‘Kustom’ car king George Barris, creator of TV’s original Batmobile, other cars, dead at 89

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – George Barris, who created television’s original Batmobile, along with scores of other beautifully customized, instantly recognizable vehicles that helped define California car culture, has died at age 89.

Barris Kustom Industries spokesman Edward Lozzi says Barris died Thursday, following a lengthy illness.

Barris was still in high school in Northern California when he designed his first fully customized car, a 1936 Ford.

Soon after he formed Kustoms Car Club and went to work in earnest with his late brother, Sam.

Over the next 70 years he would design literally hundreds of cars for television shows, movies, celebrities, heads of state and just regular folks.

Two of the most famous were the Batmobile, created for the iconic 1960s TV show, and The Munster’s Koach, built for the television show “The Munsters.”