(https://news.classiccars.com/george-barris-famed-kustom-car-king-creator-iconic-batmobile-dies-89/george-barris-with-the-batmobile-in-his-north-hollywood-headquarters/)
George Barris, the Southern California “King of Kustomizers” best-known today for his creation of the original Batmobile for the 1960s TV show, died Thursday at his Encino home. He was 89.
(https://cdn.classiccars.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/George-Barris-with-the-Batmobile-in-his-North-Hollywood-headquarters..jpg?ede001)
A tireless promoter for custom cars, California car culture and his own outsized personality, Barris returned to the public eye in 2013 during the sale of the Batmobile at the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in Scottsdale. The auction sale was hyped to the max, with a hand-waving Barris riding out on stage in the iconic Batmobile to the amped-up strains of the Batman theme song, as the packed-house crowd stood and roared.
The Batmobile, which Barris and his crew famously created in 15 days, sold for an astounding $4.6 million.
The sale was typical showmanship for both Barris and Barrett-Jackson, and it provided a fitting last hurrah for the custom-car impresario who was responsible for some of the most-fanciful TV cars of the 1960s, including the hot-rod-hearse for The Munsters and the artfully beat-up truck for The Beverly Hillbillies.
Also see his workshop web site (http://www.barris.com/carsgallery/kustomshotrods/cars-kustomshotrods.php).