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View Full Version : Any Barris Custom Car Fans here?



at100plus
11-08-2003, 12:52 PM
My uncle - Walter Trapp Jr. owned this car by Barris for 21 years. He sold it in 1992 for $20,000 in poor condition. I was talking to him about it today, and I looked up some pictures on the web.

It originally belonged to Bill Carr (first two pictures below), and then moved on to some other brief owners. My uncle said it was used in a bank robbery in which that guy is still in prison. After that it ended up on a used car lot in Arizona. My uncle acquired it in about 1971 and it looked good then. He went to some shows with it and then decided he would do some restoration. He left it with someone who neglected it and didn't get the work done. The guy had a drug problem and lost his shop or something to that effect. Ultimately my uncle had to track his car down because it was moved to some yard where it had been left outside. The car was in many pieces and one of the doors was lost.

My entire life, this car sat in my Uncle's auto repair shop (Tuckerton Auto) in south Jersey. It looked like a wreck, it looked more like the first two pictures when I last saw it.

My uncle said that Barry Mazza wrote him letters and begged him to sell the car for year. Finally in 1992 he sold it to Barry.

The car is now in S. Florida and Barry has done a remarkable job completely restoring it to original if not better condition. Here are the photos I have found so far.

If you are not familiar with Barris check out this site:
http://www.barris.com/

He has done alot of famous cars.

at100plus
11-08-2003, 12:52 PM
Bill Car

at100plus
11-08-2003, 12:53 PM
some old b&w photos from a show

at100plus
11-08-2003, 12:54 PM
2

at100plus
11-08-2003, 12:55 PM
3

at100plus
11-08-2003, 12:55 PM
4

at100plus
11-08-2003, 12:56 PM
5

at100plus
11-08-2003, 12:58 PM
6

at100plus
11-08-2003, 01:00 PM
I think this is what it looked like in it's original glory years. The color is really cool, it was I think 14 coats of a red that looked gold from certain angles.

at100plus
11-08-2003, 01:01 PM
Here it is today

at100plus
11-08-2003, 01:03 PM
today

at100plus
11-08-2003, 01:04 PM
-

mardyn
11-08-2003, 03:19 PM
My guess is that it started life as a '57 Cheby...

It's interesting to following the history on those old show cars... lots of work to keep 'em looking good too..

Thanks for the pix!
mardyn

at100plus
11-08-2003, 04:47 PM
Actually, I think it was a 55

Jason Huber
11-09-2003, 09:36 AM
Barris is the real deal! Mr. "Cars of The Stars" himself. :cool: Built Kustoms for Hollywood, Movie, TV & music personalities. One of my Barris fave's is the Voxmobile. A car he built in the mid 60's for a Vox Guitar/Amp promotion featuring Jimmy Bryant - "Worlds Fastest Guitar Player". He & his late brother were innovators for-sure...;)

rev.ronnie
11-09-2003, 11:47 PM
There was a Barris Customs 1967 or 8 camaro on ebay a while back. It was some sort of giveaway car. Those designs are pretty timeless.

Jason Huber
11-10-2003, 09:14 AM
Check THIS out!! http://www.barris.com/ Barris IS the King of the Kustomizers!!! Here's the Voxmobile... :cool:

clydecleinmark
11-10-2003, 11:12 AM
Initially, Barris and his brother Sam, were innovators in early custom cars. Unfortunately, Barris got real famous among the Hollywood set and went from King of the Customizers to King of the Trailer Queens.