George Barris: Designer who created the Batmobile and the Munster Koach and helped define Californian car culture

Other television cars built by Barris Kustom Industries include the Munster Koach and casket turned dragster (the “Drag-U-La”) for The Munsters

Barris with Batman’s car on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April this year (EPA)

George Barris was a car designer who created Batman’s original Batmobile, along with scores of other beautifully customised, instantly recognisable vehicles that helped define California car culture.

He was still in high school in northern California when he designed his first fully customised car, a 1936 Ford. Soon afterwards he formed Kustoms Car Club and went to work with his brother Sam. Over the next 70 years he designed hundreds of cars for TV programmes, films, celebrities including Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra – as well as ordinary people.

Two of his most famous were the Batmobile, created for the 1960s Batman TV show, and the Munsters Koach, built for The Munsters. Given only a few weeks to come up with a vehicle for the Caped Crusader, he took a Lincoln Futura, a concept car from the 1950s built by the Italian firm Ghia, and gave it to custom builder Gene Cushenberry. Barris kept the original, finally selling it at auction in 2013 for $4,620,000.

Other television cars built by Barris Kustom Industries include the Munster Koach and casket turned dragster (the “Drag-U-La”) for The Munsters, a 1921 Oldsmobile touring car turned into a truck for The Beverly Hillbillies, and updated vehicles for later seasons of Knight Rider.

Barris created a customised gold Rolls Royce for Zsa Zsa Gabor, which included hand-etched window glass by the artist Robb Rich showing butterflies, roses, and hummingbirds. He also built novelty golf carts for Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Ann-Margret, Glen Campbell and Elton John.

MARTHA MORRIS

George Salapatas (George Barris), car designer: born Chicago 20 November 1925; married 1958 Shirley Nahas (died 2001); died Encino, California 5 November 2015.