70-565: The Lincoln Futura is a concept car promoted by Ford's Lincoln brand, designed by Ford 's lead stylists Bill Schmidt and John Najjar , and hand-built by Ghia in Turin , Italy — at a cost of $ 250,000 (equivalent to $ 2,800,000 in 2024). Displayed on the auto show circuit in 1955, the Futura was modified by George Barris into the Batmobile , for the 1966 TV series Batman . The idea for
140-402: A concept vehicle or show vehicle ) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not be produced . General Motors designer Harley Earl is generally credited with inventing the concept car, and did much to popularize it through its traveling Motorama shows of
210-600: A harrier jet and a submarine. Dick Grayson comments that the name Batmobile is "totally queer". However, in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns , which exists in the same continuity, Grayson was stated as the one who coined the name. The Batmobile made a brief cameo at the end of the Looney Tunes Show episode "Reunion". Bugs Bunny drove off in it after seeing the Bat-Signal because, in that show, he
280-482: A light tank , the ability to absorb impact makes it nearly indestructible and affected anything it collided within a similar fashion. It can be called to Batman instantly with the press of a button and can eject Batman hundreds of feet in the air to instantly begin gliding. Batman can also control the Batmobile remotely using his Batmobile Remote gadget and it can even support Batman while he is fighting free-flow combat via
350-609: A motorcycle to traverse the city, using the tank again after the attempted nuclear strike and fires in Gotham, although it is torn apart during Batman's battle with Superman. This Batmobile reappeared in All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #4, which shows its construction by robots in the Batcave. In Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder , the car can convert into
420-507: A "Reconfigurable Embedded System", featuring two modes between which it can transform: pursuit mode and battle mode. Pursuit Mode is the default Pursuit and Capture form used for driving around the city and tackling race tracks that the Riddler has set up. It contains boost and jump mechanisms, non-lethal missiles used to immobilize getaway vehicles and an EMP taser unit to stun criminals and enemy vehicles. Battle Mode transforms
490-536: A "specially built high-powered auto" by Detective Comics #30, and in Batman #5 (March 1941), it had a bat hood ornament and a darker exterior color. The predominant designs settled on a large, dark-colored body and bat-like accessories such as large tailfins scalloped to resemble a bat's wings. Other bat-vehicles soon followed, including the Batcycle , Batboat , and Robin's Redbird . Batman #5 (March 1941) introduced
560-490: A Batmobile assisted Special Takedown. Like the Batsuit and gadgets, the Batmobile can be upgraded and even has its own alternate skins (such as one based on the Batmobile from 1960 TV series). The game also features Batmobiles from other Batman media that appear as DLC and are used in the main game upon the main story's completion as well as in special Racing AR Challenges. The Arkham Knight Batmobile— Urban Assault Vehicle —has
630-463: A bat motif, from a bat faceplate on the grille to tail fins resembling bat wings. This version of the Batmobile is a simple sleek pod with sharp angles and rounded sides. Its interior is a red illuminated single-person cockpit, with computer circuitry and displays visible all around. It is armed with guided immobilizer missiles and grappling cables. Being a "single-seat" by design, it was never meant to carry two people, as shown when Terry's friend Maxine
700-487: A burning wreck. In mid-1985, a special variation of the Super Powers toyline Batmobile appeared in both Batman and Detective Comics . This design had a full set of front and rear canopies, "Coke-bottle" sides, integrated fins, and generally rounder features, just like the toy. The only difference between this car and its toy counterpart is the nose, which was sometimes drawn as longer and more pointed. Beginning in
770-526: A heavily armored tactical assault vehicle and a personalized custom-built pursuit and capture vehicle that is used by Batman in his fight against crime. Using the latest civilian performance technology, coupled with prototype military-grade hardware—most of which was developed by Wayne Enterprises —Batman creates an imposing hybrid monster car to prowl the streets of Gotham City . The Batmobile first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), where it
SECTION 10
#1732851748145840-475: A long, black body with what is described as a "Coke bottle" profile, with a large, light blue bat emblem set across the hood, which, when a dashboard control was activated, the metal bat symbol folded its "wings" up at its center, forming a barricade/chain cutter. There were no door-mounted bat symbols. Another departure from the Barris Batmobile was a single windshield and large, elevated bat-fins. Curiously,
