Bill Cushenbery Built Barris Kustoms Batmobile

                             True Fact Barris Kustoms Batmobile
                                 Was Built By Bill Cushenbery
        For years George Barris has been saying he design,and built
   The Batmobile. It is not the truth.Yet every book,magazine,blog
   and video have said George Barris built it,just because George
   Barris said so.George Barris for many years gave no credit to
   his employees,or hired customizers,not even Tom Daniel who
   designed The Munster Koach after George Barris took along 
   his attorney,paid Tom Daniel $200.Then drew The Munster
   Koach.   
       Sorry people,you all have been mislead. I will tell you what
   George Barris did work on,the chain cutters.See when he was
   handed the contract from Greenway Productions,he had a job
   to do.Yes Barris Kustoms was to have the honor of having 
   The Batmobile built,but that doesn't mean they built it.
   George Barris King of the Kustomizers, from a business
   stand point,could have this name upon himself,as he was 
   the boss of this company,marketing more custom cars for
   television,movies,stars of the cars,for actors,entertainers,
   and for big corporations,all without,being a master in body 
   work,like his brother Sam Barris,or his custom car rivals.
       Yet the fact is,it wasn't built in his shop.He paid the very
   naturally gifted body,customizer,who was Bill Cushenbery,
   who took the car for three weeks.He designed the custom
   bat nose,the new front,after,removing the bulky bumper 
   with grill.The Futura was designed by Ghia from Italy,it
   was this second identical copy,that Ford allowed Barris to
   have for parking their cars on his lots for many years.Ford
   took the original $250,000 expermental car,and crushed it.
       The Lincoln Futura did have a hup in the middle of the
   hood Bill Cushenbery,had the hup come down more to give
   it's hood bat nostals,that would go into the new cutom nose.
   The identical car was the one,that Bill Cushenbery took a
   air chisel to open up the wheel wells,and flair the fenders.
   The fenders had to be altered to hide the lights more,and
   give the car better,styling design.The car would have off
   centered holes drilled for the chrome rocket tubes.
      The trunk had the portable bat computer.On Robin side
   of the car on right top dashboard was the batscope.The dash-
   board was designed like a roll top desk.Once lifted,a small
   bat monitor,like mini television set helped them keep a eye
   on things.George Barris worked on the chain cutters.It had
   a real Battering Ram up front.There was also that four way
   attenna,in the show would blow open things.The car had no
   computers.Everything had to work.even George Barris 
   showed a orange painted can was in the bat exhaust area,
   so when that karosene hits the igniter,the flames go into
   that paint can.This how this is done,not some electric as
   some cloned Batmobiles have.The car  has two bat para-
   chutes,to help stop the car.A van would pick up the bat 
   parachutes,and Batman would get them later,when not on 
   duty.
      The tires are Uniroyals,with four matching One Ribbed 
   Radar Mags.The Bat Knock Offs were custom made,and
   painted the same orange as all the Bat logos and trim.
   The car has a real tire inflator,and also I fire extinguisher
   to put a fire immediately,as it senses it.
      Even the Bat trim was designed by the famous person,
   responsible for The ZZR graphics on the car.
      Open air vents on the back of the doors,these had to be
   closed off completely.What Bill Cushenbery did is have the 
   bat fins start here,and go to the back to the pointed bat fins.
   Flush triangle batlights are installed in the bat fins openings.
      The car top was designed like airplane.The middle canope
  you have to lift upward to open up.This did have doors,but 
  was sealed shut.Bill Cushenbery had to removed this canope
  to install the curved arch to work flush with the bubble top
  windshields.

   This arch would  have much wiring needed.You had the
   red beacon on top, the red and green lights on the side 
   of the arch.Then it needed that sturdy T-bar Adam West
   would pull,to make the car,do those 360 degree turns.
      The Batmobile was said to have a Ford  427 CID engine
   with two superchargers with a igniter.They said the engine 
   was balance and blueprinted.However,this isn't the engine
   that the famous Barret-Jackson reported.They said it had a
   390 CID Ford engine.I thinking from a Galaxy 500,as this 
   was the  chassis used for the car.
      Have you even seen George Barris chop a top,section a
   car?Dean Jeffries knew George Barris could  chop tops,
   and major body work.
      True George Barris was trained by Harry Westegard,but
   in my opinion,after graduating high school,he should of got
   a job with Harry.Then after he was fully trained in chopping 
   tops,sectioning a car,and other major body work,then moved
   to LA,instead of moving to LA.I feel George Barris didn't get
   to finish his training with Harry Westegard a professional
   body man.
      Instead George Barris made money using his brother Sam 
   Barris.Then when Sam called it quits,he had a loyal man,that 
   George Barris would hire,name Dick Dean.Now George
   could sit back and relax,as Dick Dean built most of Barris
   Kustom Kars.Like the Surf Woody,Munster Koach,and
   Dragula,as well as many cars,to fill large volumns of books.
   Like or not people George Barris was the boss,what he said
   goes.Those builders were like secretaries,dictating letters
   to George Barris.He would tell what he wanted,and they were
   to build what was ordered.He could rightfully take credit,since
   he was the boss,building,and designing the cars,since it was
   built in his business Barris Kustoms.
       A former worker said George Barris would torch for about
   15 minutes stop at write notes about it and file it.He did this
   for a certain amount of time.I know this person ,and where
   his shop is.He is a son of famous custom car designer,that
   can build lead sleds.He won The Barris De Elegance 
   Award for his green lead sled.He help build the Eclipse for
   Fast and the Furious first movie.He is Brad Masterson of
   Mastersons  Kustoms, where George Barris shop was.He
   even has Fire Celebrations of the 1957 Barris fire where
   everything of George Barris went up in smoke,accept the
   Ali Kart two time Grand National Winner in 1958 and 1959.
      Here is the man Bill Cushenberry,custom cars,look at 
   them, judge fairly after you see these cars.of his.Please
   note the Bat Cycle was used by Bill Cushenbery's family,
   I not going to say he built it.There were more customs in
   my files,like Silhouette II a Corvair powered bubbletop
   that was restored .Please I add them,as I finf the files on
   my discs.Enjoy.I have nothing against George Barris.Him
   saving all those cars,gave us a chance to buy the pictures,
   or the real custom.I wish he had been honest with us in the
   beginning,giving credit,where it was to be given.It is for
   this reason why Bill Cushenbery left the custom car sceen
   in the mid -sixties.True Fact.When no one was take a real
   interest at the car shows,when he last showed his Silhouette,
   He was mad,and vowed never return.If George Barris told
   the public that he hired Bill Cushenbery he designed and 
   built The Batmobile,to fulfill a contract order with Greenway
   Productions,they might of thought if he did this,maybe he do
   a old school lead sleds.However by not telling the public,he
    robbed them of a famous custom car designer,for money.No
   wonder,no one who worked with George Barris, mentions
   him.All the veteran customizers know George Barris didn't
   build his cars,his crew did.Then he racked in all the money.
       Even Tom Daniel  said It was George  Barris who made
   all the money,and he was just a kid.Tom Daniel wasn't a kid
   he just said that,when it came the amount small money got
   for designing The Munster Koach.
      I feel I should speak for Bill Cushenbery,by sharing with
   the real truth about the designer and builder.Today Barris
   will give you the truth,as he has nothing to lose.The once
   famous Barris Kustoms has been renamed Barris Kustom
   Industries.It is what pictures,videos,other things like model
   kits,or anything to do with their former custom information.
   They have only one custom car left.Will Munster Koach II
   hit the auction block in Barret-Jackson January 2014?We 
   will just have towait and see.

   
   

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