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Chicago Car News with LB

George Barris, King of the Customizers!

2/1/2009 Comment on This

Recently, Geoff did an phone interview with George Barris, one of the most influential car customizers of the 20th Century. Because George was at the airport catching a flight back to California, the interview had to be cut short. I'd like to give you a little more insight into a very remarkable man.

George was born in Chicago in the mid-twenties. In 1928 his parents passed away and George and his brother Sam were sent to California to live with relatives. As they got older, both brothers became obsessed with cars and sought a way to personalize their vehicles. In a short time, the Barris Brothers became well known throughout southern California as the people to see if you were serious about changing the look of your ride. The result was a string of incredible custom vehicles, many of which still exist 50 years later, and are in hands of private collectors or museums.

While George is best known for his TV and movies cars such as the Batmobile, Munster Coach, and General Lee, serious car guys like myself remember the Ala Kart, Hirohata Mercury and Chico Catallo's 1932 Ford which was featured on the cover of a Beach Boys album. And as always seems to be the case, George's wife Shirley ( a Joliet native) took an active role in supporting her husbands career and was responsible for a lot of his success. Sadly, she passed away in 2001.

While attending the annual LA Roadster show in Pomona California last year, I returned from the car show area to find my wife and daughter engaged in a conversation with George, and he couldn't have been nicer to the two of them. Do you think a stick and ball legend would have been so gracious?

George Barris, living legend and one hell of a nice guy!

LB