Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[In Detail: Original 1966 Batmobile on display ahead of sale at Barrett-Jackson]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/09/in-detail-original-1966-batmobile-on-display-ahead-of-sale-at-b/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/09/in-detail-original-1966-batmobile-on-display-ahead-of-sale-at-b/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/09/in-detail-original-1966-batmobile-on-display-ahead-of-sale-at-b/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

1966 Batmobile at Barris Kustoms

The original 1966 Batmobile is headed to auction in Scottsdale, AZ on January 19, and we hopped down to Barris Kustoms in North Hollywood before the car left for good. George Barris has owned this particular car since 1965 when he bought it from Ford for the princely sum of $1. While it started life as the expensive and Italian-built 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept, the car would go on to worldwide fame after a hasty makeover from Barris. Over just three days, the custom car builder sank his teeth into the hand-hammered sheetmetal to create Batman's first Batmobile.

Up close, the car can't help but look cartoonish thanks to its over-the-top '60s design, but that doesn't diminish the car's presence. This is the car Adam West spent two years piloting around Gotham and matching wits with the city's cast of deviants. Very cool. We'll keep you posted on how the car performs when it rolls across the stage at Barret-Jackson Scottsdale next month.

In Detail: Original 1966 Batmobile on display ahead of sale at Barrett-Jackson originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Dec 2012 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1966 batmobileadam westadam west batmobileauctionbarret-jacksonbarret-jackson scottsdalebarrisbarris kustomsbatmobilegeorge barrisgeorge barris batmobileSun, 09 Dec 2012 16:55:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20397866/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/12/09/in-detail-original-1966-batmobile-on-display-ahead-of-sale-at-b/20397866/article-detail.xml 20397866 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/original-1966-batmobile-barris_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/12/original-1966-batmobile-barris.jpg <![CDATA[eBay Find of the Day: Hydrogen-powered 1972 AMC Gremlin by George Barris]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/27/ebay-find-of-the-day-hydrogen-powered-1972-amc-gremlin-by-georg/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/27/ebay-find-of-the-day-hydrogen-powered-1972-amc-gremlin-by-georg/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/27/ebay-find-of-the-day-hydrogen-powered-1972-amc-gremlin-by-georg/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

1972 hydrogen-powered AMC Gremlin - Click above for high-res image gallery

When one thinks of advanced technology, the AMC Gremlin rarely (if ever) pops to mind. In fact, these days, unless you happen to be watching re-runs of the first season of True Blood you likely wouldn't think of the Gremlin under any circumstances. Today's eBay Motors find is a very special hydrogen-powered Gremlin that we've never heard of before.

As the story goes, back in the early 1970s, 64 university teams built cars to compete in the Urban Vehicle Design Challenge, with this machine coming out of the labs at the University of California - Los Angeles. The Gremlin was donated to UCLA by American Motors and Ford provided a 351 Cleveland V8. The UCLA team worked with suppliers such as Hooker, Edelbrock, Union Carbide and none other than Kustom Kar King George Barris to get the supplies needed to convert the V8 to run on hydrogen and get the car competition ready. The Impco-provided hydrogen tanks in the back only gave the Gremlin a 68-mile range, but considering the lack of fuel injection and sophisticated electronics, that's not bad.

The wanton nostalgics among us aren't just drawn to the car's eccentric powertrain, but also to its period-appropriate mustard yellow paint, tire-tread bumpers, vintage Polyglas tires, and a couple of racing buckets that we'd like to mount on swivels and have in the Autoblog Living Room.

Incidentally, the Gremlin ultimately won the competition based on the fact that the steam emanating the from the tailpipe was cleaner than the air going into the carburetor. At this point, there are no bids on the car and it's not clear if it runs, but we'd stand we-hell back before firing it up for the first time.


Gallery: eBay find of the day: 1972 hydrogen AMC Gremlin


[Sources: eBay Motors, Wired]

eBay Find of the Day: Hydrogen-powered 1972 AMC Gremlin by George Barris originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 May 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>351 cleveland351Clevelandamcamc gremlinAmcGremlinamerican motorsamerican motors corpAmericanMotorsAmericanMotorsCorpbarriseBayeBay auctionebay Find of the DayeBay MotorsEbayAuctionEbayFindOfTheDayEbayMotorsedelbrockford 351Ford351george barrisGeorgeBarrisgremlinhooker headersHookerHeadershydrogenhydrogen carhydrogen powerhydrogen poweredhydrogen powered amc gremlinHydrogenCarHydrogenPowerHydrogenPoweredHydrogenPoweredAmcGremlinimpcouclaunion carbideUnionCarbideurban vehicle design challengeUrbanVehicleDesignChallengeThu, 27 May 2010 18:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19493694/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/05/27/ebay-find-of-the-day-hydrogen-powered-1972-amc-gremlin-by-georg/19493694/article-detail.xml 19493694 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/frontleft-1274966425_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/frontleft-1274966425.jpg <![CDATA[Legendary customizer George Barris kustomizes krazy Chevrolet Camaro]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/07/legendary-customizer-george-barris-kustomizes-krazy-chevrolet-ca/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/07/legendary-customizer-george-barris-kustomizes-krazy-chevrolet-ca/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/07/legendary-customizer-george-barris-kustomizes-krazy-chevrolet-ca/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


