Famed Hollywood customizer George Barris, whose trend-setting creations include Father Larry Ernst’s 1951 Chevy Bel Air, has passed away at 89. Get all the latest auto industry news in the Executive Briefing.
Today’s headlines:
+ General Motors’ tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers appears to be on track for approval, with around 56 percent of the workers reportedly voting yes thus far. More at The Detroit News.
+ Volkswagen Group’s luxury diesel cars in Europe, including Audi and Porsche, are fitted with the same software used to cheat emissions tests in the United States, the automaker disclosed. More at Automotive News Europe.
+ George Barris, the legendary King of the Kustomizers and creator of cars for films and TV shows including Batman and The Munsters, has died at 89. More at Variety.
+ The share price of scandal-ridden airbag maker Takata Corporation continued to slide as more manufacturers, including Honda and Mazda, have dropped the company’s airbag inflators. More at Reuters.
+ Joe Gibbs Racing driver Matt Kenseth will remain suspended for the next two NASCAR events after losing both appeals of penalties that resulted from his crashing of Joey Logano at Martinsville. More at ESPN.
+ Passenger car sales in China increased 11 percent in October, the best performance in seven months, after the government reduced a vehicle sales tax. More at Bloomberg.
+ Chevrolet has announced a series of Corvette performance parts sourced from the Z06 but applicable to the base Stingray in a new spec racing series, the Michelin Corvette Challenge. More at Autoblog.
+ Two weeks after the U.S. Grand Prix, Jason Dial has been ousted as CEO of the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. More at the Austin American-Statesman.
+ In a prepared statement, Ford asserts the new Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement among the U.S. and 11 other nations does not go far enough in addressing currency manipulation. More at the Detroit Free Press.
+ Startup electric vehicle manufacturer Faraday Future says it will invest $1 billion in a new assembly plant in the U.S. but has not announced a site. More at Motor Trend.
+ Following financial difficulties and a change in ownership, the historic Nürburgring race circuit is in discussions with Formula 1 czar Bernie Ecclestone to return to the schedule in 2017. More at UK Eurosport.
Read the previous Executive Briefing from November 2 here.
Photo by Bill McGuire for Mac’s Motor City Garage.
I see a recent photo of George & the Keith Ashley restoration. I always wondered if someone choosing color was color blind to come up with that combo. It seems hard to believe anyone with any color training or experience would not have done that in the early ’50s…
Sad to see a legend pass….
I’ve viewed this car numerous times and loved the color combination. This seems like an awkward moment to critique the Barris color sense in any case.
We all like to think of ourselves as hardcore car guys but George Barris was an archetype. This man had a passion for cars, all cars, that is unmatched by anyone else I have ever met. He was a marketing genius, great photographic artist and, most importantly, a wonderful, caring and giving human being. He made me proud to be a fellow car guy and Greek-American. Through his many creations, his memory is sure to be eternal.
George Barris touched our lives in so many ways. He was, without a doubt, the custom king. Thanks for all the cool vehicles we, as kids, grew up with.
Sad, another legend gone. Love him or hate him, Barris had talent, and used it. All my childhood heros are too quickly leaving us.