910-525: A long, powerful, streamlined Batmobile with a tall scalloped fin and an intimidating bat head on the front. Three pages after its introduction, it was forced off a cliff by the Joker and crashed in the ravine below. An identical Batmobile appeared in the next story printed in the same issue. The 1966–1968 television series Batman was so popular that its campy humor and its version of Batmobile were imported into Batman's comics. The iconic television Batmobile
980-614: A race alongside many famous vehicles from pop culture, the Batmobile is destroyed when it is struck by another vehicle and explodes. As it skids out, the skidding sound effect is the same cadence as the "Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na" from the opening credits of the Batman TV theme. A sentient, talking version of the Batmobile appears in the Batwheels animated TV series for kids, as one of its main protagonists, and has been primarily voice-portrayed by Jacob Bertrand of Cobra Kai fame. This version
1050-529: A tie-in to Kenner 's Super Powers Collection . The Batmobile made appearances in the various series of the DC animated universe . The Batmobile in Batman: The Animated Series combined style elements from various eras to produce a long, low vehicle with square lines, long fins, and a blunt nose with a massive chrome grille that could have been from any time from the 1930s to the 1990s. This version of
1120-520: 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 1960 Ford Galaxie . The styling showed a progression from the Mercury XM-800 introduced in 1954. The Futura played a prominent part in
1190-412: A two-page spread at the end of the story, with Bruce musing that it was provided to him by the remaining members of the underground movement against the religious dictatorship that rules the world in this timeline. In Batman & Dracula: Red Rain , the Batmobile is presented as a basic open-topped car with a single bat-wing at its rear, similar in design to the original Batmobile in the comics. Batman
1260-422: A working drivetrain and accessories. The state of most concept cars lies somewhere in between and does not represent the final product. A very small proportion of concept cars are functional to any useful extent, and some cannot move safely at speeds above 10 miles per hour (16 km/h). Inoperative " mock-ups " are usually made of wax, clay, metal, fiberglass, plastic, or a combination thereof. If drivable,
1330-547: Is named, "Bam", by the Batcomputer , and is the leader of his family and team, The Batwheels. In Batman: Arkham Asylum , a version of the Batmobile appears with a design heavily influenced by the one used in Batman (1989 film) and Batman: The Animated Series . In the game, it is vandalized by Harley Quinn and the Blackgate prisoners. Batman later controls the Batmobile remotely using his utility belt to take Bane into
1400-532: Is revealed that Bruce's son, Damian Wayne , solved the problem of its inability to fly and completed it. The Batmobile was redesigned in 2011 when DC Comics relaunched its entire line of comic books, with the Batmobile being given new aesthetics. In 2016, DC Comics relaunched its comic books once again in DC Rebirth and opted to rebrand the continuity to "DC Universe" in December 2017. While many different models of
1470-600: Is secretly Batman. This Batmobile slightly resembles the Golden Age version. According to the site BatmobileHistory.com , the Batmobile created for the 1968–1969 Filmation Associates TV series was not strongly based on its immediate predecessor (except for sharing dual rear cockpit canopies with the Barris/Futura Batmobile) or any version in DC Comics publications of the time. Furthermore, Filmation's Batmobile featured
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#17328517481451540-748: The 1989 live-action film . The Batmobile in Batman: The Brave and the Bold takes design elements from the Golden Age Batmobiles and the Lincoln Futura. This Batmobile has the ability to transform into other vehicles. The tie in toyline's Batmobile shares this feature, transforming from car to jet. On at least one occasion, it has converted into a mecha similar to the Bat-Bots seen in Kingdom Come . In
1610-522: The Batwing transformed by Batman) appears equipped with sub-woofers. It is destroyed during the attack on Cloud Cuckoo Land. In The Lego Batman Movie , multiple versions of the Batmobile from different Batman adaptations appear. In the film, Batman drives the "SpeedWagon" Batmobile, which appears to take inspiration from previous Batmobiles. This Batmobile also uses "atomic batteries", a feature seen in 1960s depictions. Other Batmobiles appear briefly, including
1680-446: The " Batman: Hush " storyline, a double-page spread by Jim Lee shows various Batmobiles (from comics, movies, and all TV series) in storage in the Batcave, reveals that Batman now has more than one of his iconic ground vehicles. In addition, some incarnations of the character, such as Batman: The Animated Series , establish that Batman has a large ground vehicle fleet of various makes and models as well as utility vehicles to use when
