THE BARRIS-MOBILES
Batmobile: The first and arguably still most recognizable of several generations of Bat-transport started life in 1955 as the $250,000 Lincoln Futura concept car. Barris had bought it — reportedly for $1 — in poor condition and kept it in storage before using it as the basis for the machine that would co-star with Adam West and Burt Ward in the 1960s Batman TV show. It took 15 days and $15,000 to undertake the transformation.
Beverly Hillbillies’ truck: You think Granny’s rocking chair got up there on its own? The 1921 Oldsmobile (a touring car turned into a truck) that Jed and his kin drove may have looked like a rolling junkyard but there was a place for everything and everything in its place.
KITT: The customizing was mostly under the skin of the robotic 1982 Pontiac Trans Am from the TV adventure series Knight Rider. But there were just enough body and interior modifications to make the car stand out.
Munster Koach: Has anyone ever put 10 carburetors on an engine and made it run? The Ford V8 in the hearse-like creation Herman and his bizarre family used in the TV sitcom The Munsters was actually one of its least striking features. The car, 5.5 metres long, was built from three Model T Ford bodies with blood-red velvet upholstery.
Greased Lightning: Built for the 1978 hit movie musical Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, this 1946 Ford convertible with huge fins on the rear fenders was deliberately made to look outlandish, even ugly.
Lil’ Red Wrecker: A number of customizers built vehicles for TV, movie and music celebrities and then put them on the car show circuit to garner publicity for everyone. Barris created an outrageous tow truck with a forward-slanting cab and a mid-mounted Chrysler V8 for Redd Foxx, co-star of the TV sitcom Sanford and Son.
Other rides: Barris created cars for a number of musicians, including Lionel Hampton, Frank Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, and Elvis Presley. One of the most striking had to be Liberace’s VW convertible, which was transformed into a pink Rolls-Royce look-alike with the fenders and doors covered with tiny mirrors.