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.