George Barris and the 2010 Chevrolet "Spirit" Camaro - Click above for high-res image gallery

If you happen to be in the greater Burbank area this weekend, you might want to swing by Community Chevrolet on Saturday. Legendary car customizer George Barris is scheduled to unveil his latest project - a kustomized 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS RS - by driving the car straight to the dealer himself. Called the "Spirit" Camaro, the car is designed to be affordable for the working class Joe, meaning there aren't any wild power adders under the hood.

Instead, Barris focused on creating a unique exterior for the General Motors muscle car. The hood and front fenders all get a striking paint job in the buyer's choice of either red or yellow, complete with pearl accents. The grille has been swapped for a new three-bar unit designed to give the car a classic feel. The look won't be for everyone, but it could be your only chance to own an original Barris creation. You can order your very own through your local Chevrolet dealer, who will contact Community Chevrolet in turn.

Barris made a name for himself by creating some of Hollywood's most iconic cars and trucks. His work took center stage on shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, The Munsters and the original Batman. He even turned out the very first KITT for Knight Rider back before NBC had its way with the concept. So far, there's no word on how many Spirit Camaros will be produced, or how much Barris will want for each one. Stay tuned.


Gallery: George Barris 2010 Chevrolet "Spirit" Camaro


[Source: Barris Kustom Industries]

Continue reading Legendary customizer George Barris kustomizes krazy Chevrolet Camaro

Legendary customizer George Barris kustomizes krazy Chevrolet Camaro originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2SSBarrisBarris Kustom IndustriesBarrisKustomIndustriesBatmanBeverly HillbilliesBeverlyHillbilliesCamaro 2SS RSCamaro2ssRsChevrolet Camaro SSChevroletCamaroSsGeorge BarrisGeorge Barris Spirit Chevrolet CamaroGeorgeBarrisGeorgeBarrisSpiritChevroletCamarohollywood carsHollywoodCarsK.I.T.T.KITTKnight RiderKnightRiderkustomkustom karKustomKarMovie carsMovieCarsmunstersNBCRSSpiritSpirit CamaroSpirit Chevrolet CamaroSpiritCamaroSpiritChevroletCamaroThe MunstersTheMunstersWed, 07 Apr 2010 16:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19429815/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/04/07/legendary-customizer-george-barris-kustomizes-krazy-chevrolet-ca/19429815/article-detail.xml 19429815 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/01-barris_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/01-barris.jpg <![CDATA[eBay Find of the Day: George Barris Oldsmobile Toronado 67X]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/14/ebay-find-of-the-day-george-barris-oldsmobile-toronado-67x/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/14/ebay-find-of-the-day-george-barris-oldsmobile-toronado-67x/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/14/ebay-find-of-the-day-george-barris-oldsmobile-toronado-67x/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


George Barris' Esso Tornado - Click above for a gallery of images

As the story goes, Esso Oil asked custom car guru George Barris (he of Batmobile, Munster Koach and Drag-u-la fame) to create four custom Oldsmobile Toronado coupes for the 1967 Canadian Expo. The car you see above is dubbed Toronado 67X, and according to the seller on eBay, it is one of the only two cars remaining. The big coupe was originally gold, but time and poor treatment have turned it a lovely shade of something other than gold (well, several lovely shades, actually).

Although the auction has just ended, we thought you'd still enjoy a glimpse of what the seller calls the "Project car find of a lifetime" (which might be how long it would take to get it back together). Structurally, the Olds appears to be sound enough, but you can forget about the floorboards and the interior (which includes a wraparound rear couch!). Despite its obvious shortcomings, the car's provenance has helped it gain an appraisal value of $21,500 (which is about $15,000 more than a brand new Toronado listed for in 1966). On the auction itself, there's even a video of the engine running but you hear a lot more wind than engine.

The car was bid to $7,701 but ultimately failed to meet reserve, so we expect to see it back up on the ol' eBay block sooner rather than later. In the meantime, click the link below to learn more about this unique piece of Barris history, and check out the gallery of photos below. Hat tip to Jay!


