According to the contract, signed by Barris and Greenway productions (NOT 20th century fox), Barris had over six weeks to perform the modifications, which he didn't even do. The contract was signed September first, 1965 with a delivery date of October 15th. The car was then sent around the corner to Bill Cushenberry. Bill did all the metal modifications on the car. Barris did the wooden roll bar. The rest of the lights and gizmos were done in house at Greenway by the prop department. On the first day of filming the car was in flat black. The ignition fell out, the exhaust fell off, there were problems with the suspension and a thousand dollar tire blew out. They also had problems with overheating and dying batteries.
@@pmafterdark i do love the tv version but i think the 89 version is just a visually stunning car I hope at some point in future movies we see all the batmobiles make a cameo appearance Btw the newest batmobile I hate it it looks like someone bastardized a 60's camaro and a 69 charger
They build the 🦇Batmobile🦇 (the only authorized builder by DC Comics) in Logansport, Indiana, they also re-built the George Barris #6 Batmobile. They use a Lincoln Town car chassis, you pick the engine and Bat Accesories (including the real flamethrower) for roughly $200,000 depending. They build about 5 or 6 a year and sometimes you can see one driving around town or parked.
Same. I hope that doesn't make us vulnerable to being brainwashed into a cult or something, Rico Grencau. :) It was not far outside the "golden age of American design." My dad had a Chrysler that looked a lot like the Batmobile. It was considered cool.
@@markfryer9880 I was given the Batmobile with Batman and Robin and mortar rounds for a birthday around 1981. I very quickly lost Robin who could be ejected, and all of the mortar rounds. Memory says my mother found a good reason to re-gift it to a cousin many years later. I may have to take that up with her.
The Batmobile was bought at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was going to go look at it, but the admission price was $50 and I thought that was too much just to see a car. However, the buyer of the car lives near my city (Chandler, AZ) and every year about March they have a good sized car show in downtown Chandler. I went to the show and the owner of the Batmobile had brought his new to him car for anyone there to see. It was roped off, but you could get within a few feet of it. Beautiful car, and I saved $50! I had one of the Corgi Batmobile toys in the mid-1960’s and loved it. It’s probably in a landfill now, waiting for some future scavenger to find it.
If I remember correctly didn’t the Corgi Batmobile had a spring loaded blade which came out of the middle of the front of the car and plastic ‘flames’ from the exhaust pipe which moved in and out as you rolled it along. I can’t remember if I had it or my best friend. Sadly someone threw out all my Corgi toys - either my parents or my younger sister who is a compulsive organiser with little respect for other peoples property😢
Pretty cool learning stuff about something I've enjoyed for 53 years! Us Gen Xers just didn't have access to this kind of info back in the day, so I don't know how I would ever have known this anyway. Thank you.
Back in the 80's I had my 70 Challenger TA in a self storage unit in Lynwood,California.On vacation from New York I was at the storage unit to take the Challenger out for the week. In the main office of the storage unit was a board with all kinds of stuff for sale from people in different units.One that caught my attention right away was a Batmobile for sale.Talking to the manager I inquired about the Batmobile and where it was.It was in the back outside under a tarp.Asked if I could see it and sure was the answer from the manager.Walked out back and there it was under a blue tarp.Uncovered it and couldn't believe what I was looking at.This was an original George Barris creation.Car was complete with interior and drivetrain intact.Popped the hood and a Ford 460 motor sat there complete.Amazed at how original the car was but in need of a total resto.Paint and body not bad for being left outside.This car was actually visible off the 710 south near Imperial Highway.Asking price was $10,000.Thought about it for the longest time but too late in making a decision.The Batmobile was sold and I believe it went to the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas for a total restoration.Not the original used in TV series but I believe this was a copy made for promotional touring back in the 60's.Damn did I miss out on this one.
I didn't feel comfortable when the narrator of the 1966 Batmobile Story said Obviously You could see why the My Mother The Car Sitcom Series was Destined to Only a Short Run. Relatability? I Guess?
Ya.....I watched it as a kid back then and HATED that stuff up on the screen. I'm sure the 8 year olds loved it though. I was hoping the show would be a little more realistic than it was.....typical Hollywood glam and it didn't last long either.
I’ve always liked the 60s Batmobile, the most beautiful of them all. When the video said the design came from the Ghia studio, I thought ‘aha, makes perfect sense now!’
I saw one once in the UK, about 30 years ago. To be driving along the lower Sunbury road towards Kingston and seeing the Batmobile coming towards you in the other direction was a bit of a shock and a surreal experience. It might have been on its way to Shepperton studios nearby. Either that or the driver was on his way home from Tescos.
I remember seeing that as well..... Also the Brading Wax works on the Isle of Wight, had their own version, which they used on the Isle, at one point it painted bright yellow....
