concept car. It remained in his collection for several years, until he was unexpectedly asked by ABC Television to create a signature vehicle for their Batman television series. As filming would begin in a few weeks, there was not enough time to create a new design from scratch. Instead, Barris used the Futura as the base for the Batmobile. Barris hired Bill Cushenbery to modify the car, which was ready in three weeks. The show's popularity added to Barris's fame. Barris owned the Batmobile until he sold it at a 2013 auction.

The Lincoln Futura prototype of the 1950s was a futuristic version built by Ford. Barris would later re-design the car as the original Batmobile.

Barris' Batmobile as it appeared in the television show, Batman.

Other television cars built by Barris Kustom Industries include the Munster Koach and the DRAG-U-LA for The Munsters, an Oldsmobile Toronado turned into a roadster used in the first season of Mannix, a 1921 Oldsmobile touring car turned into a truck for The Beverly Hillbillies, the fictional "1928 Porter" for the NBC comedy My Mother the Car, updated KITTs for later seasons of Knight Rider, and replicas of 1914 Stutz Bearcats for Bearcats!.

Barris created a customized gold Rolls-Royce for actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. The golden Rolls-Royce displayed the detailed work of Barris and included hand-etched window glass by Robb Rich showing butterflies, roses, and hummingbirds.

Gabor's Rolls Royce.

Barris built many novelty vehicles for other celebrities. These include golf carts for Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Ann-Margret, Glen Campbell, and Elton John; and 25 modified Mini Mokes for a record company contest involving the Beach Boys. Barris also modified cars for Hollywood stars. Some examples include a Cadillac limousine for Elvis Presley, custom Pontiac station wagons for John Wayne, a Cadillac Eldorado turned into a station wagon for Dean Martin, and a pair of "his & hers" 1966 Ford Mustang convertibles for Sonny and Cher. With the cooperation of American Motors, in 1969 he modified an AMX coupe into the AMX-400 show car, later used in a 1972 episode of Banacek.

In the 1990s, NASA contacted Barris to request the designs of the Moonscope vehicle, a 1966 design that was a popular plastic car model for collectors. NASA engineers designing Martian rovers and vehicles were interested in the Moonscope's 6-wheel spider suspension and large wedged tires. Edward Lozzi, spokesperson for George Barris, stated, "NASA contacted my office and requested the original designs of the Moonscope from Barris. They revealed they were interested in studying the Barris designs for the Martian vehicles. Barris gave them permission and NASA sent people to meet with him".

Between 2002 and 2006, Barris also designed two custom Cadillac hearses for episodes of the cable television series Monster Garage. Barris' company often builds replicas of non-Barris designed vehicles from other TV series, including The Monkees Monkeemobile, Starsky & Hutch (Ford Torino), Power Rangers (Turbo Vehicles) and Knight Rider KITT. Barris also designed and built the "Wagon Queen Family Truckster", based on a 1979 Ford Country Squire station wagon, for the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation.

Griswold Wagon Queen Family Truckster - Vacation Movie.

Later career ~

In 2005 The New York Times had Barris customize a Toyota Prius, which they called one of the most popular yet least attractive cars in the U.S. The budget was $10,000, and a further condition was not to chop the body or interfere with the hybrid mechanics in any way.

Barris' Prius.

In April 2010, the special George Barris design edition of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Spirit was introduced to the public for the first time at a VIP media event at Community Chevrolet, one of the largest Chevrolet dealerships in the United States.

On November 29, 2012, Barris Kustom and George Barris announced the sale of the Number 1 Batmobile at the Barrett-Jackson car show and auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona. The world-famous vehicle went on the auction block, on January 19, 2013. The final sale price, after a very intense bidding war, was $4.6 million to car collector Rick Champagne from Arizona.

Back to the Future controversy ~

Over a decade after the release of Back to the Future Part III, Barris restored one of the DeLorean time machine stunt cars. Barris later purchased a stock DeLorean and converted it into a replica of the Back to the Future DeLorean, which he used to promote himself and his company. While Barris never officially stated that he had anything to do with the Back to the Future films, he would state that he had built a Back to the Future DeLorean without disclosing that it was a replica car.

In 2007, Universal Studios officials sent Barris a cease and desist order demanding that he never again make "misrepresentations regarding any involvement with the Back to the Future films". The order called upon Barris to remove images of the flying DeLorean from his company's website and to restrict displaying any replicas of cars from the films. Back to the Future writer/producer Bob Gale said, "George Barris had absolutely nothing to do with the design or construction of the DeLorean time travel vehicle."

