Barris Kustom Industries

George Barris discovered his knack for car customization early on. While still in high school, he, along with his brother Sam, created his first full custom from a '36 Ford ragtop. This not only brought the brothers their first commercial customer, but also spawned the Kustoms Car Club, the great-granddaddy of today's Barris Kustoms.

When Sam joined the armed forces during World War II, George moved to CAR CRAZY Southern California, where his talent flourished. In 1945, shortly after Sam's return home, the brothers opened the Barris Brothers Custom Shop on Compton in L.A. Sam's skills as a metal crafter meshed perfectly with George's flair for design and showmanship, and the shop was a hit.

In the late 1940s, Robert Petersen, publisher of Hot Rod magazine (and founder of the L.A. auto museum that bears his name), produced the first L.A. Hot Rod Show. He invited the Barris Brothers to exhibit the show's only custom car, which received a warm welcome from show goers, as well as enthusiastic press coverage. Before long, George's writing and photos appeared more and more often in automotive magazines in a series of how-to articles that, not coincidentally, promoted his business.

With success comes growth, and the brothers moved to larger digs a few miles down the freeway in Lynwood. There the renowned Hirohata Merc (named for owner Bob Hirohata) was born. Customized in 1952, the '51 Merc would become one of the most famous customizations of the classic era. Besides stealing the show at the 1952 Motorama, the Hirohata was featured in Rod and Custom magazine and in the 1955 motion picture “Running Wild”. Soon, the producers of the 1958 film “High School Confidential” recruited George to build customs for the film, and thus began the Barris-Hollywood partnership that continues today.

Over the past five decades, Barris Kustoms Industries has brought to life some of popular culture's most memorable automotive icons, including the Batmobile, Munster Koach, The Beverly Hillbillies car and Black Beauty.