“Barris: Cars of the Stars”
By George Barris and David Fetherston
Review by Gregg Leary

The dustjacket text proclaims:

“The list of names is a who’s-who from Hollywood of the 1960s, 1970s, and beyond-Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, John Travolta, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Ann-Margret. When these megastars wanted their cars customized to fit their styles, tastes, and personalities, they went to one man-George Barris, King of the Kustomizers.

“George Barris is the renowned King of the Kustomizers. From his shop in Hollywood, California, he has created some of the most iconic cars ever to appear on the big and small screen-including the Batmobile from the 1960s “Batman” TV show, the Munster Koach from “The Munsters”, and KITT, the black Pontiac Trans-Am with a mind of its own from the 1980s hit show “Knight Rider”- as well as countless Barris “kustom” cars for the rich and famous.”

How can you not pick up a book like this and at least browse through the dozens of photographs? It has Farrah Fawcett on the front cover, lounging in the cockpit of her “Foxy Vette” talking on her car phone and looking at…YOU? The back cover has Sonny and Cher with their “his and her” Barris tweaked Ford Mustang convertibles. The title page has Elvis standing proudly in front of a king-sized Cadillac Limo with some definitive Barris touches-including opera windows. Bo Derek composed the Foreword.

The celebrity “Cars and Stars” range from A to Z...From Ann-Margret to Efrem Zimbalist Jr. It includes such a diverse client list as The Beach Boys, James Brown, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Yvonne De Carlo, Phyllis Diller, Clint Eastwood, Andy Griffith, Bob Hope, Elton John, Liberace, Martin Milner, Roger Penske, Ringo Starr, John Wayne and many others.

Nearly 200 photographs document the 160 page Barris chronicle. Each “Chapter” gives a brief Bio of the featured celebrity, photographs of the vehicle(s) showing the Barris modifications and a section that gives Barris’ first hand account of his encounter with the celebrity and what modifications he made to their vehicle(s). It’s not “War and Peace” but I learned a few tidbits about some of the stars and cars.

Barris was truly “in the right place at the right time.” “The North Hollywood location was perfect-George could be at any movie studio or production office in 20 minutes or less, and the studios liked that.” Barris supplied cars for Running Wild, Hot Car Girl, High School Confidential, Hot Rod Gang, North by Northwest, Fireball 500, and Jurassic Park. His TV work included the Batmobile for the series “Batman” that he built in about 14 days after the sketches were approved. He also crafted the Munster’s Koach and Drag-u-la for “The Munsters,” and vehicles for “The Beverly Hillbillies,” and “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” His reputation for delivering cars on time and on budget endeared him to studio executives AND the Hollywood stars who commissioned Barris to personalize or kustomize their personal vehicles or perhaps create a totally “over the top” concept vehicle for them.

Barris covered the automotive spectrum.

George did custom golf carts for Ann-Margret, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Glen Campbell, Frank Sinatra, Flip Wilson and Elton John.

He did 25 Morris Mini Moke surf buggies for a Capitol Records Beach Boys’ promotion.

Barris customized Cadillacs for Elvis, James Brown and Liberace.

George designed the “Barrister,” a 1930s style sports car based on a stretched Corvette. Sammy Davis Jr., James Darren, James Caan, Bo Derek, and Dale Robertson purchased them.

He customized a motorhome for James Darren and did a very low-key tour bus for Elvis. 

Did George know about the “Gurney Bulge?”
John Wayne wanted a modification to his Pontiac station wagon so he could wear his cowboy hat while driving it. Barris came up with a solution that was as innovative as the “bulge” in the cockpit of the GT 40’s that allowed tall Dan Gurney’s helmet to clear.

Of all the kustom creations in “Barris: Cars of the Stars,” my favorite has to be George’s modifications on Yvonne DeCarlo’s 1966 Jaguar. Yvonne played Lily Munster in the TV series that featured Barris’ “Munster Koach” and “Drag-u-la.” The car was essentially a coffin on wheels. George explains:

“We set up the roof so she could pop out through the sunroof and sit on the edge of the opening. We made the luggage rack out of gold-plated coffin rails, added more coffin handles in gold to the trunk lid, and made a set of custom spider-web hubcaps. Inside, we hung coffin curtains in grey silk with crystal trim and back tassels over blood-red leather. She wanted something a little more ‘Munster-ish’ than the factory leaping jaguar on the hood, so we created a snarling, brass wolf head with lighted ruby-red eyes. It suited her persona perfectly!”

Perhaps it is Barris’ attention to detail and his ability to capture the personality of his clients in his creations that give George Barris such an enduring legacy in the kustom car business.

“Barris: Cars of the Stars” rates three out of five lug nuts and may be purchased at SPEEDtv.com, Keyword “Books.”