Barris and Other Modified XKs

My guess, based on purely circumstantial evidence of other Barris projects, is that George Barris had no hand in the creation of my XK. My cursory enquiry to his Hollywood headquarters elicited the not unreasonable response that he had no recollection of the car. Other enthusiasts such as Bruce Carnachan of the US Classic Jaguar Association and Mike Fassett, the original importer, actually visited Mr Barris and he agreed, eventually, that the car was one of his – hmm!

The earliest record of a Barris ‘120 is an entry in a 1955 Barris Kustom catalogue kindly sent to me by Marv James. I’ll leave you to make up your own mind on its aesthetic qualities. Sorry for the awful image.

The most famous Barris XK is probably the one customised for the sixties US presidential candidate Barry Goldwater (the man who advocated nuking  North Vietnam). His car seems about the same standard as his foreign policy. It appears to be a ill considered amalgam of Buick and Lincoln bits crudely grafted to an XK drop head coupe. Interestingly, the car emerged quite recently from storage and was for sale on eBay. It seems to have survived extremely well. We will no doubt see it risen from the ashes in the not too distant future.

A rather more elegant design is the car once owned by world champion boxer Archie Moore. The radical redesign is often credited to Mr Barris but was actually the creation of the lauded US designer Raymond Loewy. The tinwork was done in Italy by Boano, the famous Ferrari man. The Barris connection is based on an unhappy event when Moore brought the car into George’s workshop for some detailing. The premises unfortunately burned down and Moores’ car, along with a number of others, was a total loss.

There are quite a few examples of other US customisers trying their hand at ‘improving’ William Lyons’ work. In most cases their effort was aimed at producing something different and eye catching.

This car was reputedly collected new from the docks and modified by Joe Gertler Snr. The work was done for New York millionaire Lewis Ebling who wanted to enter something noteworthy in the Washington DC World Motor Sports Show in the early fifties. The car won a trophy.

There’s not much information about another of Joe’s XKs. You may not like the results (I definitely do) but at least the work seems to be of high quality. It is a bit reminiscent of a pre-war Alfa. These images appear by kind permission of Joe Gertler, Joe Snr’s son.

In the eighties, when I lived in the US, XKs were at a pretty low ebb and owners were often reluctant to fund the expense of rebuilding what were thought of as complex and expensive European engines. It was common to see American motive power shoehorned under Jaguar bonnets. The alien units included V8s and straight six variants. I don’t know what’s under the hood of the two-toned car but, based on the plethora of exhaust pipes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a small block V8.

Tony Brown visited the American owner of this rather nicely restyled ‘120 fixed head and sent me this image. It just goes to show that not all US designs are bad. The designer and owner is Dennis Eyron. Dennis penned the changes and then gathered half a dozen specialists around him to help realise his dream. I think this and the maroon car, show that quality workmanship, well fitting panels and good paint, count for a lot.