I suspect it was something to do with the following.... Coys of Kensington had an auction of "important historic sports, sports racing and grand prix cars" at the Nurburgring in Germany on 11th August 1990 which also included, for some reason, a 1966 Batmobile. Prior to the auction, the Batmobile was at Coys' London office and was taken for an illegal 'spin' by a couple of employees - presumably that's when you saw it. I was a Video Cameraman at the time and was sent out to Germany to record all of the cars driving on part of the circuit to display on a large screen at the auction. I had the pleasure of sitting in the "trunk" (A panel which included the rocket launchers was removable) to film one of Coys employees and my sound recordist dressed at Batman and Robin driving it around. I still have the video somewhere. Strangely it lists in the brochure, which I also have, that: "It is not known how many Batmobiles were built, current thinking is that there were five or six on various bases, in different degrees of completion.The exceptional Batmobile available today is thought to be the sixth, produced by Hollywood Productions under licence from ABC-TV. The basis is a 1957 Lincoln Continental 2-door; the car is notable in being constructed from metal as opposed to fibreglass" A couple of coincidences here as well... I was born in Sunbury (Halliford Rd), My dad worked it a factory in Hampton, opposite where Lower Sunbury Road meets Upper Sunbury Road (Lower Sunbury Road is a very short road, so just where you saw it...) and by chance I am driving a 1966 Batmobile replica in 5 days time at Abingdon Airfield 😃
@@ianfraser9287 Cool! And what a small world.... I'm pretty sure on the occasion i saw it there was only one person in it though. And Sunbury is quite as long way to take it for a joyride. It might have been the legitimate owner who bought it at the auction driving it
The car in "My Mother the Car" Was originally built by Norm Grabowski, it was a hot-rodded Ford Model T Touring. The studio then back-dated it to look more "antique" with 21" model A wire wheels and the "Porter" grille.
I sat in one of the cars when it was loaned to us for a promotion at a radio station I managed. Never in my "kid years" could I have guessed that I would one day SIT in the Batmobile!!
Nice video, nice to see someone do research and get the facts correct. There is one correction I must add. The steering wheel was unique on the Futura, built for the Futura. The Futura's steering wheel was removed in season 3 for an Edsel steering wheel and remains with the car today.
Many thanks. I was eating my tea and talking to Mrs Boss when I suddenly realised I had not given you the big Roman thumb up. Lol. Phew! Am glad I will not wake up in a cold sweat tonight now and relax.... Great video. Many thanks.
Let this be a lesson to everyone attempting to create an informative UA-cam video. This is where the bar has been set. Failing to attain this level of competence will result in ridicule
Yes, highly interesting. I have known that the JAMES BOND - Aston Martin model from GOLDFINGER still gets rebuilt, seen one in San Mateo near San Franceisco thirty years ago. So this is maybe not astonishing but still reamarkable news
In the States, Jerry had a fine career. Mostly disposable television, and not as extraordinary as his big brother. The kind of guy who always appeared as a special guest and popped up on Johnny Carson with his banjo a few times a year.
He was also Junior Douglas in the John Wayne film McLintock and you could tell he was a Van Dyke from his mannerisms and actions (he sings and dances). He also appeared in an episode of Fantasy Island later
Very interesting, I think Dick was well known over here in the UK (mainly through Mary Poppins I suspect) but can't say his brother was in the public consciousness here back then. Back on topic, I had a Batmobile toy car in my youth, remember getting it like it was yesterday. Just awestruck!
George Barris once explained in an interview that he was in a pinch to finish the car and the only thing he could find that he could transform into something that looked like a jet exhaust was a coffee can, not a paint can, so he got to work trying to make it look like a jet exhaust which in his words was really just a propane torch shooting out through a coffee can.
@@LittleCar You are most welcome!! The Chrysler Crown Imperial of the '60s "Black Beauty" from Green Hornet Series next?? If you have not already done it. Thank you! 😀
In the 1970's, one of the original replicas was in a car museum near Chicago. I remember seeing it and being surprised by the fuzzy paint, since it looked glossy black on TV. I guess I know why now.
The orange pinstripe highlights were not on the car originally. If you watch the first few episodes you will see the car is flat black with white striping. The car was repainted gloss black and the stripes were changed to help the cars appearance on the screen.
Incorrect. Test footage was used as filler in episode two, showing the car in flat black with white striping. That was the only time it was seen on screen that way.
In the summer of 1968, when I was 7 years old, I went to the local shop (Orpington in Kent) to get something for my mum and coming down the street was the Batmobile. Batman was standing in the cockpit waving, while Robin was driving. Crowds lined the street and were waving and cheering. I was absolutely amazed, as I loved the show and had a Dinky Batmobile. I ran home and told my mum and she called me a liar! I never told her anything ever again.
My dad talks about seeing the Batmobile at the Philly Auto Show in 1975. He said that while it was cool seeing it in person, its condition was “Royally beaten up”.
Excellent Video. I've seen the Batmobile twice in my life time. The first was at some small movie house in Downtown Manhattan for a Matinee of the Batman Movie, summer of '66. The Dynamic Duo was there in person (or maybe not?). The second time was in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens NY maybe around 2010. I had a much better look at it at the park. I have no idea what iteration it was, but it was beautiful to behold. Thank you for posting!