Personal life and death ~

Barris was married to Shirley Nahas from 1958 until she died in 2001. They had two children. Barris died on November 5, 2015, in his sleep at his home in Encino, Los Angeles, California, fifteen days away from his 90th birthday.

Filmography ~

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George's photo from the 1944 San Juan High School yearbook.

George Barris, just 22 years old leaning on his ’41 Buick.

An early shot of Barris with his family.

George Barris, King of the Kustomizers, at the 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

George at his Kustom Shop.

George and Shirley Barris with the restored version of Fred Rowe's 1951 Mercury at the Grand National Roadster Show. George first had his hands on Fred's Mercury around 1952/1953. Photo courtesy of Bill Layman.

George Barris with Mike 'Blackie' Gejeian at the 64th Grand National Roadster Show in Los Angeles, Jan 25, 2013.

After George had finished his new Custom he wanted to show it to his old Sacramento friends. Left to right Willis Schraeder, Jack Odberg, George Barris, Buddy Ohanesian, Bruce Glenn, Norm Milne and Mel Falconer. The friends were pretty impressed with George’s new Custom ride. The photo was taken in late 1947.

George Barris sitting in his Buick at Stan’s Drive In Restaurant on 16th and K Street in Sacramento in late November, early December 1947. (The heavily scratched scanned original photo has been digitally restored).

Rear of George’s Buick. On the far left we can see the ’37 Ford that was in the works by Harry Westergard at the time.

The long shadows in the photo indicate these were taken late in the afternoon. The ’37 Harry Westergard Ford in the background.

George Barris' 1936 Ford Coupe. This was George's first real custom. He bought the car from money he had earned while doing some odd jobs for Harry Westergard. George worked at the car between the staggering amount of school work, and working with Westergard. The build was completed in 1941.

George Barris' 1936 Ford Convertible. George traded the '36 coupe for the convertible in 1941. It was an ongoing project, and much of the work was done while he was working at the Brown Brothers in Sacramento. When George moved to Los Angeles in 1941, he brought the convertible along.

A photo of George in his 1936 Ford convertible. George sent this photo to his brother Sam, which served in the Navy during WWII. As you can see, he's all dressed up. The writing on the back of the photo says; "Here is that rascal of a brother of yours. But God bless him for he is all right." Photo courtesy of George Barris, from The Brad Masterson Photo Collection.

A photo of Sam and George from a Hop Up Magazine May 1953 story by Spencer Murray. Photo courtesy of Hop Up Magazine.

George Barris the customizer, trendsetter, and innovator. When Bob Behme of Car Craft Magazine asked George about his predictions for 1962, George told Bob that 1962 customs, whether made from new or old cars, would tend to be asymmetrical, built with styling embodying off-set design. "Asymmetrical styling has been exhibited in the past, but such designs have been rare," George told Behme. "Asymmetrical styling will be the big design news in 1962. You will see floating headlights and off-set scoops coupled with the concept of off-balance, radical styling." This photo shows George behind his desk. Several of the concepts on the wall behind George features asymmetrical styling. Photo from The Brad Masterson Collection.

George Barris' track roadster outside the 7674 Compton Avenue shop circa 1948. George built the channeled roadster, that sported one of his first flame paint jobs, in 1948. Lanky Oran Breeland can be seen on the right. Oran worked for Sam and George, and George lived with him and his folks at the time. Photo by Dick Bertolucci, from the book Barris Kustom Techniques of the 50's Volume 4.

Another photo of George's roadster taken outside the 7674 Compton Avenue shop. Photo by Dick Bertolucci, from the book King of the Kustomizers: The Art of George Barris.

George (with goggles) working on a clients 1946-48 Mercury coupe at his Bell, Ca shop.

George and his wife Shirley with the Hirohata Merc.

Shirley with the Hirohata Merc.

Trophies were no strangers to George Barris. He collected many of them.

Sam and George in their shop.

Everyone stopped by to see what the latest projects were.

Clipboard on the wall of the Barris shop.

Trophies for the Barris works piled up quickly.

Working on an old Cadillac.

George took many photographs of his work.

George's line of cars at his Bell, Ca shop.

George with one of his creations.

Sam Barris working on a Mercury.

Car shows highlighting George's work were also piling up.

Sam Barris with his 1949 Mercury in 1951.

Sam Barris.

