Jalopnik: George Barris

Vox Customized Roadster Is ... Rocking

Travis Hudson — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:20:00 EDT

This is the Voxmobile, a two-seat roadster commissioned by Vox, the audio equipment manufacturer, and built by roadster customizing mastermind, George Barris. Vox, being an audio company, didn't let Barris skimp on the audio accessories on this roadster. Hell, the entire thing is one giant audio accessory, really.

The Voxmobile is essentially a giant amplifier that can support to up 32 guitars. It also includes a Vox organ in the rear, five 12-inch speakers, one 18-inch bass speaker, four tweeters. It also has two main drive speakers that sit atop the roadster's intake manifold. The $30,000 machine was designed for promotion purposes and, we're guessing, made even better noises with its Ford Cobra 289 powerplant. [Barris via Bornrich]

Don't Touch the Hair: "Travolta Fever" Custom Trans Am on eBay

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:30:20 EST

Not long after L. Ron Hubbard got John Travolta's thetans on a silver platter, the New Jersey-born actor starred in a little movie about dancing around like a putz. It was called Saturday Night Fever, and it became a multimedia, pop-culture phenomenon that launched both his career and that of the Bee Gees into the stratosphere. As such, marketers of all stripe muscled in on Travolta Fever, an illness whose symptoms included jumpsuits and an overly intense affinity for hair products. At the time, it was customary for custom car builder George Barris to work up some manner of rod to celebrate a media property that passed a certain tipping point. Such was this "Travolta Fever" Trans Am, one of the first celebrity car model kits ever offered by Revell. Now, it's for sale on eBay. Get in on the malaise-era automotive collector's market now, before all the great ones are gone. And get this one too, what the hell. [eBay]

1977 Datsun B210 Reverse Customized by Aliens

Mike Bumbeck — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:15:00 EDT

With an ongoing soft spot for the Datsun B210, and especially the fastback version, we were both flummoxed and amazed when we found this example of somewhat Barris-style custom Datsun B210 for sale on eBay. Having seen many an example of what the ravages of time can impart on unrestored custom cars makes something in this kind of condition a possible example of reverse-engineered custom car building by a covert group of government sponsored Greys. Aliens may have abducted Barris himself in the late '70s and had him build this thing under some sort of memory erasing hypnosis. – Mike Bumbeck

1977 Datsun B210 Custom [eBay.com]

Batmobile #6 Sells For 119K

Murilee Martin — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:23:41 EST

The sixth of an "unspecified number" of Batmobiles built for the original TV show just went for the equivalent of $233,000 at an auction in London today. The winning bid came from a private museum in that no-questions-asked tax haven, the Cayman Islands. What's interesting about Batmobile #6 is that it's a steel-bodied car, unlike the fiberglass copies of Barris' original commissioned by the show's producers. Doesn't seem like such a bad deal, compared to the price tag of the Pope's ex-Golf. – Murilee Martin

Batmobile Fetches 119,000 Pounds After Bidding War [Bloomberg]

Related:
Batmobile Rammed, Bale Banned, Eh? [internal]

We Will Assuredly Keep on Vannin': Super Van Clip!

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:00:00 EST

We posted on Super Van a while back, noting that had appeared in various guises over the years, but we'd never seen the film in which it played the titular role. This has not changed. However, we did manage to dig up this clip via YouTube, which Lew had hipped us to a while back. The van was allegedly solar-powered, but the powertrain apparently involves a theremin somehow. Oh, and it's got lasers. Lasers powerful enough to blow up other vehicles. Lasers, a diamond-tuft headliner, Vista Cruiser-on-'roids side windows and a green method of motivation? Forget Tesla, we're going Super Van all the way. – Davey G. Johnson

Grandpa! Munsters' Car For Sale on eBay

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 10:30:00 EDT

Grandpa Munster was a sucker for a rail job. At least, that's what George Barris must have considered when he built the car that became Grandpa's vampiric ride for the 1960s TV show, "The Munsters." According to the seller, this car is one of nine built for the show. Its pedigree, the seller says, can be documented, and it's got a small-block Chevy engine, Turbo 350 transmission with a B&M shifter and a Chevy rear-end of unknown final drive. Additions include a new radiator, electric fan, electric fuel pump, two Holly 650 cfm carbs, Offenhauser cross ram intake, polished valve covers also a new super starter. Sleeps one — in peace.