This is probably the best Most accurate video documenting the Batmobile, on the internet.!! . Most of what is said is correct. The only things that I picked out were that were incorrect were that Barris had bought the Futura previous to being approached by the producers to build a Batmobile. Barris always liked a good story, and was a great promoter... Saying that he bought it for "One Dollar" was a good PR thing.. Personally I think the real story is even better. Barris had the Futura sitting in his back lot because the car had been used in a couple movies. One of which was "It Started With a Kiss" starring Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds .. But he didn't own it when the producers approached him, which was actually in August of 1965. By the time the deal was settled for him to provide the Batmobile he did indeed have a very short time to get the car ready, and he actually modified the Futura before he bought it..!! George Barris was a shrewd businessman. He had done design work and some custom work for Ford, and the Futura had been sitting in his back lot for several years. Barris sent a bill to Ford for the work he had done, and the "Storage Fees" for the Futura.. There was a disagreement on the money and George said that he would take the Futura in trade. In order to make the deal legal there had to be money exchanged, so the contract for the sale of the Futura actually says for "One dollar plus other valuable considerations" .. But of course Barris left that last part out, to make it sound better.. Also the date of sale was December 21, 1965 .. Almost two months after the car was delivered to the set of Batman the first time..!! Other than that, the air scoops on the fins of the Futura weren't for cooling the rear brakes, they were air inlets for the air conditioning system, which was indeed in the trunk. Everything else in the video is pretty darned accurate,despite what some of the commenters below have posted.. People who want to study more about the car should check out www.1966batmobile.com .. Eric Seltzer runs that page and knew George Barris personally, as well as just about every fan who has built a replica Batmobile (including myself) and he doesn't put anything on the site that can't be confirmed.
There were five batmobiles in total from George Barris; #1 was the Futura conversion, #2, 3 and 4 were fibreglass replicas built for public appearances at shopping malls etc. and #5 was an all metal replica built as a stunt double to the #1 hero car. The company licensed to build replicas is Fiberglass Freaks.
I would love for the car to be converted back to the original concept Lincoln Furura. The rarity of a one off Ford design which appeared on screen in its own right would be awesome especially as more batmobiles, based on other platforms were made later.
@@sjcuk regardless of where your interest lies you still have to recognize the significance of artifacts. As one movie character once famously said, It belongs in a museum!
@@1pcfred That's a valid point of view. It could be argued that the Futura should never have been butchered in the first place. After all Batman is a fictional character yet the car was a very real development. I subscribe to Little and Big 'car' for my love of cars, to me Batman is not the important bit but I accept to many people it is.
@@sjcuk in an infinite Universe the concept of fiction has no meaning. Somewhere out there everything is quite real in the limited sense that we understand things. Then there's the multiverse to consider. Which hurts my brane. So we won't.
'My mother the car?' WHAT a premise. Sounds like a Readers Digest take on Transformer's! I really need to see an episode of this now. Great video mon ami. 🏆⚒️🇬🇧
I tried to never miss an episode. After all it was on at the "Same Bat Time Same Bat Station". About 4 years back I bought a 1965 Caterpillar D6B from a guy who owns Adam West's childhood home in Wala Wala Washington. So now I tell everyone that it's the Bat Cat. Funny thing was the whole time I was down in Wala Wala I could only think of Daffy Duck and the "Wishy Washy Washing Machine Co. of Wala Wala Washington" Had no idea I would purchase the Bat Cat. Great place Good People visit there sometime you won't be disappointed.
Anybody know what band is photographed with it at 5:50? The Yardbirds? It has a square Euro number plate and then a white 2F-3567 Gotham US tag next to it. Can't see the year, perhaps 1967 instead of the original black "Gotham 1966" plate? Makes sense since states used to flip their color combinations in alternating years.
@@aaronleverton4221 Me, too. Still have a CoCo 2. Had the ZX-81's US equivalent, the Timex Sinclair TS1000. Sadly, it was a malfunctioning piece of junk that the CoCo replaced.
The original Batmobile sold via Barrett Jackson auctions for $4.2 million. I was watching the B/J auction and saw it happen live. It eventually started a bidding war that lasted almost 10 minutes. It was amazing. As far as I’m concerned that one will always be the Batmobile.
The color on the original Lincoln Futura was...according to Gotham Garage who made a replica from the original mold...was Seafoam Green. It was a very light color of green.
It's amazing how little is documented about the striking chrome tubes that jut out behind the canopy and this video is typically neglectful in ignoring them like there not there. I believe they where an anti theft device that shot fireworks or rockets to draw attention to the batmobile if it was in trouble. Possibility used once in the entire series so a very obscure but such a curious and unique feature of the car.
Whomever designed, created and built this engineering marvel is an absolute brilliant and extremely talented genius. This phenomenal work of art should really and truly be in the next Batman movie instead of the vehicle they been using! 👏 👏 👏
Yep the 1966 original Batmobile is the sweetest machine ever. Their are some really great diecast models out there you can buy. I just got one and I really like it. There is several sizes to choose from.
