George Barris—Farewell to the King

When George Barris, the “King of the Kustomizers,” passed away in November at the age of 89, the stories and obituaries in the mainstream media focused on his television and movie cars—especially the original Batmobile, which he built for the campy ’60s TV show in just 15 days by modifying Ford’s ’55 Lincoln Futura concept car. Lost in much of the reportage was the reason Barris wore that crown in the first place.