George's wife, Shirley Barris.

The Hirohata Merc ~

A spectacular privately commissioned project, the Merc bit stands for Mercury Club Coupe (it’s definitely not a Mercedes). Chopped top, hand-formed body panels and unique light treatment, it’s one of Barris’s most celebrated customs.

May 17, 2017 ~

George Barris' daughter Joji and grandson Jared made the trip to Washington DC to witness history in the making with the iconic Barris Kustom Hirohata Merc on display at the National Mall.

The engineering documentation of this classic kustom is being archived in the Library of Congress.

Thank you to the Historic Vehicle Association Team! #CarsAtTheCapital.

Bob Hirohata's 1951 Mercury Club Coupe (1952) - Known as the Hirohata Merc, the car is often referred to as the most famous custom of the classic era. The first chopped 1951 Mercury, and the first hard-topped 1949 - 1951 Mercury. Unlike other custom cars of its time, the Hirohata Merc was not painted in a dark metallic lacquer. George Barris painted it right at the beginning of 1952 in a two-tone Sea Foam Green with Organic Green below the trim spears. Add curved hardtop windows similar to Nick Matranga's 1940 Mercury Coupe, and you have a winning combination.

Bob Hirohata's '51 Merc built at Barris Kustoms.

George Barris' Ala Cart ~

1956 Continental Mark II ~

The Golden Sahara ~

George Barris' 1953 Lincoln Capri. The car was mildly restyled, before George wrecked it in a traffic accident, while flat-towing Dan Landon's 1949 Chevrolet. The remains of the car were built into the Golden Sahara for Jim Skonzakes of Dayton, Ohio.

Golden Serea: On the way back home from a show the motor blew on Dan Landon’s 1949 Chevrolet, so they decided to flat tow the car behind George’s Lincoln. It got foggy, and out of nowhere appeared a flat bed truck. George’s Lincoln went under the truck. This photo was taken at the crash site. Notice the fog. This wreaked car would become the Golden Serea . Photo by George Barris.

Jim Skonzakes' 1953 Lincoln Capri - The Golden Sahara (1954) - The end of an era. The Golden Sahara was the first full show car to be built at Barris Kustoms, and it marked a new direction for the little shop and the scene in general. The first incarnation of this famous show car featured a lift-off transparent roof with hinged panels above each door. A tinted T-bar kept it from becoming a full bubble top. The Golden Sahara made its debut at the 1954 Petersen Motorama in Los Angeles, and it appeared on the cover of the May 1955 issue of Motor Trend as "The $25,000 car." Motor Trend showed photos of the car to a group of people, and about half of them guessed that it was built by a Detroit manufacturer.

George Barris built Golden Sahara before restoration.

1955 Chevrolet Aztec ~

1941 Buick Convertible ~

George Barris' 1941 Buick Convertible. Completed late in 1947, this was the car that established George as a builder. It was shown at the first Hot Rod Exposition in January of 1948, where it won top honors. Winning that show put Barris Kustoms on the map, and they consequently moved their operation to larger premises at 7674 Compton Avenue.

1950 Leo Lyons Custom Mercury ~

1955 Chevrolet truck, the Kopper Kart ~

George Barris' 1955 Chevrolet truck, the Kopper Kart, was built as a promotion vehicle for Barris Kustoms of Lynwood, California. The build was completed in 1957.

Calico Surfer ~

The Cargoyle ~

1998 Mercury Cougar Woodie 2050 by Barris Kustoms ~

Snake Pit ~

XPAK 400 (1959) ~

The XPAK 400 (1959) - Off to Space! In 1959 Barris Kustoms debuted the futuristic XPAK 400. According to George Barris, space-styled customs were the latest rage of the year. Supposedly translated from Martian, the name meant air car, and that’s what it was. It had no wheels. No transmission. No rear end and it moved on a five-inch cushion of air. It was driveable on both land and water. In addition to huge fins and a groundbreaking sparkling Metalflake paint job, the XPAK 400 did also feature a plastic bubble top that had been vacuum formed over a male mold. A soft introduction and a hint about what the future held.

1970 World’s Fair Osaka Rickshaw Taxi ~

George Barris created the 1970 World’s Fair Osaka Rickshaw Taxi for M.P.C. Model Company. The steering tiller is a Simitar sword that operates the power assist unit for steering.