The Ford Futura was a neat concept car! I used to live in So Cal, and saw the matte black Batmobile in a kind of museum. Place was closed but it was visible thru a window. Also saw Tim Burtons / M. Keaton Batmobile at a car show, and the one used by Christian Bale on a trailer! George Barris had some wild ideas! The Munster coach (& Grandpa's Drag-ula!) Are still kind of cool!
I saw a 1966-type Batmobile in Ashland, Kentucky, in about 1967 or 1968 during some kind of a car show. I never much cared for the TV show but it was interesting to see the car (or a replica) that was used in a TV series.
Me, I have the Corgy Toys Model of the car. I remember it had cost me a lot of begging to my mother to get it but it still is great with the flames comming out of it´s exhaust system. The advertisement for that model car, in the movie BATMAN (1966) z.B. This 1961 model here was close to the one of my childhood dreams. ::)+ It is highly interesting that this car design is used up to this day FOR REAL !! I did not know this. To me as an old BATMAN-FAN from childhood on this article here clearly is jucy !
I recall seeing a replica at the auto show in Buffalo ,NY IN 86 ,it was the one without the rear canopies .The car was a total letdown , the interior did not look like the original at all . The original had the Futura's steering wheel that was cut in half ,Adam West complained it was too difficult to handle , so they replaced the steering wheel with an Edsel steering wheel .I wonder what happened to the dragster ?
The original lincoln Futura appeared in a Debbie Reynolds flim called "it started with a kiss" after the film the car sat in storage, Barris bought the car way before the Batman TV series. It sat on George's property a few years before being turned into the Batmoblie
I sat in a Batmobile at FanExpoCanada in Toronto in 2016 - banged my head on the back windshield getting into it. Cost $20 Canadian ($16 US at the time) and was well the experience.
Ohhhh thank god you have this video, I knew there was felt on some of these batmobiles, my sisters dad worked on the original his name was gale black. I thought I was going crazy for a bit there by thinking it wasn’t fuzzy when I touched it at the shop in 1980, there was also the Incredible Hulk truck and the coyote from hardcastle and mc cormick before it even hit the tv show, I have a picture somewhere of me standing next to it when it was primer red white black…..
As a child I built the Revell (if I remember) kit of this car. Later I used to gas up at the Arco station near Barris's shop off Lankershim in North Hollywood. I would walk over to his shop and look in to see what was being worked on. This car and Bob Hope's golf cart with his exaggerated nose would be on display. When they announced the coming TV series of Batman I told my friends that car painted black would make a great Batmobile. And danged if that's what they did.
Revell never made a Batmobile model kit. You probably had the 1/32 scale Aurora kit, which wasn't very accurate but was the only Batmobile model available at the time.
@@scotpens I never said I made the Batmobile. I said I made the futuristic Lincoln kit that Barris made. He turned it into the Batmobile for the TV series.
@@ivanleterror9158 Sorry, I didn't read your entire post. Yes, Revell made the Lincoln Futura back in 1956 and re-issued it in the 1990s. It was a simple kit with a multi-piece body and no engine or chassis detail.
@@scotpens And I can't believe that today's kits are cheap snap together (at least some) to avoid kids using glue. Some of them use it today as their drug of choice. (new world)
When I was under it fixing the header the rear cut outs were capped off. It had straight pipes that lead to the "rocket booster " I fitted that back up and they tested it in the alley behind the shop one night. There is nothing behind the cockpit just open area you could see where they had extended the frame at the rear box area.
In 1966 as a teenager, I was working in the publicity department of the Lewis's group of department stores in the UK. I worked in our office, which was part of the Selfridges building, our London store. We had a Cheverolet based replica of the Batmobile that went around the country visiting our stores for promotion purposes. I hinted I would like it when the company no longer needed it as I understood it was going to be sold off cheap but nothing came of that. Having watched this video, it may be we didn't even own it? Maybe it was leased from the builder? I don't know as it was financed by the advertising department, which was in our Liverpool store.
Ahhh , such an "Iconic" movie car , only George Barris could have come up with such a great legend of the TV & movie screens ; I wish that I could own 1 of these magic creations in full size but I suppose that I'll have to just look after my model ( toy ) version - an original Corgi toy from the late 70's.
I remember seeing that car 40 years ago at a car show. About fell out when I saw the 312-400 Ford engine family. Figured it would be a little later than late 50’s stuff. Later learned about the tiny budget constraints and understood.
Cubic inch group. They made something like a 252, 272, 312 and a 400 that was used in an Edsel. That group of engines had there heyday in the mid to late 1950’s. That what I was talking about. They had lifters the size of your pinkie finger and the distributor was in the rear. Really odd duck compared to the 1964-1985 stuff.
@dougtaylor7724 I think you're referring to the Y-Block, they came in 239, 256, 272, 292, and 312 variations. The first year Edsel had either a 361, which was an FE motor, or a 410, which was a MEL motor, it depended on the model. The pinky finger lifter you mentioned, is a mushroom type solid lifter, used in the Y-Block, which is also a rear mounted distributor engine.