1967 Chevrolet : 1967 Chevrolet Munsters [eBay]

Here We Come...Rollin' Down The Street...The Monkeemobile!

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 16:00:00 EDT

As a child, we loved two things: musclecars (especially GTOs and B-Body Mopars) and the Monkees. In fact, the first rock show we ever saw was the non-Nesmith reunion lineup on tour with "Weird Al" Yankovic in the summer of 1987. Lack of Mr. Woolhat not withstanding (we're still big Mike Nesmith fans, by the way), the thing we missed most during the show was the absence of their Goat-on-acid Monkeemobile. The Dean Jeffries-designed Pontiac A-Body came about via a precipitous confluence of Universal execs, Southern California hot rodders and model producer MPC.

Not greenlighted until four weeks before production began, Jeffries and his crew built two cars (one for use on the show, another to be utilized for promotional event), the #1 (TV) car actually had a solidly-mounted rear axle and a fully-functional 6-71 blower with a weighted rear to allow the car to pop wheelies at will. It also made the car a bear to drive, so a dummy blower was installed. It later disappeared in the Land Down Under, only to resurface in '92 at an auction in Puerto Rico, where it fetched the princely sum of $5k.

The #2 car ended up in Barris' hands, who recently sent the car up to Mike Gray in Sacramento for a full restoration. Somehow, knowing that the Monkeemobile ended up being rebuilt in the town where we learned to love rock 'n' roll and fast cars puts a big grin on our face.

Video of the #2 Car Under Restoration [BarrisBilt]

Related:
The History of the Monkeemobile [Monkees.net]

Maserati Chassis, plus Ford Engine, plus Aluminum Body = Mantaray [Internal]

You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Schtupps You in a Mercury: Dean Martin's Sex Wagon

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 11:24:48 EDT

Before there was Carmen Electra, there was Stella Stevens. Bit-part-playing, Playboy-posing, celebrity-sexing Stevens was a favorite among male movie fans, who rewarded her nudity-intensive approach to getting famous by making her a major pinup of the time. In 1966, she starred in "The Silencers" with Rat Pack impresario Dean Martin as goofball special agent Matt Helm. Helm, of pulp fiction fame, bedded like Bond despite (or because of) a tendency for self-effacement and heavy drinking. The two carried on their professional relationship in the back of a 1966 Mercury station wagon, customized by George Barris (who else?). Dubbed "The Sex Wagon" in the movie, the Merc features two separate bedrooms fitted with leather upholstery, a martini bar, a tailgate modified to lower as a step, and a working TV. That car — an anteceedent of the modern pimp's ride — had been in the back of a garage somewhere before the Volo Auto Museum got hold of it. Now, it's on permanent display for those interested in how grandpa once got his freak on, or wished he did.

Related:
More George Barris Cars [internal]

Dad, Can I Borrow the Rod?: Cars of Famous TV Fathers

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 10:08:21 EDT

NADAguides.com is celebrating Father's Day by examining the cars of some famous TV fathers. While we'd always been partial to Mike Brady's seemingly endless selection of Mopar convertibles, we hadn't considered Ward Cleaver's similar proclivities, of the Plymouth sedan variety, or Al Bundy's '72 Dart (what else would he drive?). Still, even with Tony Soprano's SUV's and Hulk Hogan's Viper, there are at least two TV-dad rides they failed to mention. Check 'em out after the jump, and include your own candidates in the comments.

