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Part One of a Three-Part Series
The original 1966 television series Batman, and the signature Batmobile are still amazeballs!
Only Adam West will ever truly be regarded as Batman, and his Batmobile will forever be the “original”.
In this multi-part series, we will explore (almost) all of the Batmobile incarnations, starting with the original TV series, then part-two will feature the Tim Burton era, and we’ll wrap it up with the Dark Knight/Tumbler era.
In 1963, before the TV series was even a thought, Batman enthusiast Forrest Robinson turned a 1956 Oldsmobile, in a a radical, giant-finned Batmobile. It was spectacular but unknown to the world. Robinson left the U.S. in 1964, and when he returned in 1966, the television show was all the rage. His creation became such a hit that DC Comics licensed it as a promotional vehicle, making it the official unofficial first Batmobile. [Insert fff-batmobile-1963 images carousel]
We begin with the superstar super car featured in the 1966, 1967, and 1968 television series Batman, starring Adam West as Batman, and that other guy, (see sidekick get no love) as Robin, fighting crime together as the Caped Crusaders!
Built by legendary car customizer George Barris, (also known for KITT from Knight Rider, and a ton of other TV and movie cars,) the original 1966 Batmobile was based on a prototype 1955 Ford Futura concept car that cost Ford $250,000 to create. It was called the “laboratory on wheels”, and was inspired by a scuba-diving expedition, and created by designer William Schmidt. It had a low twin-dome clear Plexiglass cockpit, a 330 horsepower engine, and air-cooling scoops for the rear brakes.
The Futura was 19 feet long, seven feet wide, and a low-riding 4 feet high. It had 27 different dashboard indicator lamps, 18 control switches, a foot-pedal horn, and half-a-mile of wiring. There were no openable windows, as the car was climate controlled.
In 1959, the Ford Futura appeared, dressed in red, in the MGM film It Started With A Kiss, starring Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds. After that the car was forgotten, and wound up in storage behind Barris’ shop for several years. Always admiring the ‘bat-like styling”, when producer William Dozer approached Barris about creating the Batmobile, Barris knew he already had the Futura stored for Ford, who owed him money, and no longer had interest in the car. So, Ford agreed to sell the prototype to him for a buck, and Barris immediately got to work.
Barris, with a skinny $15-30,000 budget, gathered his top metal-fabricator, Bill Cushenberry, and turned the auto-show car into the Batmobile in a mere three weeks. The original finished incarnation was a matte gray with white pinstriping. Barris thought it was dull, so just before filming began, they put 40 coats of gloss black lacquer on it with orange stripes. (FRASER SIDE NOTE: At that time, when painting a car, it was customary to put two thin coat of paint on, and then wet sand one off with ultra-fine sandpaper, and then, put on another two coats, etc. So, when a historical account says 40 coats, that’s quite accurate. And the result of that kind of effort was a mirror-like shine that reflected colors so richly, you would forget what color the car was.)
The Batmobile weighed an incredible 5,500 lbs., due to it’s all-steel body. It was powered by a 390 cu. in. V8 engine with a three-speed automatic transmission. The Mickey Thompson tires rode on custom chrome 15” rims, complete with Batman logo on the center hubs. It was such a unique vehicle, that George Barris applied for, and received a patent on the design. [Patent Info]
Producers of the show had Barris create three additional fiberglass replicas of the Batmobile for car shows and other appearances. Molds of the original body were made, and Ford Galaxies were modified for the conversion. The three replicas possessed several different features, specifically the one referred to as the “Dragster” which had a 427 cu. in. engine, beefed up suspension and tires, and actual flames shot out of the turbine exhaust.
For all of the incredible action sequences in the Batman television series, the most interesting story is of creator George Barris being pulled over by California police, for deploying the Batmobile’s functioning parachutes on a public highway. Barris was purportedly showing off. The coppers were so enamored in pulling over the “real” Batmobile and it’s creator, that they let Barris go with a warning.
The value of the finished Batmobile, in 1966, was $125,000. In 2013, the original Barris Batmobile sold for a kachinging $4.6 million dollars. In June of 2015 it sold again for over $5 million, and in November of 2015, George Barris passed away.
If you want to create a replica Batmobile of your own, bolt in a world-class FRASER remanufactured engine and Biff! Pow! Wham!
Thinking about building a replica with an american-made engine? Fraser has the right engine ready for you!