I saw this car in person at the Memorial Gardens,. The e city hockey arena I Sault Ste Marie. Onterio my friend & I heard about the car show being there & this car was the featured car, I begged my dad to take us to it.
I'm not a car guy. Fancy cars do absolutely nothing for me. That said, I think the number one thing I'd like to have before I die is a Batmobile. I'm 65, I loved the TV show as a kid, the props used are one of the few inanimate objects that make me giddy. Owning a Batmobile I think, would make me silly happy. 🦇🦇🦇
I was 5 in '66. Loved the batmobile then...2023 still loving it! Coolest TV/Movie car ever!!
I was 6
According to the contract, signed by Barris and Greenway productions (NOT 20th century fox), Barris had over six weeks to perform the modifications, which he didn't even do. The contract was signed September first, 1965 with a delivery date of October 15th. The car was then sent around the corner to Bill Cushenberry. Bill did all the metal modifications on the car. Barris did the wooden roll bar. The rest of the lights and gizmos were done in house at Greenway by the prop department. On the first day of filming the car was in flat black. The ignition fell out, the exhaust fell off, there were problems with the suspension and a thousand dollar tire blew out. They also had problems with overheating and dying batteries.
Gale Black and Korky Korkes were excellent metal men, who worked on the car together with Bill Cushenberry. Along with a couple helpers.
Best Batmobile ever designed. Loved it as a kid and still do.
The 89 batmobile wasnt bad either
@@GeorgiaRidgerunner Not bad but definitely not as great as the TV version.
@@pmafterdark i do love the tv version but i think the 89 version is just a visually stunning car
I hope at some point in future movies we see all the batmobiles make a cameo appearance
Btw the newest batmobile
I hate it it looks like someone bastardized a 60's camaro and a 69 charger
I’m gonna say it. The 1966 bat mobile looks the best out of all the other variations
Lincoln Futura: the best Batmobile EVER!!! Regards from Brazil.
They build the 🦇Batmobile🦇 (the only authorized builder by DC Comics) in Logansport, Indiana, they also re-built the George Barris #6 Batmobile. They use a Lincoln Town car chassis, you pick the engine and Bat Accesories (including the real flamethrower) for roughly $200,000 depending. They build about 5 or 6 a year and sometimes you can see one driving around town or parked.
I LOVED My Mother the Car when I was a kid! So surreal!
Same. I hope that doesn't make us vulnerable to being brainwashed into a cult or something, Rico Grencau. :) It was not far outside the "golden age of American design." My dad had a Chrysler that looked a lot like the Batmobile. It was considered cool.
The speedometer was in the middle of the steering wheel.
@@ClockWithoutNumbers I thought it was a tv show. It reminds me of my life.
I Loved "Coach". Go figure!
I still remember the theme song!
Remember having the Corgi toy Batmobile for Xmas in the late 70's as a young boy still have it to this day piece of TV history great video
Those little plastic projectiles that fired from the tubes got used up/lost on day one!
@@johno4521 Yep.
Did you get the one with the Bat Boat and trailer?
Must admit to being very jealous.
@@markfryer9880 I was given the Batmobile with Batman and Robin and mortar rounds for a birthday around 1981. I very quickly lost Robin who could be ejected, and all of the mortar rounds. Memory says my mother found a good reason to re-gift it to a cousin many years later. I may have to take that up with her.
The saw blade on the front would cut a piece of thread if you held it right.
The Batmobile was bought at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was going to go look at it, but the admission price was $50 and I thought that was too much just to see a car. However, the buyer of the car lives near my city (Chandler, AZ) and every year about March they have a good sized car show in downtown Chandler. I went to the show and the owner of the Batmobile had brought his new to him car for anyone there to see. It was roped off, but you could get within a few feet of it. Beautiful car, and I saved $50! I had one of the Corgi Batmobile toys in the mid-1960’s and loved it. It’s probably in a landfill now, waiting for some future scavenger to find it.
If I remember correctly didn’t the Corgi Batmobile had a spring loaded blade which came out of the middle of the front of the car and plastic ‘flames’ from the exhaust pipe which moved in and out as you rolled it along. I can’t remember if I had it or my best friend. Sadly someone threw out all my Corgi toys - either my parents or my younger sister who is a compulsive organiser with little respect for other peoples property😢
It's been sold on now to Dave Anderson in Virginia.
Pretty cool learning stuff about something I've enjoyed for 53 years! Us Gen Xers just didn't have access to this kind of info back in the day, so I don't know how I would ever have known this anyway. Thank you.
