George Barris
No adequate history of the custom car era would be complete without including a major chapter on the Barris Brothers. Initially, Sam stunned the custom world with chopped Mercurys (including the famed Hirohata Merc, but later George stepped in with his own designs which, if less restrained than his brother's offerings, were more prolific and made his name synonomous with custom car construction. Though an icon in the hobby, many of his cars were simply grotesque or silly; aside from the Raiders' Coach and other movie cars in the Sixties, the Grecian, for instance, matched incredibly hard work and stunning craftsmanship with an incomprehensibly incompetent design.
1958 T-Bird
Barris seemed to like the Squarebird and built several custom versions. Probably the highest profile was the ornate version he did for his wife, Shirley (who recently passed away to everyone's sadness). Ever pursuing the Hollywood connection, Barris landed this car a cameo appearance in the 1960 George Pal production of H.G. Wells', The Time Machine along with Jayne Mansfield's custom Jag and the X-Tura, a tastelessly restyled '56 Thunderbird.
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Parked next to a '57 Ford, this custom 'Bird sports revised headlight pods with Lucas lights, dozens of oddly-shaped spears mounted to the stock front grille, shaved front 'Bird emblem, heavy scalloping, and excellent paint quality. Note that the sign identifies as the owner as "Mrs. George Barris," rather than "Shirley Barris." Gary Minor/Mark S. Gustavson Photo Archives
You may want to check into these interesting Barris-related web sites: http://www.barris.com/
In the last few years, George has published a number of great ooks covering his decades of custom car construction, all of which reveal an intimate (if occasionally self-congratulatory) look into the Barris Mysterium.
Let's check out some of George's great cars!
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