Nov 10: King of the Kustomizers

There he is, George Barris, the King of the Kustomizers and one heck of a great self promoter. I've meant to do a blog on his work for sometime, but his passing last week, suggests that the time is now. Even as a kid, I was never really a Barris Kustom fan, as his work was usually of questionable taste, when compared to say, the Alexander Brothers out of Detroit. But, George did the famous stuff that, got him well known to the general public and he sure knew how to promote himself and his work.
But, let's not forget that Barris had tons of talent.

I often wondered just how old he was, since he was still making the rounds of the custom car shows and the occasional auction, resplendent in his flashy gold jacket. Eighty nine. You gotta hand it to him, he appeared to work at enjoying himself to the very end.

His most famous piece started out as a futuristic Lincoln dream car, the Futura, which he bought from Ford after its auto show days were over.......

......and then a few years later, when he was called upon to create the Batmobile in a very short time, the Futura morphed into the most famous TV/movie car ever.........

See the resemblance? All it took was a good imagination and skill with body filler. Not the car we see these days in the caped crusader's movies, but the TV original. It sold at auction a couple of years back for over $4 mil, so old George, who still owned it, was not hurting.

Another very well known piece was the Monkeemobile.......

Never liked it, but I guess it was a product of the times. Other Barris works showed up in the movies.......

This '66 Charger was in some fluff piece starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. 'Nuff said.

But, there were other cars that Barris did that, became famous for what they were, not what they represented. Sure, much of his work was over the top, but others were gorgeous works of art. How about the Hirohatta Merc, named after its owner........

Not a bad line on this chopped Mercury and it set the tone for the classic 1949 to 1951 Mercury chop  jobs. The expensive diecast car maker, the now defunct Danbury Mint, produced a 1/24th scale version, which I have. It's beautiful. This car is still around today and sees its share of car shows. Or, what about the Ala Kart........

Again, another great design, also made into a scale model. But, as I said, Barris was often over the top, like with the Golden Sahara........

......and these other two, which also have names, the pink El Capitola and the copper coloured, Aztec......

 

I guess one would call these typical customs from the late '50's and early '60's. You could be sure that, when Barris created something like one of these, it was headed directly to the cover of a custom car or hot rod magazine. No, George did not lack for publicity.

Esso, the oil company celebrated Canada's centennial, by having Barris customize a couple of 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado's, which it gave away at Expo 67. Now, the Toro was a beautiful design, so what did George do?

 

Yes, I think I would have preferred to win the untouched version.

The designs? Usually not my taste then or now. But, do something like this Astroid Corvette and he got my vote.....

Barris' fame made him the subject of several books, the one below features a good overview of his early stuff, so I have a copy of it in my personal library......

So was George Barris irrelevant today? Well, Toyota didn't think so and asked him to customize a Prius of all things. How it turned out is up to your personal taste........

Or this current Camaro......

Better than the original? Not in my eyes, but isn't that what makes personal opinion, personal?

So after all those years, George Barris stayed in the limelight and stayed true to his original vision, which was to be original. I guess, if the rest of us can say that at our end, we should be quite content. But now George is gone, so what better way to bid adieu, than to show him as he rides off in his best know creation..........

Until next time.........

Nov 5: All hail Mazda!

 Get a load of this beauty, which was unveiled at last week's Tokyo Auto Show. The Mazda RX Vision concept. Supposedly the new home for a return of the much loved or hated Wankel rotary motor, depending on your point of view.

Just a concept, you say, obviously styled for the auto show circuit with the final one looking much more pedestrian . Well, maybe yes, maybe no, but before you make a final judgement, some history.

Remember the last RX and we're not talking about a Lexus sport ute?

Not awfully long gone from Mazda showrooms, this uniquely styled coupe had that (unusual for its time), second small door to ease entrance into the back seat. Still a common sight on our streets and their owners love them. Not terrifically fast, but a good handler.

Before that one came the overly fragile, but extremely sexy, RX-7..........

A fast and furious car even to the present day. So, that is why I've shown it slammed and with that huge spoiler, as most of these have been modified in some way. A key sign, is the extra large stove pipe sized exhaust. Drifting anyone?

Want to go back even further? Ok, so here are the next two in descending time frame order. I always, thought the more recent one in the top pic looked like a Porsche 944. I think this was not an uncommon comparison back in the day.

 

Clean, good looks and generally well thought of little sportscars. But going back to the original RX brings us to this one........

 

Get the idea, that this little coupe was considered by Mazda to be quite the road rocket?  Folks loved the Wankel motor, until they realized that, it drank gas like an old '60's muscle car. Not a good attribute in the gas shortage times of the mid '70's. Good-bye, sweet princess, your day will come.

So back to that stunning RX Vision concept. Can we expect anything remotely like that to hit the dealerships? Maybe, just maybe. Look at another concept Mazda that, was shown about three years ago........

........and here is the lovely Mazda6 sedan version of it that actually reached the showrooms.......

 Not way off the concept's design, is it? A great everyday execution of an absolutely gorgeous concept car. So cross your fingers, toes and legs that, this beauty shows up in the very near future, regardless of what motor is under the hood.........

My regret? My long legs and kind of a practical side have sub-planted my sportscar buying, but not my desire for one. Hey, I can drive anything in my dreams!

Until next time.......

Nov 2: Tokyo dreams

The 2015 Tokyo Auto Show. Always a great place to check out what is really weird in the auto concept world. Not sure which is stranger, though, the names or the designs, but trust me, they are both peculiar.

