#obituary

Thursday afternoon, legendary car customizer George Barris left this mortal coil at the age of 89, leaving behind a decades-long automotive legacy.

The self-described “King of Kustom Kulture,” Barris was customizing cars long before turning a Lincoln Futura concept car into the first of many iconic Batmobiles, according to The Detroit Bureau. He and his brother, Sam, began customizing while in high school in Roseville, Calif., using the money earned from working on a 1925 Buick to buy and build a 1936 Ford.

The founder of Lowrider magazine, Sonny Madrid, died Monday at 70.

Denise McCluggage passed away this week at the age of 88. A pioneer in so many ways and not simply because she was a woman competing in mostly male environments. Denise simply excelled at whatever she did.

To most car enthusiasts she was known primarily for her automotive writing and photography. In the 1950s, though, she raced cars actively and successfully on road courses and in rallying, including a class win in a Ferrari 250GT at the Sebring 12 hour race in 1961. She raced in both women’s events and in those men’s events that would let her enter, competing with and being treated as an equal by racers like Phil Hill and Sterling Moss. She and Moss were lifelong friends. You could always spot her in the field by her distinctive red polka-dotted racing helmet. She was also a competitive downhill skier and a professional instructor in that sport. For more details on her professional life, you can read her biographies elsewhere, or check out her personal website, but this post is more of an eulogy than an obituary. Denise McCluggage was simply one of the coolest ladies I’ve even known.