1750-637: The " Cataclysm " storyline, it is revealed that Batman has hidden a number of spare vehicles across the city just in case. A Humvee serves as a primary mean of transportation to cross the earthquake-ravaged city during the Aftershock storyline, as the primary Batmobile is wrecked by the quake. These vehicles are not as sophisticated or as fast as the Batmobiles, but some of them are armed with non-lethal riot control and combat artilleries and armored to withstand ammunition mounted on military automobile prototypes. In
1820-453: The "damnedest alloy surface". Batman also mentions that it was Dick Grayson who came up with the name. The tank-like vehicle appears to take up two lanes of traffic on a normal road, evidenced when returning from Batman's initial fight with the leader of the Mutants, and thus is too big for normal land travel around Gotham . In the scenes prior to Batman's last stand with the Joker , Batman uses
1890-868: The 1950s. Concept cars never go into production directly. In modern times, all would have to undergo many changes before the design is finalized for the sake of practicality, safety , regulatory compliance , and cost. A "production-intent" prototype , as opposed to a concept vehicle, serves this purpose. Concept cars are often radical in engine or design . Some use non-traditional, exotic, or expensive materials, ranging from paper to carbon fiber to refined alloys . Others have unique layouts , such as gullwing doors , three or five (or more) wheels , or special abilities not usually found on cars. Because of these often impractical or unprofitable leanings, many concept cars never get past scale models or even drawings in computer design . Other more traditional concepts can be developed into fully drivable (operational) vehicles with
1960-448: 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. The red-painted car is also seen in Ford's 1961 promotional film The Secret Door . The film's look inside Ford's Styling Center includes footage of the Futura on the test track and in the wind tunnel. The concept car
2030-479: The 1990s, the number of comics featuring Batman mushroomed with spin-off titles, limited series , and graphic novels . At the same time, there was considerable experimentation with styles of illustration. With different illustration styles in so many different books, there was naturally a corresponding diversity of designs for the Batmobile. This has continued with designs for the Batmobile ranging from conservative and practical to highly stylized to outlandish. During
2100-490: The 2009 series Batman and Robin , a new Batmobile is unveiled. This model is capable of flight, although is not as maneuverable as the Batwing . It can fire 19 types of projectiles, one of which is a flame retardant non-toxic foam, and features a concussive sonic blast device. This Batmobile was designed and constructed by Bruce Wayne. However, its construction was the source of great frustration to him, as mentioned by Alfred, and thus not finished. In Batman and Robin #1 it
2170-621: The Batcave, the prototype fell off the ledge, destroyed, with Alfred under the rubble. The destroyed remains of that early Batmobile could still be seen on the ledge. In Batman: Arkham Knight , a different version of the Batmobile— Urban Assault Vehicle —retains its classic shape and designs; but is heavily influenced by the ones used in The Dark Knight Trilogy . The car is an off-road vehicle, highly maneuverable, possessed numerous non-lethal deterrents, heavier than
Lincoln Futura - Misplaced Pages Continue
2240-468: The Batcave, with Alfred briefly hiding behind it to escape Killer Croc during a chase through the cave. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns , the Batmobile has been modified into a tank-like armored riot control vehicle, complete with machine guns shooting rubber bullets, a large cannon mounted on the front, and large tank treads in place of tires. According to Batman's narration, the only thing that can penetrate its armor " isn't from this planet " with
2310-574: The Batmobile EXP's success, it is a 'keeper'. In the fourth season , the episode "Artifacts" explores Gotham City in the year 2027, looking back from 3027, complete with a new tank-like Batmobile reminiscent of Frank Miller 's design for the Batmobile in The Dark Knight Returns . The Batmobile makes its appearance in the episode "What a Night, for a Dark Knight!". It is based on the first live-action television series from 1966 to 1968. In
2380-533: The Batmobile also vaguely resembled the Batmobile from the first two Tim Burton movies. Despite the obvious presence of the jet exhaust, the show frequently used sound effects from a reciprocating engine for the Batmobile's driving scenes. This, plus direct views of the engine (as seen in the episode " The Mechanic "), suggests that the car used a large piston engine for primary power and an auxiliary jet or nitro engine for high-speed acceleration. It also had an armored stationary mode to prevent people from tampering with
2450-597: The Batmobile appears in the Batwheels animated TV series, voice-portrayed by Cobra Kai 's Jacob Bertrand . Batman is shown driving a red car in his debut story in Detective Comics #27. The red car was never mentioned by name as the Batmobile. Although the Batplane was introduced in Detective Comics #31, the name "Batmobile" was not applied to Batman's automobile until Detective Comics #48 (February 1941). The car's design evolved in early Batman stories. It became
