>Kustom Bilt

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America loves it's comic book superheroes, and we certainly have many of them. In my eyes, Batman stands out above the rest - probably because he drives a cool car, The Batmobile.

The original Batmobile began as a concept car called the Lincoln Futura, which was built in 1954. The car was never put into production, and in 1960, custom car designer George Barris from Barris Kustom City purchased it directly from the Ford Motor Company for just $1. In 1965, Barris was asked by ABC television to design a custom vehicle for the new Batman series. Because Barris had limited time, he decided to use the Futura as the car's base, and in only 3 weeks, the Batmobile was born. The car became one of the most memorable vehicles of the late 1960's and it is probably Barris' most famous design.

George Barris' work is art on wheels. I often dream of owning one of his custom built hot rods. Especially either the Blue Danube or his Zupan'49 Merc. Oh, and then there's the Fireball 500... I can't decide; they're all too cool. It looks like I'll need at least a 3-car garage... Until then, I'll just have to keep making beaded hot rods, instead=:)