George Barris' 1966 MONGREL T

After starring with Elvis in *Easy Come, Easy Go*, the Mongrel T went on to play the Jokermobile on the Batman TV series.

It’s 1966, and you get a call asking you to build a car for the next Elvis Presley movie, Easy Come, Easy Go. It’s full of singing, laughs, and an adventure by the sea – what do you do? Grab some spare parts from the shop, a few surfboards, and some important ‘60s accessories – namely, vinyl and shag upholstery. And that’s pretty much the explanation for the “Mongrel T” built by George Barris. After starring with Elvis, it went on to be the Jokermobile on the Batman TV series.

Originally a Ford Model T, by the late ‘60s they were easy to come by and easy to customize. In an era of wild showcars, the trend made its way to TV and movies of the time as well. George Barris created a number of both movie and showcars that went on to be immortalized by magazines, model kits, and Hot Wheels – the original Batmobile being one of them. Movie cars had only one purpose, look good on film for the few short scenes that they were bound to enter…. read more >