Gallery: George Barris Tornado


[Source: eBay]

eBay Find of the Day: George Barris Oldsmobile Toronado 67X originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auction actionAuctionActionbarriscanadaebayebay motorsEbayMotorsessogeorge barrisGeorgeBarrislimited editionLimitedEditionoldsmobileoldsmobile toronadoOldsmobileToronadospecial editionSpecialEditiontoronadoTue, 14 Apr 2009 15:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1514095/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/04/14/ebay-find-of-the-day-george-barris-oldsmobile-toronado-67x/1514095/article-detail.xml 1514095 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/barris_tornado_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/barris_tornado.jpg <![CDATA[eBay find of the day: KaiserCamino?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/09/ebay-find-of-the-day-kaisercamino/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/09/ebay-find-of-the-day-kaisercamino/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/09/ebay-find-of-the-day-kaisercamino/#commentsFiled under: , ,



While Ford was first to market with the pickup-cum-car Ranchero, and El Camino has attained universal descriptor status, like Kleenex, it looks like Kaiser presaged the idea in 1954 with this one-off. Kaiser was one of many smaller independents that had yet to die off in the early 1950s. The independents were often more creative than the big three, pushing innovation with limited resources. This extra-special Special-based vehicle is sporting "Barris Kustom" badges on the B-Pillars, glossy light yellow paint on the flanks, and a iron-irrific Continental L-head 6 underhood. You may not be torching the wide whites off the Kelsey Hayes wires with the 118 horsepower, but it's definitely adequate, even on today's roads. Current bids stand at $7,300 for what looks like a driveable classic. It'd be an interesting vehicle to poke around at and uncover the provenance, and the story would be way more entertaining than "It came down the line in Arlington one day."

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

Gallery: Kaiser Special pickup

eBay find of the day: KaiserCamino? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1950s195450sauctionbarriscustomebayel caminoElCaminofiftieskaiserrancheroSun, 09 Sep 2007 09:32:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/983349/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/09/09/ebay-find-of-the-day-kaisercamino/983349/article-detail.xml 983349 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/09/kaiser_for_post_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/09/kaiser_for_post.jpg <![CDATA[Is movie car czar George Barris taking credit for star cars he didn't build?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/07/is-movie-car-czar-george-barris-taking-credit-for-star-cars-he-d/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/07/is-movie-car-czar-george-barris-taking-credit-for-star-cars-he-d/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/07/is-movie-car-czar-george-barris-taking-credit-for-star-cars-he-d/#commentsFiled under:

Last month, a celebration was held for George Barris, the octogenarian car customizer who created the original Batmobile. At his shop in North Hollywood, in addition to the Batmobile, was a DeLorean from Back to the Future, a General Lee, K.I.T.T., and a Monkeemobile from "The Monkees" sitcom. Problem is, he didn't create those last three cars. Universal Studios, who did the Back to the Future films, and the creators of the other cars want the world to know that.

Barris says he has never claimed credit for those other cars. He did, however, have something to do with various versions of some of those cars. Show cars come in four flavors: hero cars are for photographs, stunt cars are for chases and crashes, promotional cars only do the publicity circuit and replica cars are built by private owners. Barris didn't have anything to do with creating or building the Back to the Future DeLorean, but he did create a replica car and he did "clean up" a stunt car for Universal. He is also credited for "modifications" to the General Lee. And he built the Ecto-1 promotional car for Ghostbusters. Universal says that displaying cars like that in front of his shop and on his web site is tantamount to mispresentation. Whether displaying means taking credit for is up to interpretation, but when asked, Barris stated plainly, "I didn't work on the show and I've never said I did."

Thanks for the tip, Jim!

[Source: LA Times]

Is movie car czar George Barris taking credit for star cars he didn't build? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 May 2007 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>barrisbatmobilegeorgehollywoodstudiosuniversalMon, 07 May 2007 09:24:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/889386/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/05/07/is-movie-car-czar-george-barris-taking-credit-for-star-cars-he-d/889386/article-detail.xml 889386 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/barris_batmobile_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/barris_batmobile.jpg <![CDATA[A sale of biblical proportions: The Ghostbusters Ecto 1]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/28/a-sale-of-biblical-proportions-the-ghostbusters-ecto-1/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/28/a-sale-of-biblical-proportions-the-ghostbusters-ecto-1/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/28/a-sale-of-biblical-proportions-the-ghostbusters-ecto-1/#commentsFiled under: ,



Do you believe in UFOs, astral projection, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis? Do you have problems of a supernatural nature in your garage? The Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Ill., is ready to believe you and relieve you of your hauntings with the actual Ghostbusters Ecto 1. If you're interested in buying, be ready for Volo to also exorcise $149,000 from your bank account.

Before George Barris got a hold of it, Ecto 1 was a very straight, rust-free 1959 Miller-Meteor Cadillac ambulance. Now it transcends its humble ambulance beginnings and has become an icon of 1980s film.

[Source: Hemmings Motor News via TechEBlog]

A sale of biblical proportions: The Ghostbusters Ecto 1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Jan 2007 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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