TV/Film/Car culture location: The site of the George Barris Kustoms shop in North Hollywood
Best known to many for creating the original Batmobile, George Barris created custom vehicles for TV, movies, and private clients, for decades, in his North Hollywood shop
The Barris Kustom Industries shop, after it closed down, but before everything was moved out. The shop was located at 10811 Riverside Drive, in North Hollywood, California. On the front window, you can see paintings of the Munster Koach, the Ala Kart, and the original Batmobile, from the 1966 Batman TV show. Kapow! #steveemigphotos
The original Batmobile from the 1966 TV show. The Munster Koach and Grandpa’s Dragula from The Munsters. KITT, the Knightrider TV show car. The Beverly Hillbillies truck. The Hirohata Merc. Black Beauty from The Green Hornet 1966 TV show. The Ala Kart. Even the Power Rangers Turbo Zords. All of these, and dozens more custom cars and trucks, were built by George Barris and his crew at Barris Kustoms, whose long time location was on Riverside Drive in North Hollywood, California.
The late George Barris was considered King of the Car Customizers, a pioneer in car modification, and the hot rod culture of the 1940’s, 1950’s, and on into the 21st century. George and his team created some of the craziest, and most influential car designs of the 20th century, still influencing car culture in the 21st century.
Car Crazy TV Show episode interviewing George Barris in the 2010’s
Grandpa Munster’s dragster, the Dragula, from The Munsters TV show. Photo of the photo on the front of the Barris shop. #steveemigphotos
Born in 1925 in Chicago, young George Barris and his brother Sam were sent to live with relatives in Roseville, California, which is on I-80. northwest of Sacremento. They grew up working in the family’s Greek restaurant. In their childhood years, George and Sam made models of cars, airplanes, and boats out of balsa wood, to enter in local hobby shop contests. In their teens, they got the family’s old 1925 Buick to work on a real car for the first time They made some modifications, and just kept customizing any car they could get a chance to work on after that. As young men, George and Sam moved to Los Angeles in the early 1940’s, and opened a customizing shop.
Video showing photos of early custom cars by the Barris shop- 1941-1949
George Barris- King of the Kustom- A different Car Crazy interview with George
A lot of the early customizing jobs involved chopping tops, to make a lower, sleeker roofline. They changed the shape of fenders, lowered cars, and gave the vehicles smoother lines. They kept progressing and experimenting, and the jobs got more and more complex.
The Batmobile that sat in the Barris shop for many years. I shot this photo through the front window of the Barris shop after it closed. #steveemigphotos
In 1957, there was a fire at the Barris shop, and they lost 14 cars. Only the partially done Ala Kart, remained. George lost hope, and was ready to give up. But his wife Shirley talked him into getting back to work, and finishing the Ala Kart. They got it done, and won the next big car show with it soon after. Barris Kustoms was back in action. I believe this is when they moved to the North Hollywood location.
When it comes to private clients, the Hirahata Merc is the most famous Barris Kustoms car, because it had a huge impact on the whole world of car customizing. The Hirahata Merc, a customized 1951 Mercury, set the stage for the lead sledsthat are still very popular to this day. But Barris also created customized cars for famous clients, including John Wayne, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., The Beatles, Sonny & Cher, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Farah Fawcett, Ann Margaret, Glen Campbell, Elton John, and many others.
American car culture, both hot rods for drag racing, and customized show cars, took off after World War II. Hot Rod magazine began in 1948, published by Robert E. Petersen, which spread the word of the hot rods and drag racing world. George Barris shot a lot of photos in those days, both of his own customs, and for Hot Rod magazine in those early years.
By the 1960’s, American hot rod and car culture was bleeding into pop culture and the entertainment industry, both movies and TV. During the 1960’s, all kinds of movies and TV shows decided they needed a custom car for their shows. Now set up on Riverside Drive in North Hollywood, close to most of the major TV and movie studios, much of this work went to the Barris Kustoms shop. Here are two different looks at the creation of the original Batmobile. Five different versions were made by Barris, each for specific purposes.
The Batmobile Revealed with George Barris
Batmobile #1 later sold at auction for $4.6 million, the highest price ever paid for a movie or TV show car.
With an image search on Google or a search on YouTube, you can find many more photos and videos about lesser known Barris Kustoms cars and trucks, most of which were designed and built at the North Hollywood shop. Even Mike and Frank from American Pickers made a stop there, to pick through the thousands of collectibles packed in every corner of the shop, and to sit in the original Batmobile we all watched on TV as kids.
George Barris died in 2015, and the shop continued on, with the family deciding the future direction of the business. I walked around the shop after it closed, and shot the photos in this post, before the Barris family moved everything out, and sold the property. If you’re a car guy or car gal, you can still visit this hallowed ground where so many amazing vehicles were modified and created, 10811 Riverside Drive, in North Hollywood, right by where Lankershim intersects the 134 freeway.
Here’s a great little video by the grimlifecollective YouTube channel of the Barris shop after it closed. He did the same thing I did, walking around getting video of the outside. The photos in this post are my still shots of the shop after it closed, but before everything was moved out.
There’s a huge painting of George on the back wall now, behind the back building, the wall below the 134 freeway. You can get a photo of the painting through the fence by the gas station next door. There’s also a a couple names carved in the concrete sidewalk out front, George and one other, I believe. There’s a car shop operating on the property now, and a head shop selling bongs in part of the building out front.
I didn’t know this mural existed, I just walked around the side of the Barris shop when I was taking photos, down the little side street. Much to my surprise, I found the Batmobile mural on the culvert, at the end of the street, right below the 134 freeway. I snapped this photo, not really paying attention to the “End” sign above it. Since I snapped this photo after the Barris shop closed, the “end” sign just kind of fits. It’s not in most of the other photos and videos I’ve seen. End of the line for Barris Kustoms. #steveemigphotos
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