George Barris - The Passing Of Motor Culture Icon And The Signs Of The Times

Photograph of Barris Kustom City museum and garage on Riverside Drive just East of Lankershim Boulevard the day after the passing - November 5, 2015, just fifteen days away from his 90th birthday, of movie motor culture standout, George Barris. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2015)

George Barris - The Passing Of Motor Culture Icon And The Signs Of The Times

Two movie displays on the same advertising billboard that presents itself in the airspace over the garage and museum of George Barris impart different, but cohesive coincidental messages on two eventful occasions that involved this unique location.

FIRST - The passing of George Barris:

Billboard over Barris Garage the day after it was announced that he had passed away [displayed above]. The billboard was advertising The Peanuts Movie, other than the date, imparts the message "Dream Big" - that was exactly how George Barris lived his motor culture based artful life.

This excerpted and edited from Barris Kustom Ind. -

George Barris is known throughout the world as the 'original' King of Kustomizers. His creations are legendary in the world of television and motion pictures including the likes of the original television series Batmobile, Munster Koach, Beverly Hillbillies, KITT from Nightrider and more! His personal Star Collection includes the General Lee, Starsky & Hutch, Torino Green Hornet and Monkee Mobile.
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The movie studios had taken note of Barris Kustoms on the streets and at races and came to George for cars for their films. One of the first films Barris made cars for was called "High School Confidential". The success of the initial movie car venture motivated George to seek business in Hollywood. This included customizing the personal cars of the stars as well. As the past forty plus years have shown, this association with the studios and stars has been long and fascinating.
[Reference Here]

Billboard over Barris Garage the first day of the Barris Garage auction - August 17, 18, 19, 2018. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

Second - The Barris Garage three day Estate sale managed by Again L.A.

This is most interesting because it was well known that George Barris was a person who was of short physical stature - maybe 5' 6" at best, so this billboard seemed rather poignant given the fact folks were lining up to purchase George Barris memorabilia and creations. The billboard reads "Get Shorty" - just can not make this up.

Here is a cool shot of George Barris, flanked by a couple of exceedingly creepy looking fellas, unveiling his line of custom bikes [as seen] in a 1970 trade rag. Image Credit: Johnny Tillotson via OldMiniBikes.com (2017)

This excerpted and edited from Auto Classics - 

George Barris: possibly the most remarkable garage sale ever!
By Evan Klein - Aug 22 2018

A sale of memorabilia from the late legendary Hollywood customizer George Barris was never going to be ordinary – but who knew it would be this crazy...

Barris Kustoms just had the greatest garage sale on earth. Not an auction but a tag sale, first come, first served. First day, full price, second day 20% off, third day 50% off.

It took George's daughter Joji Barris and her son Jared a year and a half to prepare for this sale at the Barris Kustoms HQ in Los Angeles. George never threw anything away, right up until his passing in 2015. Everything here relates to George’s career and his cars, so many famous from TV and movies.

Car magazines from the 1950s on up. Gossip magazines, Playboys, every Bo Derek magazine imaginable; he would study all his clients so he could design something just for them. If a magazine mentioned George he had it.

The far wall is filled with actual 8x10 publicity photos, the Munster Machine, the Sex Machine, The Pink Panther, Batman and Robin sitting on the Batcycle. Everywhere you look is filled with popular culture that we grew up with. You don’t realize how much of an influence George was until you see it all in one room.

Crafted from a 1955 Lincoln Futura prototype purchased from Ford for $1.00, the Batmobile became the most iconic of movie cars and set the template for a genre of custom car creativity. As of December 2017, exact replicas of the Lincoln Futura are being produced by Fiberglass Freaks, a company in Logansport, Indiana. Image Credit: Ken Freund (2018)

Dan Jordan from Again LA Estate Sales shows me some of George’s personal sketches, a dune buggy, a 1970s Muscle Machine and a Baby Doll. Who’d have thought George was designing dolls? George loved toys. All the toys reference something related to what George was working on. Signed items? We got 'em. There’s the Austin Powers Jaguar, signed by George, $50.
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George was a master, and his warmth and kindness showed through in all his designs. His Barris Kustoms shop was his home, always open to anyone that stopped by. Today was no different. Thanks for sharing George.
[Reference Here]

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Barris Kustom Ind., George Barris, Batmobile, Munster Koach, Beverly Hillbillies, KITT, Nightrider, General Lee, Starsky & Hutch, Torino Green Hornet, Monkee Mobile,  Lincoln Futura, The EDJE