Lincoln Futura

Currently, exact replicas are being produced by Fiberglass Freaks, a company in Logansport, Indiana. The owner of Fiberglass Freaks has the license from DC to produce the 1966 Batmobile Replicas. These vehicles are full-scale, road ready versions.

Lincoln Futura

1955 Lincoln Futura
Overview
Manufacturer Lincoln (Ford)
Production 1954
one prototype built
Model years 1955
Assembly Carrozzeria Ghia, Turin, Italy
Designer Bill Schmidt
Body and chassis
Class Concept car
Body style 2-door coupé
Layout Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine 368 cu in (6.0 L) Y-block OHV V8
Transmission 3-speed Turbo Drive automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase 126.0 in (3,200.4 mm)
Length 227.0 in (5,765.8 mm)
Width 84.6 in (2,148.8 mm)
Height 58.2 in (1,478.3 mm)[1]

The Lincoln Futura is a concept car promoted by Ford's Lincoln brand, designed by Ford's lead stylists Bill Schmidt and John Najjar,[2][3] and hand-built by Ghia in Turin, Italy — at a cost of $250,000 (equivalent to $2,200,000 in 2016).

Displayed on the auto show circuit in 1955, the Futura was modified by George Barris into the Batmobile, for the 1966 TV series Batman.

History

The Futura's styling was original by 1950s standards — with a double, clear-plastic canopy top, exaggerated hooded headlight pods, and very large, outward-canted tailfins.[4] Nevertheless, the Futura had a complete powertrain and was fully operable, in contrast to many show cars. Its original color was white, and was one of the first pearlescent color treatments, using ground pearl to achieve the paint effect. The Futura was powered by a 368 cubic inch Lincoln engine and powertrain; the chassis derived from a Continental Mark II.

The Futura was a success as a show car, garnering favorable publicity for Ford. It was released as a model kit and a toy, and in a much more subdued form its headlight and tailfin motifs would appear on production Lincolns for 1956 and 1957, such as the Lincoln Premiere and Lincoln Capri. The concave front grille inspired the grille on the 1960 Mercury Monterey and the 1961 Ford Galaxie.

Media appearances

The Futura played a prominent part in the 1959 movie It Started with a Kiss, starring Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford. For the movie, it was painted red, as the white pearlescent finish did not photograph well.[5]

The concept car was subsequently sold to auto customizer George Barris. Having originally cost $250,000, the Futura was sold to Barris for $1.00 and "other valuable consideration" by Ford Motor Company. As the car was never titled and was therefore uninsurable, it was parked behind Barris' shop, sitting idle and deteriorating for several years.

Batmobile

The Batmobile from the 1960s Batman' TV series

In 1966 Barris was asked to design a theme car for the Batman television series.[6] Originally the auto stylist Dean Jeffries was contracted to build the car for the show in late 1965, but when the studio wanted the car faster than he could deliver, the project was given to Barris.[7] With the short notice, Barris thought the Futura might work well, and using Jeffries's initial car, decided that its unusual winged shape would be an ideal starting point for the Batmobile. Barris hired Bill Cushenberry to modify the car's metalwork. Barris went on to build three fiberglass replicas using the frames and running gear from 1966 Ford Galaxie cars for the show circuit, three of which were covered with a felt-like flocking finish in the 1970s. Barris later acquired a fourth replica, a metal car built on a 1958 Thunderbird.

Barris retained ownership of the car, both after its conversion to the Batmobile, leasing it to the TV studio for filming and after production of the TV series ended, displayed in Barris' own museum in California. It has also been displayed in the Cayman Motor Museum on Grand Cayman Island.

Barris sold the Batmobile to Rick Champagne at the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction on Saturday, January 19, 2013 in Scottsdale, Arizona for US4.62 million dollars.[8][9][10]

Replica

Bob Butts Replica, as seen in Ohio November 7, 2009

In the 1990s, Bob Butts (with George Barris' consent) made replicas of the Batmobiles. He took one of the Barris-built replica Batmobiles and made a mold of it. Based on pictures from when the Futura was shown in the 1950s, he reskinned an existing Batmobile replica back into a Lincoln Futura replica. He only created one copy.

Current toy versions of the Futura Batmobile are being made by Mattel (Hot Wheels) and Polar Lights models, among others. Mr. Barris only recently allowed these toys to be made again.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Specifications - The Futura". The Classic 1966 TV Batmobile. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Bakken, Douglas A. "Automotive Design Oral History Project: Remembering John Najjar". University of Michigan. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  3. ↑ Prototypes, Detroit (n.d.). "Detroit's Prototype and Concept Vehicles: 1955 Futura". Bryant & Stratton College. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Lincoln Shows Its Idea Automobile." Popular Mechanics, March 1953, p. 95.
  5. ↑ 1955 Lincoln Futura in It Started with a Kiss, Movie, 1959 at the Internet Movie Car Database
  6. ↑ George Barris, David Fetherston, Barris TV and Movie Cars, pages 20-27 (MBI Publishing Company, 1996) ISBN 0-7603-0198-0
  7. ↑ St. Antoine, Arthur. - "Interview: Dean Jeffries, Hollywood legend". - Motor Trend Magazine
  8. ↑ http://news.barrett-jackson.com/sold-barrett-jacksons-5000-series-generates-more-than-29-2-million-in-scottsdale/
  9. ↑ Couch, Aaron. "JAN 19 21 MINS First Batmobile Fetches $4.6 Million at Auction". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  10. ↑ "Original Batmobile from TV series sells for $4.2M". USA Today. 20 January 2013.
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