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More Misc. Cars From the Barris Corral Over the Years ~

This is one of George Barris's early custom cars - done in 1952. This custom started out life as a 1947 Hudson Super-6 Convertible. It was chopped, channeled and sectioned, it has a removable hard top, 1952 Hudson Hornet 7X engine, GM 4 speed hydramatic transmission, and a 1950 Oldsmobile 336 rearend. Mr. Barris or "King of the Kustomizers" is the creator of cars such as the Batmobile (Batman the TV series), The Munster Koach (The Musters TV series), The Beverly Hillbillies truck to name just a few.

George’s ’36 Ford Cabriolet photographed in 1943 in Sacramento. George built it while working part time with Harry Westergard, who created the car parked behind George’s Ford for Gene Garrett. Not long after this photo was taken George moved to Los Angeles.

After moving to Los Angeles, George worked for Jones' Body, Fender & Paint Shop. At Jones' he worked his way up becoming a foreman at the shop.

John Vara's 1941 Ford Convertible was restyled by Barris Kustoms in 1948. George did most of the work on John's convertible.

George Barris' 1952 Lincoln convertible. The car was show in Trend Book 109 Custom Cars 1954 Annual, running 1952 Texas license plates.

George taking photos of Lyle Lake'1952 Buick Riviera. Restyled by George and his crew at Barris Kustoms, Lyle's Buick was called The Blue Danube because of the various shades of blue used on the car. The main body color of the car was pearlescent blue. The top was sky-blue metallic, and the bottom section was painted in an ocean-blue mist. It was pinstriped in white and copper by Dean Jeffries. Photo from The Ron Dragoo Photo Collection.

George Barris' 1963 Buick Riviera of Encino, California. George, who owned and operated Barris Kustom City in North Hollywood, California, designed the car himself. Known as "The Villa Riviera Buick," the build was completed in 1963. In 1964 a white iteration of the car appeared in the popular Surf-movie "For Those Who Think Young".

1958 Corvette.

1964 Corvette.

George's rendition of a mail truck.

A promo vehicle for the Vox amplifier and guitar company, the Voxmobile doubles as a giant amplifier, and carries an on-board electric organ.

Barris' Reddmon Challenger.

Barris Prius.

Barris Camaro.

Barris Gold Camaro.

The Barrister. Several of these cars were built. Some for celebrities.

Barris Toronado limousine.

George Barris' 1927 Ford.

George Barris in front of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Spirit.

George Barris' Love Machine.

George Barris Mustang.

Lokey's T.

Sacramento Autorama.

Sacramento Autorama.

Sidewinder.

The Barrister - C3 Corvette.

Turbo Sonic at the Dead Mans Curve Wild Hot Rod Weekend V.

Zebra Mustang.

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TV and Movie Cars ~

The Batmobile ~

The original Batmobile began as the 1955 Lincoln Futura. It was a prototype vehicle built by the Ford Motor Co. and sold to George Barris after Ford's promotions.

The 1955 Lincoln Futura was one of the MOST photographed of all the '50s concept cars.

Movie Promotion with Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford with the Futura.

With George Barris at the helm, the Lincoln Futura would become the Batmobile.

Batmobile. Special presentation of cars used in movies and television, New York.

GEORGE BARRIS AND THE 1966 BATMOBILE HE CREATED FROM A LINCOLN FUTURA SHOW CAR.

Beverly Hillbillies Truck ~

Granny's hot rod.

Jethro pulls up in his hot rod in an episode that aired on December 11, 1968.

The Munsters Koach and the Drag-u-la ~

George Barris poses with the Munster's Koach.

The car was built using three Model T Fords.

Munster Koach, taken at Huntington Beach Art Center.

Another car that Barris built for the show was Grandpa Munster's Drag-U-La. Made with a real casket.

George poses with cast members and the Munster Koach on delivery.

George poses with Herman Munster on the delivery of the Drag-u-la.

George showing Butch Patrick, (Eddie Munster) the gadgets on the Drag-U-La.

George going over the options of the Drag-U-La with Al Lewis, (Grandpa Munster).

Thanks to George Barris, the Munsters had a couple of the wildest rides on television. They were a two-car family.

Dragnet ~

FROM TV’s 'DRAGNET' TOM POLLARD’S 29 ROADSTER.

The Green Hornet ~

Another Dean Jeffries creation, the Chrysler Imperial from the original TV show starring Bruce Lee boasted a feast of Q-branch-style gadgetry by Barris and his team, including concealed guns, headlamp flaps, an electric trap door – and rocket launchers.