2520-511: The Batmobile are seen within the Batcave, the model that is primarily used in DC Universe is a revised version with a more rectangular design and an armored appearance. However, this is not always the case, such as in Batman (vol. 3) #4, and #5. In the future neo-Gotham, a sleek, flying car version of the Batmobile is primarily used instead. In Batman: Holy Terror , the Batmobile is depicted on
2590-455: The Batmobile features a camouflage system rendering it invisible; however, another system consisting of a holographic projector disguises it as a simple garbage dumpster or random car to keep away prying eyes and potential vandals. The vehicle has built-in digital recorders and cameras for collecting audio and visual evidence. In the animated series The Batman , the Batmobile resembled a sports coupe with multiple jet exhaust slits protruding from
2660-551: The Batmobile would be too conspicuous. In issue 9 of the third volume of Teen Titans , Robin and his friends use a Batmobile that he shipped out to San Francisco, hiding the expense "in the Batarang budget". The 2008 book Batmobile Owner's Manual , gives theoretical specifications of the car as if it were a real car. The book states that the Batmobile's five-cylinder engine is more powerful than turbine jet engines, and capable of achieving up to 10,000 horsepower (7,500 kW). In
2730-429: The Batmobile's appearance into an off-road tank -like armored Tactical Assault form; capable of raising/lowering/widening its suspension, wheelbase and axle track , depending on its combat or navigational situations. This provides a wider, more stable footprint and increased maneuverability thanks to individually articulated wheels with 360° of lateral spin. Its LED headlights alternate from blue to red. In battle mode
2800-480: The Batmobile, using a mold of one of the Barris-built replicas. 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. The original fiberglass copy shell of the Futura made by Bob Butts was later found by Gotham Garage owner Mark Towle and his friend and actor Shawn Pilot and rebuilt as an original copy of
2870-745: 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 US$ 4.62 million. As of August 2016, Dave Anderson in Fairfax, Virginia owns the #1 made from the Futura Concept Car and he also owns the #2 car (the first replica that Barris built). In the 1990s, Bob Butts (with George Barris' consent) made replicas of
Lincoln Futura - Misplaced Pages Continue
2940-518: The Futura came from designer Bill Schmidt, who got the idea while he was diving, after an encounter with a shark. The car's official public debut was on January 8, 1955, at the Chicago Auto Show ; it had been shown to the press at the city's Congress Hotel on January 5. While being displayed elsewhere in the U.S. that spring, the Futura was seen by the country's television audience on Today ("The Today Show") on March 3, 1955. The Futura's styling
3010-630: The Lincoln Futura together with his team (Constance Nunes, Tony Quinones, Michael "Caveman" Pyle) in their shop in Temecula, California , as seen in the Netflix series Car Masters: Rust to Riches . When finished, the replica Futura was eventually sold at the Grand National Roadster Show at the Pomona Fairplex for approximately $ 90,000. Concept car A concept car (also known as
3080-421: The back bumper. In the third season episode " RPM ", this Batmobile was wrecked beyond repair, and Batman completed a prototype design that included a Wayne Industries 'EXP' power generator. This Batmobile was longer and had a lower profile with only one triangular jet exhaust coming from the rear of the car resembling the one from Batman: The Animated Series . At the end of the episode, Batman remarks that due to
3150-458: The car when it was left unattended, though this was not as overt as the "shields" used in the 1989 movie Batmobile. The original Batmobile design had many design variants as well as Bruce Wayne's limousine, as seen in Batman Beyond , which the producers referred to as "an upside-down Batmobile". It also made a cameo in the episode "The Call, Part 1", of the third season of Batman Beyond . Among
3220-425: The car — which then essentially caused it to function as a high-powered hovercraft. The Filmation Batmobile from The Batman/Superman Hour was one of the few Batmobiles not to see adaptations to any DC Comics publications or have any commercially available replicas (toys, diecast cars, plastic model kits, etc.). The Batmobile was seen in the early episodes of Super Friends was based on the Lincoln Futura design in
3290-631: The car's underside was colored light blue, and it appeared to conceal the car's chassis except for a motorized panel, from which devices such as the Bat-winch would emerge. It is assumed Filmation's Batmobile used this light blue underside color to make the panel and devices easier to see. Additionally, the cockpit seating was a vibrant red, with a dashboard panel using bat accents around an inset monitor screen, among other details. Filmation's Batmobile used parachutes, inflatable pontoons, and, in case of damaged tires, vertical and rear-mounted jets to lift and propel
