Rest in peace, George Barris . The man who created the original Batmobile passed away yesterday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 89.
As CBC reports, the iconic superhero car, built from a refurbished 1955 Lincoln Futura, sold for $4.6 million at an auction two years ago. However, it’s not the only Barris-designed vehicle that appeared on the big or small screen over the years.
He was also responsible for Kitt, the talking car in Knight Rider , the red and white Ford Torino from Starsky & Hutch , the car used in the 1960 film The Time Machine , and the Oldsmobile Toronado that starred in The Munsters . Additionally, he customized a number of cars for celebrities like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and John Wayne.
Born on November 20th, 1925 from Greek immigrants, Barris was a pioneer in the world of car tuning. He got the attention of Hollywood after World War II and remained active until recent months.