King of Customizers Barris Hosts Volo Auto Museum Event

VOLO, Ill., June 18, 2004; George Barris, creator of the original Batmobile and other famous TV and movie cars, will appear July 2, 3 and 4th at the Volo Auto Museum, 27582 W. Volo Village Rd.

Barris will host the First Annual Firecracker Kustom Kar and Hot Rod Kruise, where he will meet and greet car buffs, sign autographs, and share customizing secrets.

"The Volo Auto Museum provides a tremendous atmosphere to launch a major automotive entertainment event in the Midwest," Barris said. "Our goal is to establish a successful and memorable annual event."

Known as the King of Kustomizers, Barris was born in Chicago in 1926. He opened his first body shop in 1944 in Los Angeles, where he pioneered many customizing techniques that still are in vogue today.

In addition to "Batman," Barris built cars for "The Munsters," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Knight Rider," and other famous TV shows. He also built cars for "Back to the Future," "The Fast and the Furious," "Scooby Doo," "XxX," and other popular movies.

The George Barris Hollywood Star Cars Collection includes all of these cars and more and now is on permanent display at the Volo Auto Museum.

"My early years were spent drooling over the Barris cars," Volo President Greg Grams said. "It is a dream come true to be able to own these cars and display them right here in my hometown."

The Volo Auto Museum is a 30-acre theme park. In addition to the George Barris Hollywood Star Cars Collection, the museum features 300 antique and muscle cars, military displays, children's exhibits, a 1950s food court, five antique malls and lots of other cool attractions.

The museum reserves the right to postpone or cancel events.

The museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $7; $5 for seniors, veterans with Veterans Universal Access ID, and active personnel with military ID; $3 for children 6-12; and free for children under age 6 and military personnel in uniform. Special group rates are available. Visit http://www.volocars.com or call (815) 385-3644 for details.

The museum is located about 50 miles north of Chicago, 50 miles east of Rockford and 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee, 1/2 mile west on Route 12 on Highway 120, 13 miles west of I-94 in Volo, Illinois.