Back in the 80's I had my 70 Challenger TA in a self storage unit in Lynwood,California.On vacation from New York I was at the storage unit to take the Challenger out for the week. In the main office of the storage unit was a board with all kinds of stuff for sale from people in different units.One that caught my attention right away was a Batmobile for sale.Talking to the manager I inquired about the Batmobile and where it was.It was in the back outside under a tarp.Asked if I could see it and sure was the answer from the manager.Walked out back and there it was under a blue tarp.Uncovered it and couldn't believe what I was looking at.This was an original George Barris creation.Car was complete with interior and drivetrain intact.Popped the hood and a Ford 460 motor sat there complete.Amazed at how original the car was but in need of a total resto.Paint and body not bad for being left outside.This car was actually visible off the 710 south near Imperial Highway.Asking price was $10,000.Thought about it for the longest time but too late in making a decision.The Batmobile was sold and I believe it went to the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas for a total restoration.Not the original used in TV series but I believe this was a copy made for promotional touring back in the 60's.Damn did I miss out on this one.
My mother the car was quite possibly one of the best shows that never took off. Loved watching it as a kid
I didn't feel comfortable when the narrator of the 1966 Batmobile Story said Obviously You could see why the My Mother The Car Sitcom Series was Destined to Only a Short Run. Relatability? I Guess?
Biff!... Pow!... Splat!.... Absolutely Bat-tastic stuff.. 😊
Ya.....I watched it as a kid back then and HATED that stuff up on the screen. I'm sure the 8 year olds loved it though.
I was hoping the show would be a little more realistic than it was.....typical Hollywood glam and it didn't last long either.
This was an unexpected treat. Thank you.
I love TV and movie cars.
I’ve always liked the 60s Batmobile, the most beautiful of them all.
When the video said the design came from the Ghia studio, I thought ‘aha, makes perfect sense now!’
I saw one once in the UK, about 30 years ago. To be driving along the lower Sunbury road towards Kingston and seeing the Batmobile coming towards you in the other direction was a bit of a shock and a surreal experience. It might have been on its way to Shepperton studios nearby. Either that or the driver was on his way home from Tescos.
I remember seeing that as well..... Also the Brading Wax works on the Isle of Wight, had their own version, which they used on the Isle, at one point it painted bright yellow....
A little way from Peckham I know, but it would have been a hoot if Del and Rodney had been inside, wearing their fancy dress costumes.
Prolly on his way home to the Batcave.
I suspect it was something to do with the following.... Coys of Kensington had an auction of "important historic sports, sports racing and grand prix cars" at the Nurburgring in Germany on 11th August 1990 which also included, for some reason, a 1966 Batmobile. Prior to the auction, the Batmobile was at Coys' London office and was taken for an illegal 'spin' by a couple of employees - presumably that's when you saw it.
I was a Video Cameraman at the time and was sent out to Germany to record all of the cars driving on part of the circuit to display on a large screen at the auction. I had the pleasure of sitting in the "trunk" (A panel which included the rocket launchers was removable) to film one of Coys employees and my sound recordist dressed at Batman and Robin driving it around. I still have the video somewhere.
Strangely it lists in the brochure, which I also have, that:
"It is not known how many Batmobiles were built, current thinking is that there were five or six on various bases, in different degrees of completion.The exceptional Batmobile available today is thought to be the sixth, produced by Hollywood Productions under licence from ABC-TV. The basis is a 1957 Lincoln Continental 2-door; the car is notable in being constructed from metal as opposed to fibreglass"
A couple of coincidences here as well... I was born in Sunbury (Halliford Rd), My dad worked it a factory in Hampton, opposite where Lower Sunbury Road meets Upper Sunbury Road (Lower Sunbury Road is a very short road, so just where you saw it...) and by chance I am driving a 1966 Batmobile replica in 5 days time at Abingdon Airfield 😃
@@ianfraser9287 Cool! And what a small world.... I'm pretty sure on the occasion i saw it there was only one person in it though. And Sunbury is quite as long way to take it for a joyride. It might have been the legitimate owner who bought it at the auction driving it
What a car this was. Much more interesting than the movie's 'reincarnations' that followed.
The 1989 Batmobile was pretty cool, inspired the Batmobile in Batman, the Animated Series.
The car in "My Mother the Car" Was originally built by Norm Grabowski, it was a hot-rodded Ford Model T Touring. The studio then back-dated it to look more "antique" with 21" model A wire wheels and the "Porter" grille.
I had one of those, although only a matchbox.
I sat in one of the cars when it was loaned to us for a promotion at a radio station I managed. Never in my "kid years" could I have guessed that I would one day SIT in the Batmobile!!
I’ve seen a couple in my day but do remember seeing one covered in the “Batfuzz” way back when. Great vid!!
Nice video, nice to see someone do research and get the facts correct. There is one correction I must add. The steering wheel was unique on the Futura, built for the Futura. The Futura's steering wheel was removed in season 3 for an Edsel steering wheel and remains with the car today.
Such an interesting story, thanks a lot.
Many thanks. I was eating my tea and talking to Mrs Boss when I suddenly realised I had not given you the big Roman thumb up. Lol. Phew! Am glad I will not wake up in a cold sweat tonight now and relax.... Great video. Many thanks.
This is brilliant. More Film and TV car stories please.
Let this be a lesson to everyone attempting to create an informative UA-cam video.