Ever wonder if a manufacturer would ever produce something like this, a car(?) which would appeal to your weird inner self? And if produced, what cool name would you put on it? How about the Honda Wander Stand? I don't get it either, but that will apply to most of these odd balls or bold moves. I guess, it depends on your point of view. And in case you were wondering, yes, it is a real car, not a mobile phone booth (remember those?).

Ah, but being a more practical type, you lean towards a family friendly small van. Tired of the humdrum people movers, we so often see at the local soccer games? Want something like this Toyota Alphard Hercule?

 

Who wouldn't enjoy cruising the 'hood in this mystery van? Mystery, since I wonder what designer or executive figured that this would be a family friendly look? Scare the neighbourhood kids year around, not just at Halloween.

Like the usefulness of a smaller suv or van type of vehicle, but Nissan's concept is a little too out there for a reclusive soul like you?  Then check out, the Nissan Teatro For Dayz........

Hey, would I kid you? That's really its name. So once again, go figure.

Still can't see exactly the small practical van, that will suit your purpose? Ok, let's try again.......

I think this could be the one. Unique design and unique paint scheme. Kind of looks like the old GM Futureliner from the 1950's (squint real hard, please). The name? Suzuki Air Triser. Sounds reasonable, if you know what a "triser" is. Almost makes their other concept, the Mighty Deck look normal......

Time for something really weird.........

Here it is, telling you its name, the Toyota Gosei Flesby. If those sides look soft, it's because they are padded. Corporate thinking? That this ultra small urban car could be roaming the city and the burbs by 2030. Lots of time to get used to its, shall we be kind and say, unusual looks?

Now this next one has got me worried. The Toyota S-FR.......

Why? Because Toyota is planning this as a Mazda MX-5 (think Miata) competitor. Have they seen the MX-5 lately? I'm guessing the answer is no, since this one looks like a cartoon car, not a little sports coupe. Maybe better for its island home than for North America.

Another unusual Toyota is the Kikai..........

Might be cute, if the rest of the body panels were put on it. But then again, it would be just another urban warrior concept. Show off its innards and it becomes a stand out (although not out standing, ok?).

And now one that could actually hit the street today........

 

Daihatsu's Noriori is an extremely practical little van that, is set up for the wheel chair bound client. Low floor and big doors make it easy for its passenger to climb aboard (well, maybe not actually climb). Neat vehicle nevertheless. But couldn't they have come up with a funnier name?

Now back to reality with this latest version of a home market Honda, the N-Box Slash...........

Cute, but with a name to die for.

Whether you are a fan of Japanese cars or not, one has to give them A+ for creativity in both their vehicles' names and designs. Ever seen things (hard to call them cars, isn't it?) like this at a North American show or in Europe? I think not and thank goodness!.

Until next time........

Oct 30: Happy Halloween?

Yes, it's that time of year again. The time when the younger set get dressed up in all sorts of strange costumes for the sole purpose of getting free food. Well, not just any kind of food, but the kind of stuff that will rot your teeth and put on pounds (kilograms in Canada). But, hey, you are young and dumb, so who cares? You have the rest of your life to get things right and we are only talking about one night.

Remember your best costume? I remember mine. It was a concoction of paper and cardboard, glued together lovingly with the help of a great mum. An outfit to win prizes with, if anyone had been giving them out. The problem? It rained. And rained. And rained. The result? A sodden, pulpy mess that, had to be explained at every house. Most folks just thought I lacked imagination. Oh, if they only knew.

But, like most of us, I grew up. The Halloween gear was put aside and forgotten, since no one gave candy to a 6'5" ghoul. Some folks grew up, but never forgot the thrill of Halloween night, they just found other ways to express themselves, which at long last, is the point of today's blog. Can't knock on doors, but you still want to celebrate the night? Easy solution........dress up your car.

Got one that looks like a pumpkin anyway? So, why not accentuate the fact..........

Or, being more upscale, your orange car just needs to add a couple of easy to apply Halloween accessories.....

Now, we can really see the designers' inspiration for this Lotus, a pumpkin! Who would have thought?

These examples are pretty subtle. Want something much more over the top and quite frankly, rather disturbing?

And, what's even more scary is that, this guy lives in Canada. British Columbia to be precise. Keep him away from me. Tone it down a bit and you get other interesting versions of the zombie theme. Almost in good taste after the one above?

These Halloween accessories add a nice seasonal touch to any car. Let the neighbourhood kids know that you are not the boring old guy who lives next door. Now you are the interesting, but decidedly strange guy, who is too close by for comfort.

And when the zombie craze is over, traditional decorative treatments can be brought out.......

Not sure how this affects the sight lines, but heck, everyone will stay away from you anyway. A spider on the roof is always a nice touch, don't you think?

Haven't heard from your creepy uncle in years and then he shows up on October 31st with this.......

Scarier than any cardboard costume you may have come up with, those oh so many years ago. You start to worry about the old uncle all over again. Come to think of it, all your dad's relatives seem to be missing a few important parts.

The ultimate Halloween ride was built many years ago, by that over the top customizer, George Barris out of LA (where else, you ask?). The Munster Koach........

Created to include every Halloween cliche imaginable. Trick or treat? Well, in this case, probably both.

Ok, so you have no imagination or any desire to deface your lovely automobile. The answer? Simply cruise the neighbourhood as yourself........

And man, Weight Watchers has really worked for you.

Happy Halloween!