Darrin Stevens, "Bewitched": 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS/RS
Poor Darrin. The awkward sod had a wife with magic powers, a mother-in-law with a vindictive streak you could drive a team of Clydesdales through and a boss who accepted credit for all his best advertising ideas and drove a hot Corvette Singray. But don't shed a single tear for big D. Parked in front of his suburban saltbox was a fully loaded '67 Camaro SS/RS, with an MSRP of around $4,000. Possessing such a fine daily driver was surely worth being turned into a goat or chimpanzee now and again.

Herman Munster, "The Munsters": George Barris Munster Koach
Herman Munster may have been the most henpecked of all Frankenstein's monsters, but when the family went picnicking, they piled into the Kustom Koach, designed by the King of Kustomizers, George Barris. Barris derived the Koach from three Model T bodies and slapped on a Ford 289 Cobra engine, with chrome-plated Stromberg carbs across the top, to tug at the reins. It cost $18,000 to build (in 1964 dollars), making it off limits for any funeral parlor janitor whose father wasn't a doctor.

Famous Fathers and Their Superstar Cars [Gear6]

Related:
ForbesAutos On the Sopranos' Coolest Cars [internal]

Mr. Barris Goes to Monte Carlo

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 16 May 2006 16:27:13 EDT

George Barris is a funny little man. Back when he was in high school at San Juan, he and his brother would clamber into their hopped-up jalopy and drive down from out in Citrus Heights (which was completely the sticks back in the 1940s) and cruise down to McClatchy High in Sacramento, because, in Barris' words, "McClatchy had the best-looking girls." Later on, Barris built the Sidewinder, and if you couldn't cruise a high school in this bad boy and pull some tail back in '76, man, you weren't even trying. It's up for bids at Bonhams' Les Grandes Marques a Monaco in Monte Carlo this weekend. [Thanks to the Mighty Thor for the Mighty Tip.]

1975 George Barris 'Sidewinder' Buick V8-Engined Motor Tricycle [Bonhams]

Related:
Holy Shit! George Barris Auction! [Internal]

Now We're Trucking! Barris Mustang-Camino Ranchero

maustin — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 18:40:00 EDT

We'll be honest, we were getting tired of the Camino posts. In Davey G.'s absence it's hard to maintain a maniacal fervor for the Camino. We were beginning to lose faith. Then we saw this beautiful custom Mustang truck conversion and we were saved. Hallelujah! Whether you're rocking out Limp Bizkit on the way to SuperCuts or cruising the strip in front of your local bowling alley, this Mustang does it all — with class! And it can be yours for only...

$29,500!

Take a close look at the bed, it's absolutely perfect for filling up with ice and bottles of brew. And it's got the Mach 1 shaker hood. It's totally a quality custom job — all the way down to the My-Name-Is-George-Barris logo on the speedometer...paying honor to the King of the Customizers. As for the top — well — it doesn't exist, so this Mustang's only good in fair weather.

Barris Mustang Custom Pick-up 2000 [Beverly Classics]

Related:
More el-caminos [internal]

The Prius is Pimped: Barris's Hybrid Toyota

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 06:45:10 EST

Back in 2005, the New York Times was all, "Hey George Barris, betcha can't do your kandy kustom spiel with a Toyota Prius." Barris was all, "Listen twerps, I did the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 while you were listening to Foreigner 4 and stuffing Funyuns in your pie holes. I accept your challenge." Of course it didn't start that way, but it did end up with a Barrisized Prius of the kandy kolored persuasion, at a mere $10,000 over sticker. OK, so it's no Drag-u-La.

Barris Prius [Barris.com]

Flinstones Movie Car for Sale on eBay

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 14:01:37 EST

Has it really been more than a decade since the movie "The Flintstones" came out? Or five since franchise-mate "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas" gave Stephen Baldwin a job? Us either. But for those who didn't think the first one was an ill-advised mess of a movie, or who are such George Barris fanatics that they can't keep their hands off any car-like object to come out of his studio, this Flintmobile is for you. Two thumbs in our ears.

Flintstone Mobile [eBay]

Related:
More Movie Cars [internal]