3360-796: The comics. Beginning with the Challenge of the Superfriends in 1978, the Batmobile got revamped. This new version was developed to have a more aerodynamic, hard-edged style. In addition, this Batmobile was smaller than its predecessor. It had a sloped nose and flying buttress B-pillars. Features that were carried over from the original Super Friends Batmobile were the Bat-mask, low horizontal fins, twin bubble windshields, and blue coloring scheme. In 1984, Super Friends revamped its format (first as Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and then as The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians ) to serve as
3430-452: The drivetrain is often borrowed from a production vehicle from the same company or may have defects and imperfections in design. They can also be quite refined, such as General Motors ' Cadillac Sixteen concept. Batmobile The Batmobile is the car driven by the superhero Batman . Housed in the Batcave , which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is both
3500-514: The episode "Game Over for Owlman", Batman is forced to use a backup Batmobile which resembles a Studebaker . The Batmobile in "Beware the Batman" is a low and flat F1-like car with a single seated cockpit and pointed nose. The car has horizontal fins flanking a pair of jet engines, large wheels with low-profile tires, as well as a sharply angled canopy. This version, as is common with Batmobiles, seems very durable, with low profile armoring, as throughout
3570-461: The episode "Wheels of Fire" (S01E08), the car's creator stole it after it was recovered by construction workers. There was quite a bit of film featuring the vehicle, even a chase between the Viper Defender and the Futura. There is a YouTube video available of the chase. In 1966, Barris was asked to design a theme car for the Batman television series . Originally the auto stylist Dean Jeffries
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#17328517481453640-589: The features of the Batmobile were the following: Massimo Tonoi is the owner of a Batman: The Animated Series Batmobile real-life replica. The Batmobile was redesigned in The New Batman Adventures with its jet engine being most notably absent. This Batmobile design is re-used in Justice League , and Justice League Unlimited , though it appears somewhat more blue than black in paint color. The vehicle possessed bullet-resistant cockpit windows. If
3710-558: The frames and running gear from 1966 Ford Galaxie cars for the show circuit. Barris later acquired a fourth replica, a metal car built on a 1958 Ford Thunderbird . Barris retained ownership of the car after its conversion to the Batmobile, leasing it to the TV studio for filming. After production of the TV series ended, it was displayed in Barris' own museum in California. It has also been displayed in
3780-492: The live-action TV series starring Adam West. The main difference with the Super Friends version was that the car's lines were modified substantially for use in animation. The most obvious change was to the car's nose, where the hood received a "V" depression that echoed the lower fascia. This was also the first Batmobile (of any medium) to feature yellow bat emblems on the doors. This particular feature would be quickly adopted by
3850-502: The movie, Batman, his Bat-family, and former Joker henchmen make a new Batmobile with four detachable vehicles (Bat-Plane for Batgirl, Bat-Assault Vehicle for Bat-Alfred, Bat-Cycle (inspired by The Dark Knight ) for Robin and a proper Batmobile for Batman). The 60s incarnation of the Batmobile appears in the Steven Spielberg 2018 film Ready Player One , based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline . Appearing as part of
3920-462: The one from the 1960s television series, Tim Burton films, Batman Forever , the Golden Age , Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns , The Dark Knight trilogy, and Batman: The Animated Series . The Speedwagon was fault-driven by "Nightwing" (alter-ego of Robin when Batman is missing in the world) combined with the novice skills of Nightwing caused the speedwagon's destruction, but at the climax of
3990-602: The only decoration of note. The 1960s TV style Batmobile still appears from time to time in the comic books, most recently in Detective Comics #850 and in Batman Confidential . In the Bronze Age of Comic Books , the source of the cars was explained in The Untold Legend of the Batman as the work of stunt driver Jack Edison. Edison had volunteered to personally construct Batmobiles for Batman after being rescued from
4060-400: The scales of thousands of fish and mixed them into the paint. The Futura was powered by a 368 cubic inch Lincoln engine and powertrain; the chassis was an early prototype Y-shaped backbone perimeter frame that would go into production on the 1956-1957 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
