Since the 1960s, George Barris has been one of the world’s most famous car customizers, creating countless one-of-a-kind custom rides out of his North Hollywood shop. Given Barris’s proximity to Tinseltown, it was only natural that when the world’s most famous Hollywood celebrities wanted to have their cars customized, they turned to George. Barris Cars of the Stars features rare images of Barris with his celebrity clients and the custom cars he built for them, along with commentary and stories from the King of Kustomizers himself. Featured celebrities include such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, John Travolta, Sammy Davis Jr., Farrah Fawcett, Bo Derek, Ann-Margret, Neil Diamond, the Beach Boys, and many others.
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Editorial Reviews
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“Barris Cars of the Stars and pairs the famous custom car builder with his A-list clients, everyone from the Beach Boys to Barry White.” - John Neff, autoblog.com
“Seeing Sonny and Cher clowning around their new custom Mustangs, John Travolta in full Disco regalia and Farrah Fawcett lounging on the hood of her custom Corvette, big hair and all, brings a twinge to the gut and a fondness and longing for things that used to be. This will affect anyone who lived though those times even if they aren’t car lovers. It is quite well written and full of George’s reminiscences which make it far more than just a picture book, although it certainly does not fall down in that respect either. Barris, Cars of the Stars is a must have for anyone who enjoys custom cars, movie stars, Hollywood or just plain George. Four out of five stars, no pun intended.” - David Grainger, guildclassiccars.com
“The book features mostly two-page layouts with period photos for 62 celebs. It is easy reading with as much text or more about the star rather than the car that he or she worked with Barris to create.” – Mark Maynard, San Diego Union Tribune
“What’s especially charming about this book are Barris’ personal recollections of the people concerned. In fact, there’s no shortage of great stories told between the covers of this 160-page hardback.” - Classic Car Mart
“From silly golf carts for Bing and Bob to Farrah Fawcett’s Foxy Vette, most are contenders for tasteless corner, but it’s a surprisingly captivating gallery complemented by revealing personal notes from Barris.” - Classic and Sports Car
“Barris, Cars of the Stars is a must have for anyone who enjoys custom cars, movie stars, Hollywood or just plain George. Four out of five stars, no pun intended.” – David Granger, guildclassiccars.com
“From the day that Barris was approached by the star to the day the car was finished, this book highlights the entire collaboration between each star and Barris, as well as the friendships that developed.” – Hotrod & Restoration
About the Author
The one name, the one man, who epitomizes kustom cars is George Barris. A man who started working on cars during World War II, George is still promoting shows, handing out trophies and still kissing the trophy girls. In the 1950s, George and his brother Sam developed what came to be known as the “Barris look.” All of the cars to come out of their shop in southern California exhibited a certain cleanliness of line and sophistication that had more in common with sophisticated coach-built European cars than American hot rods of the same period. At the same time that George and Sam were building some very famous cars like the Hirohata Merc and the Polynesian, George started to photograph their cars and write stories for magazines like Rod&Custom. Not only does George Barris write as an expert on custom cars, in many cases he was the builder of the car he’s describing.
David Fetherston is a writer, photographer, and artist. He has written several books, including Big Book of Barris, Barris TV and Movie Cars, Hot Rod Memorabilia and Collectibles, and American Woodys. Fetherston resides in Sebastopol, CA.
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An overview of a career,
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This review is from: Barris Cars of the Stars (Hardcover)
The concept of the book is simple. A photo or two of the stars and their Barris modified cars along with notes from Barris about the construction of the car and comments about its owner. There is also a short professional biography of the star in case you don't know who some are (and a few do go back a ways, so they may not be familiar to younger readers).
It's fun to see a time when stars weren't above being seen in flashy customized cars. Sometimes it could be subtle...a repaint and Continental kit for Robert Vaughn's early 60s Lincoln convertible, other times not; like the rebodied Corvette designed by Barris and sold to stars like Bo Derek and James Cann. For me, the best part is seeing private cars that weren't seen much in their day, like Dean Martin's El Dorado turned into a sport station wagon or John Wayne's modified Pontiac station wagons that gave him more headroom. What you won't get in this book are looks at cars made strictly for film and TV work....The TV Batmobile, The Munster Coach & Drag-U-La, The Beverly Hillbillies car, The Mannix roadster, The Bearcats! Stutz Bearcat replica, The Car's sinister Lincoln, or the weird advertising and show cars Barris produced in the 60s and 70s. Much of the material in this book was originally published in the 1974 book "Cars of the Stars" by Barris and Jack Scagnetti. Since that book is long out of print, there is no harm in using many of the photos again for a new generation of Barris and cars fans to enjoy. (The older book has more photos in a larger format including some of the film & TV cars and some in a larger format, so serious Barris buffs may still want to search for one). So if you'd like to see an overview of Barris' custom work done for celebrity clients, this book is for you.
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World War, New York, Bob Hope, Los Angeles, Bing Crosby, Las Vegas, United States, Palm Springs, The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, The Ten Commandments, Spike Jones, Mistress of the Dark, Tom Jones, Stutz Blackhawk, James Brown, The Beatles, John Derek, Pontiac Grand Prix, John Wayne, Danny Thomas, Dean Martin, Lincoln Continental Mark, Hollywood Walk of Fame Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
car guy Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
World War, New York, Bob Hope, Los Angeles, Bing Crosby, Las Vegas, United States, Palm Springs, The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, The Ten Commandments, Spike Jones, Mistress of the Dark, Tom Jones, Stutz Blackhawk, James Brown, The Beatles, John Derek, Pontiac Grand Prix, John Wayne, Danny Thomas, Dean Martin, Lincoln Continental Mark, Hollywood Walk of Fame Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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