The Futura / Batmobile Home Page

The only Batmobile that matters!

Table of Contents

This site was created June 2, 1996 and


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Contents:
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Foreward: Why this site?
Introduction: Meet the Batmobile.
Click the Bat Logo to guide you thru the many pages on this site!
JUST IN: The Latest info.
Registry: Automatic Email to you when this site gets updated!
The Making of a Dream The $250,000 Futura show car's birth.
  • The Futura A closer look and how it compares to the Batmobile.
  • Batmobile #1 The Legend is born.
    The Bat-Library Assorted articles on the Batmobiles and their creation.
  • Batmobile #2 The last to leave the Barris stable.
  • Batmobile #3 Another Show-baby.
  • Batmobile #4 What a drag!
  • Batmobile #5 The Outlaw?
    Repli-cars: Home-made Batmobiles and more.
    Bat-Fuzz: The Mystery VELVET Batmobile?
    Alternative Transportation: Other Bat-Vehicles our hero has used.
    Miscellaneous: The Funny, weird and other Bat-oddities- including FREE stuff!
    NEW and IMPROVED!! Visitor's Guestbook: Let the world know how you feel about this site!
    Contact Me Directly!: Feel free to drop me a note.
    Links: More cool sites.
    Special Thanks: Kudos to my contributors.

    Foreward:
    This site was created due to the glaring, obvious absence of information and reverence for this car on the 'Net.

    I recall spending many childhood evenings and afternoons watching this car burst from the Batcave to drive the evil doers from Gotham City. I thought the villains were weird, but often funny...never really scary....and I firmly believe I owe the credit for my over-active labido to the jump-start it was supplied by Julie Newmar as Catwoman (Not that Lee Meriwether was anything to shake a stick at!). But the biggest influence the show had on me was my love of powerful and obnoxious cars. Separated, these traits are not enough for me. Obnoxious is a '73 Delta 88 with different color body panels showing up at a wedding. Powerful is a new Seville with the Northstar V8. But slap a jet-turbine into a Lincoln Futura, pinstipe it like a Marine dress uniform, and install more gadgets than found on the space shuttle, and you get the Batmobile....my kind of car. Everyone MUST look. You can love it, or you can hate it, but you can not ignore it. Perfect!

    The appeal of this 6000-pound machine endures as it is the only Batmobile built for use on film that possessed real-life functionality while stretching the imagination of all car lovers. If this car has no affect on you down deep.......where your soul hides, then you probably love your Yugo and see no need for anything else. I, however, am determined to one day own this car. Perhaps I'll never have enough to buy the original from Mr. Barris. Maybe I'll never have enough for any one of the original 5 cars. But come Hell or King Tut, I will have at least a terrific replica....and I just might show up at someone's wedding in it! [Donations gladly accepted] :)


    Introducing, the Batmobile:
    The 'Futura' Batmobile, as I call it, is the type that was featured in the 1966-68 'Batman' television series. You may wish to note that those are the same years that another fantasy TV show of moderate fame was running...'Star Trek'.

    The term 'Futura' is the name of the 1955 Lincoln (as in Ford/Lincoln/Mercury) concept car that this Batmobile is built upon, a fact I only recently became aware of. I had always believed the car was a totally original creation by the master of custom cars, George Barris. The pictures on this site prove I was incorrect. However, Mr. Barris did orchestrate the many changes to the 'Futura' design that brought it out of the 50s and into the Muscle-car 60s.


    George Barris, the Kustom King, leans on his most famous creation.
    Picture from Collectible Automobiles, December, 1996 .


    The Latest Updates:

    12/30/2002: FINALLY! I've added a SEARCH function to this website, and the entire domain it's on. Try it!

    11/7/2001: The entire domain was accidentally deleted by the host, but should be fixed now. Please reports any dead links or other problems you find. Thanks.

    9/5/2001: Fixed the links to the Radir Wheel website on this page and the Batmobile #1 page

    8/30/2001: Fixed link to the Guestbook....sorry for my absence. Hopefully, I'll be getting some updates uploaded shortly!

    If you or someone you know has information and photos, etc., on these vehicles, please, drop me a note! I'd love to keep adding more to this site!!

    To the Bat-Phone!

    (Click the pic or here!)

    or Email me at
    JohnRosa@JavelinAMX.com

    Links!:
    BatLinks:
    Don Currie's 'Unique Movie Cars and Props' company is selling a turn-key replica for around $55,000 US...or kits starting at $12,000!
    See his website at:
    http://www.islandserve.com/~dc99/

    Clint Young is also selling a sharp Bat-replica, called the 'Futura II', for $99,000, as well as complete kits to build your own at around $18,000! They are featured at the CY Productions website.

    http://www.RadirWheels.com is the home page of the company that makes the original wheels used on the #1 Batmobile! YES, you can buy a set of the 'SINGLE RIBB I' wheels today!

    The Batmobile customized Futura model!

    The 1966 Batman TV Tribute Site! David Sutton's gallery of everything Batman!

    The Batcave! Every incarnation of the Dark Knight, brought to you by TBBS!

    He makes Stars of Cars! A Look at the Life and Work of George Barris.

    Other Links
    Wanna see more really cool cars? Check out: The Car Stars Gallery! and The Javelin Home Page!


    Special Thanks:
    This area contains the names of just a few of the MANY folks that have helped to make this site as good as it is. For those not mentioned, I apologize, and if poked in the side by you, I'll be sure to add your names here.

    Some of my most active helpers have been:
    Tim Dillner, Don Brown, Andy Garringer, Rick McCaskill, Terry Lynch, 'A.G.', Eric Seltzer, John L. Mack, Jim A., David Sutton, Alain Lapointe, Joe Campbell, Ernie Renn, David Arland and Bob Ellsworth.

    Note the conspicuous absence of female contributors! So maybe it is true......'The only difference between men and boys, is the price of their toys.' -Luckily, I'm not the least bit embarassed by that! : )



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