4130-789: The sea along with it. In Batman: Arkham City , the Batmobile appears in the Batcave Predator Challenge Map and was back under re-construction following its tussle with Bane, thus explaining its absence in the rest of the game. In Batman: Arkham Origins , a prototype of the Batmobile was seen in the Batcave and was under construction by Batman, under the working title "Urban Assault Vehicle" and when scanned in Detective Mode its description: " Armored to resist direct collisions and small arms fire. Multiple LTL armaments. Shield tracking profiles reduced thermal/radar footprint. 1.200BHP. 7MPG. Status: Under Maintenance. " After Bane destroyed
4200-454: The show it has taken shots from rocket launchers without any noticeable damage, stood up to high powered demolition machinery without any visible markings to the point of breaking said machinery, etc. The interior features a voice command system, a video link system, and more, directly routed to the Batcomputer. In The Lego Movie a large six-wheeled version of the Batmobile (which is actually
4270-525: The straight-to-DVD animated shorts collection Gotham Knight , the Batmobile makes an appearance in the feature entitled "Field Test". While set in the same continuity as Christopher Nolan's films, it is visually a pastiche of the Batmobile as it has appeared in various films. Also, the Batmobile appears in the feature entitled "Working Through Pain"; wherein Alfred arrives to pick up Batman. The Batmobile appearing in this scene seems to be inspired by its appearance in
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#17328517481454340-499: The tire were shredded a replacement tire immediately takes over after discarding the previous. A new flying Batmobile design appears in Batman Beyond used by the new Batman ( Terry McGinnis ). This version of the vehicle made multiple appearances in the future of the DC Universe as flying cars were shown as commonplace technology in this future. This design is a radical departure from the usual style of Batmobiles, as they usually have
4410-590: The vehicle have evolved along with the character, with each incarnation reflecting evolving car technologies. It has been portrayed as having many uses, such as vehicular pursuit, prisoner transportation, anti-tank warfare, riot control, and as a mobile crime lab . In some depictions, the Batmobile has individually articulated wheel mounts and is able to be driven unmanned or can be remotely operated. It has appeared in every Batman iteration—from comic books and television to films and video games—and has since become part of popular culture . A sentient, talking version of
4480-399: Was a superficially modified concept car , the decade-old Lincoln Futura , owned by auto customizer George Barris , whose shop did the work. When the series was canceled in 1968, the comic books became darker and more serious. The comics' version of Batman abandoned that version of the Batmobile. Its replacement was a simpler model with a stylized bat's head silhouette decal on the hood being
4550-468: Was contracted to build the car for the show in late 1965, but when the studio wanted the car sooner than he could deliver, the project was given to Barris. 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 Cushenbery to modify the car's metalwork. Barris went on to build three fiberglass replicas using
4620-402: Was depicted as an ordinary-looking red car. Its appearance has varied but, since its earliest appearances, the Batmobile has had a prominent bat motif , typically including wing-shaped tailfins . Armored in the early stages of Batman's career, it has been customized over time and is the most technologically advanced crime-fighting asset in Batman's arsenal, barring the Batplane . Depictions of
4690-459: Was forced to abandon the Batmobile after the destruction of Wayne Manor to stop Dracula 's vampire 'family' deprived him of a suitable place to keep the car, although Bruce reflects that he no longer needs the car after his transformation into a vampire grants him bat-like wings. However, it is revealed in Crimson Mist - the third novel in the trilogy- that the Batmobile survives in the remains of
4760-406: Was once sitting behind the seat to great discomfort. According to Bruce, the vehicle's top speed is Mach 3 ; however, Terry has never piloted the vehicle at those speeds through Gotham City . It features a drop-down hatch; this allows Terry swift exit/entrance from underneath without having to park the vehicle and get out, allowing him to literally get the drop on his opponents. Like Terry's batsuit
4830-430: Was original by 1950s standards — with a double, clear-plastic canopy top, exaggerated hooded headlight pods, and very large, outward-canted tailfins . The Futura had a complete powertrain and was fully operable, in contrast to many show cars . Its original color was a pearlescent white, created by one of the first pearlescent color treatments . To achieve the effect Bill Schmidt wanted, Ghia ground and pulverized
4900-438: Was subsequently sold to auto customizer George Barris . Having originally cost $ 250,000, the Futura was sold to Barris for $ 1 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. The 1994 NBC TV series Viper featured a red replica of the 1955 Lincoln Futura called "The Baxley." In
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