George Barris, the custom car designer behind the 1966 Batmobile and several other famous Hollywood vehicles, died Thursday. He was 89.
His son Brett Barris wrote on Facebook that his father passed away in his sleep and has "moved to the bigger garage in the sky." Born in Chicago in 1925 and raised in Northern California, Barris made his first custom car from a 1925 Buick, The Hollywood Reporter says. After World War II, he moved to Los Angeles with his brother Sam, opening Barris Kustom Industries. Soon, his cars became famous around town, and he was asked to make custom creations for the Alfred Hitchcock classic North by Northwest, 1958's High School Confidential, and 1960's The Time Machine.
In 1966, he was approached by ABC to make the Batmobile for the new series, Batman. Barris used a Lincoln Futura that he'd stored for a decade as the base of the car, and had a final product ready to go in 15 days for a cost of $15,000. He kept that Batmobile, finally selling it for $4.6 million at auction in 2013. He also designed the Munster Koach from The Munsters; cars featured in The Beverly Hillbillies, Knight Rider, and Mannix; and customized vehicles for the likes of John Wayne, Bob Hope, and Elton John. He is survived by son Brett and daughter Joji.
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