This is where the bar has been set.
Failing to attain this level of competence will result in ridicule
Many years ago in Chicago I repaired the exhaust header on one that had the fuzzy finish looked like felt. It was a 427 with C6 automatic.
I didn't even watch it and i already gave it a thumbs up.
Same
@@jamesengland7461 cool surname, sounds like James Bond
I'm guessing it'll be 2 thumbs up after watching it.
The 60's Batmobile is by far the best Batmobile in my opinion.
The Batman TV show was great fun, back then kids show were campy, silly and all but always had a moral to the story.
There's an American company, called Fiberglass Freaks, that does nothing but make Batmobile copies on order, and they do it very well.
Yup, the company is in the town where I live. Got to see one up close a few years ago. The attention to detail is nothing less than amazing!
Yes, highly interesting. I have known that the JAMES BOND - Aston Martin model from GOLDFINGER still gets rebuilt, seen one in San Mateo near San Franceisco thirty years ago. So this is maybe not astonishing but still reamarkable news
Mark is a friend of mine. I helped him out when he was working on a replica of the Futura for a certain entertainer who had bought it.
Still my favourite car of all time. I'm sure I'm not the only Boomer who feels this way.
That was absolutely fascinating. I had no idea about the story behind the cart so I loved that.
I remember seeing the car in the late 70's and wondered what happened to the paint. Now I understand.
Same here. We saw it at a car show in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena and it looked like it was covered in velvet instead of paint.
Fascinating. Who knew Dick Van Dyke had a brother! Great vid thank you.
I didn't make the connection until you mentioned it. Looks like he died a couple of years ago.
In the States, Jerry had a fine career. Mostly disposable television, and not as extraordinary as his big brother. The kind of guy who always appeared as a special guest and popped up on Johnny Carson with his banjo a few times a year.
He was also Junior Douglas in the John Wayne film McLintock and you could tell he was a Van Dyke from his mannerisms and actions (he sings and dances). He also appeared in an episode of Fantasy Island later
Very interesting, I think Dick was well known over here in the UK (mainly through Mary Poppins I suspect) but can't say his brother was in the public consciousness here back then. Back on topic, I had a Batmobile toy car in my youth, remember getting it like it was yesterday. Just awestruck!
George Barris once explained in an interview that he was in a pinch to finish the car and the only thing he could find that he could transform into something that looked like a jet exhaust was a coffee can, not a paint can, so he got to work trying to make it look like a jet exhaust which in his words was really just a propane torch shooting out through a coffee can.
Yet who didn't love to see that jet exhaust?
Great history! I grew up with Batman comics and the original Batman series. Great fun facts too!!
Thanks for sharing!
BP
Thanks Byron
@@LittleCar You are most welcome!! The Chrysler Crown Imperial of the '60s "Black Beauty" from Green Hornet Series next??
If you have not already done it.
Thank you! 😀
Again an informative and enjoyable video. I saw one of these at a firestone service station as late as the 80's.
Turbines to power. "Check, Batman ! "
In the 1970's, one of the original replicas was in a car museum near Chicago. I remember seeing it and being surprised by the fuzzy paint, since it looked glossy black on TV. I guess I know why now.
The car was covered in (bat fur) in order to cover the stress cracks that happened when the car body was removed from the mold
The orange pinstripe highlights were not on the car originally. If you watch the first few episodes you will see the car is flat black with white striping. The car was repainted gloss black and the stripes were changed to help the cars appearance on the screen.
The original had fuzzy finish like bat hair.
You're clueless and have no idea. Very first scene of the vsr in episode 1 it's got red stripes..
Incorrect. Test footage was used as filler in episode two, showing the car in flat black with white striping. That was the only time it was seen on screen that way.
@@hadleymanmusic It did not. The "Bat fuzz" was added to the fiberglass copies in the seventies to hide stress cracks in the fiberglass.
@@KevinWhite-zb5os seems like I read that in a 1960's popular science. I understood the fuzz wore off so it got regular paint
In the summer of 1968, when I was 7 years old, I went to the local shop (Orpington in Kent) to get something for my mum and coming down the street was the Batmobile. Batman was standing in the cockpit waving, while Robin was driving. Crowds lined the street and were waving and cheering. I was absolutely amazed, as I loved the show and had a Dinky Batmobile. I ran home and told my mum and she called me a liar! I never told her anything ever again.
Was that not a corgi? Also matchbox did one I believe
My dad talks about seeing the Batmobile at the Philly Auto Show in 1975. He said that while it was cool seeing it in person, its condition was “Royally beaten up”.
Excellent Video. I've seen the Batmobile twice in my life time. The first was at some small movie house in Downtown Manhattan for a Matinee of the Batman Movie, summer of '66. The Dynamic Duo was there in person (or maybe not?). The second time was in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens NY maybe around 2010. I had a much better look at it at the park. I have no idea what iteration it was, but it was beautiful to behold. Thank you for posting!
You're welcome!
