cover image King of the Kustomizers: The Art of George Barris

King of the Kustomizers: The Art of George Barris

Brett Barris and Douglas Nason. Last Gasp (lastgasp.com), $75 (496p) ISBN 978-0-86719-809-6

Readers who remember the jalopy driven by the Clampetts on The Beverly Hillbillies or the Batmobile from the 1966 television series Batman, "with its ominously sleek styling, reams of gadgetry, and sparkling gloss of black paint outlined in red," will know George Barris's work. Barris created these and many of the other best-known custom-made vehicles of recent decades with help from the staff at his southern Californian shop, Barris Kustom City. In this hefty tome, chock full of archival photographs, Barris's son, Brett, and co-author Nason recall Barris's impressive career in the hot rod and custom car industry since the 1940s. They pull together a congratulatory retrospective that is equal parts history and nostalgia. Nason, a longtime fan of Barris Kustom, provides background on Chicago-born Barris and his early interest in customization. In high school, for instance, Barris and his older brother fixed up a tattered Buick sedan, "embellishing it with hubcaps they fashioned from household pots and pans, gold-plated knobs taken from kitchen cabinets and drawers, homemade chrome-striped mud flaps and other accoutrements before painting it orange with blue stripes." Eventually Barris was able to turn his eclectic sensibility and love of motor vehicles into a well-regarded and enduring business. The book's off-kilter design and color tinted photos wonderfully capture the wacky flavor of the Barris Kustoms, and it's sure to be a hit with pop culture fans and car enthusiasts. Photos. (Sept.)