The man responsible for one of the most iconic TV cars in history passed away early this month at the age of 89. George Barris who designed the 1966 Batmobile was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. George was laid to rest in a casket inspired by his own creation.
In 1955, the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company designed and built a futuristic concept car called the Lincoln Futura. It was built entirely by hand in Turin, Italy at a cost of $250,000, and like many concept cars, was never put into production. In the mid 1960’s, George Barris of Barris Kustom City acquired the car for $1 directly from Ford.
The car was such a huge success that George Barris and the producers of Batman decided to build copies of the Batmobile in late 1966. Barris and his crew pulled a mold from the #1 Batmobile and created 3 fiberglass copies. These replicas were displayed at car shows and dragstrips and also made appearances where countless fans could see them.
RIP GEORGE BARRIS 11/20/1925 – 11/05/2015
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