I first met George Barris when I was 15 at a crummy little dim lighted show at Hara Arena, around 1999 or 2000, he had a booth set up with pictures of the batmobile, the general lee, and the monkeys mobile. He was signing autographs for $5.00. I had him sign a picture of the Monkeys mobile, that picture currently hangs in my living room. He was always very responsive to questions.
The Barris Brothers built some of the most iconic custom cars,George went on to make a huge impact on the general public with the cars he built for television. HRP
You have to respect someone who is "bigger than life" and Mr. Barris certainly filled that bill. The ultimate showman and promoter. R.I.P. George
R.I.P. George Barris The Nick Matranga Mercury The Bob Hirohata Mercury The 2 best customs of all time
Back in the '50's, I was a kid building model cars in the hills of eastern Kentucky and a major Barris fan. It was a dream come true when I heard the 1958 Autorama would make an appearance in nearby Huntington, West Virginia , the hometown of Bill Carr, the owner of the "Aztec" custom 1955 Chevy. Seeing the Aztec, Copper Kart, Jayne Mansfields's Continental Mark II and other Barris cars in person was a large thrill. Thanks for all the great cars and great memories, George!
He was one of my all time favorite car guys and I was sorry to see that he has passed away. I just read his bio on Wikipedia and it was really interesting. Here's a link to it in case anyone else wants to check it out. RIP Mr. Barris.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Barris_(auto_customizer)
I think "bondo Bob" Williams said it best : A salute to those craftsmen that were...A devil with a hammer and hell with a torch. RIP Kustom King!
Condolences to the Barris family. George Barris left behind a legacy of significant cars, but its possible that his efforts to promote the hobby / industry of custom car building to the general public may in fact be his most enduring legacy. And we are all the better for those efforts.
he's joining some of the others.....and man what build they will be adoing.....thanks GB for all you've done for the hobby....
R.I.P. George. Thanks for all the wild show cars over the years. Here's a rare photo of George driving one.
N I have never seen this pic, very cool Godspeed George, Al & Fred-All contributors to our Hot Rod & Kustom way of Life.
I had the pleasure and good fortune to meet Mr. Barris at a Kustoms of America show in Pigeon Forge in 1995. Jack Hughes, a great friend from Ohio and Chaplain for the KOA (Kustoms of America) introduced me to him. We talked for several hours!! He would sign an autograph and turn back my way and we would pick up where we left off. I asked him all kinds of questions; The Batmobile, His Brother Sam, famous movie stars cars, etc, and he would go into great detail about each subject. He made you feel like you had been his friend all your life! He had the best memory; details about each car built, even the cost. He was a short guy, maybe five feet at the most, but you could tell he had charisma. First Class guy! He signed several of his books I had taken to the show, gave me his business card and invited me to his home in California. He will be missed. A Legend!!
I spoke with him at a couple of shows around the U.S. and Ibought the first edition of the Mad Fabricators Society DVD signed by George and future greats Bob Merkt Senior and Junior (Bobbleed). He was quite the promoter and for that I'm grateful as he was a leader that accelerated the acceptance of customized cars.
The Jalopy Journal
