Losing a legend in any industry, whether in Hollywood, politics, or the sports world is never easy or pleasant but is always inevitable. They arrive on the scene, make their mark, and are then gone forever. However, the good news is that they leave behind a legacy of hard work and dedication to their craft.
That was how it was with legendary car customizer George Barris who died Nov. 5 at the age of 90.
Barris is survived by his daughter Joji Barris-Paster and her husband Barry, as well as his son Brett and grandson Jared. While his immediate family is still reeling from the loss of their loved one, George’s extended family of fans and car aficionados will miss him almost as much.
For the past 77 years, Barris, known the world over as the King of Kustomizers, designed custom-built cars for television shows and movies, auto shows, and private clients. Perhaps his most famous work was the Batmobile that he designed especially for the original 1960s Batman TV series. Barris also built the KITT car from the 1980s Knight Rider TV series and the Munster Coach from “The Munsters” TV series.
Edward Lozzi served as Barris’ publicist since 1981 and said Barris, who he considered a personal friend, was one of the most interesting and exciting people with whom he has ever worked.
“George Barris was our second client, retaining us in 1981, and it has been a thrill ride since,” Lozzi said. “Letting me drive The original ‘66 Batmobile on dates, power boating in his Miami Vice Scarabs he customized and docked at his Tudor estate on Big Bear Lake filled with celebrities.”
Barris’ career in car customization began when he was seven years old when he was making car models using balsa wood and then carefully adding details to improve the look. By the age of nine, Barris was winning model car design contests sponsored by local hobby shops.
Barris and his brother Sam began the work that would make them household names in 1938 after they received a 1925 Buick from their parents as a reward for their work in the family’s restaurant.
The two brothers fixed the inside and outside of the car and scrounged around their neighborhood and hobby shops for anything they could find to add special embellishments to the car. And when they couldn’t find suitable items at the store, they weren’t above taking the knobs of their mother’s dresser.
Once the car was designed to their liking, they sold it, which inspired them to find new projects and created quite a demand for their work.
They eventually formed the Kustoms Car Club for owners of custom vehicles and in 1946, opened Barris’ Kustom Shop in Compton.
The brothers’ innovative designs and imaginative approach to car customization brought their work to the attention of high-profile celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, who requested custom-built cars of their own.
After Sam left the business in the late 1950s to move to Sacramento, George continued the business they started, which brought him even more attention from Hollywood, resulting in his creation of several iconic cars for film and television that garner fans worldwide to this day.
In 2013, Barris was inducted into the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Hall of Fame. SEMA is a trade association that consists of a diverse group of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, publishing companies, auto restorers, street-rod builders, restylers, car clubs, and race teams.
According to their website, the SEMA Hall of Fame Award was established to honor outstanding persons in the automotive specialty industry whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness, and accomplishments, on a national basis, have enhanced the stature of, and significantly contributed to, the industry’s growth.
In September, George’s son Brett and award-winning photographer Douglas Nason published “King of the Kustomizers: The Art of George Barris,” a 500-page volume filled with never-before-seen photos and design illustrations showcasing Barris’ creations and how those creations redefined the automobile’s place in American culture.