This is probably the best Most accurate video documenting the Batmobile, on the internet.!! . Most of what is said is correct. The only things that I picked out were that were incorrect were that Barris had bought the Futura previous to being approached by the producers to build a Batmobile. Barris always liked a good story, and was a great promoter... Saying that he bought it for "One Dollar" was a good PR thing.. Personally I think the real story is even better. Barris had the Futura sitting in his back lot because the car had been used in a couple movies. One of which was "It Started With a Kiss" starring Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds .. But he didn't own it when the producers approached him, which was actually in August of 1965. By the time the deal was settled for him to provide the Batmobile he did indeed have a very short time to get the car ready, and he actually modified the Futura before he bought it..!! George Barris was a shrewd businessman. He had done design work and some custom work for Ford, and the Futura had been sitting in his back lot for several years. Barris sent a bill to Ford for the work he had done, and the "Storage Fees" for the Futura.. There was a disagreement on the money and George said that he would take the Futura in trade. In order to make the deal legal there had to be money exchanged, so the contract for the sale of the Futura actually says for "One dollar plus other valuable considerations" .. But of course Barris left that last part out, to make it sound better.. Also the date of sale was December 21, 1965 .. Almost two months after the car was delivered to the set of Batman the first time..!! Other than that, the air scoops on the fins of the Futura weren't for cooling the rear brakes, they were air inlets for the air conditioning system, which was indeed in the trunk. Everything else in the video is pretty darned accurate,despite what some of the commenters below have posted.. People who want to study more about the car should check out www.1966batmobile.com .. Eric Seltzer runs that page and knew George Barris personally, as well as just about every fan who has built a replica Batmobile (including myself) and he doesn't put anything on the site that can't be confirmed.
I saw one in Melbourne Florida, three days ago while on vacation. Yes, driving down the road.
Not a joke.
Fibre Glass Freaks in USA still makes them
Let's pause for a moment to consider such a gigantic lead sled doing the quarter mile in 12 seconds.
Yes pretty quick car
Mmmm...... one of the fibreglass replicas.
@@MechanicalSculptor on a full steel frame with fiberglass added to the exterior
Let's not forget it had a rocket booster.
427 Side Oiler and 4:11 gears
There were five batmobiles in total from George Barris; #1 was the Futura conversion, #2, 3 and 4 were fibreglass replicas built for public appearances at shopping malls etc. and #5 was an all metal replica built as a stunt double to the #1 hero car. The company licensed to build replicas is Fiberglass Freaks.
What happened to the dragster Batmobile?
@@josephforest7605 as far as I know, #5 was the one that performed at the drag strips.
@@Rigel_Chiokis Where is it today?
@@Jay-vr9ir no idea. In 2018 it sold at an auction for $165,000, but of course the auction site doesn't name the buyer.
The #4 was the Dragster. The #5 was the one that Barris bought from a fan who built it from a 1958 T-Bird. @@Rigel_Chiokis
I would love for the car to be converted back to the original concept Lincoln Furura. The rarity of a one off Ford design which appeared on screen in its own right would be awesome especially as more batmobiles, based on other platforms were made later.
What part of the original Batmobile is the most iconic prop car ever made don't you understand?
@@1pcfred I do understand. I am just expressing my opinion as a car lover as opposed to a batman or comic fan. That's where my interest lies.
@@sjcuk regardless of where your interest lies you still have to recognize the significance of artifacts. As one movie character once famously said, It belongs in a museum!
@@1pcfred That's a valid point of view. It could be argued that the Futura should never have been butchered in the first place. After all Batman is a fictional character yet the car was a very real development. I subscribe to Little and Big 'car' for my love of cars, to me Batman is not the important bit but I accept to many people it is.
@@sjcuk in an infinite Universe the concept of fiction has no meaning. Somewhere out there everything is quite real in the limited sense that we understand things. Then there's the multiverse to consider. Which hurts my brane. So we won't.
'My mother the car?' WHAT a premise. Sounds like a Readers Digest take on Transformer's!
I really need to see an episode of this now.
Great video mon ami. 🏆⚒️🇬🇧
I tried to never miss an episode. After all it was on at the "Same Bat Time Same Bat Station". About 4 years back I bought a 1965 Caterpillar D6B from a guy who owns Adam West's childhood home in Wala Wala Washington. So now I tell everyone that it's the Bat Cat. Funny thing was the whole time I was down in Wala Wala I could only think of Daffy Duck and the "Wishy Washy Washing Machine Co. of Wala Wala Washington" Had no idea I would purchase the Bat Cat. Great place Good People visit there sometime you won't be disappointed.
Always love your way of presentation and story telling👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks Joshua
That is a cool story.👍
I remember seeing a Batmobile with the fuzzy paint at a car show in the early 70’s.
Anybody know what band is photographed with it at 5:50? The Yardbirds? It has a square Euro number plate and then a white 2F-3567 Gotham US tag next to it. Can't see the year, perhaps 1967 instead of the original black "Gotham 1966" plate? Makes sense since states used to flip their color combinations in alternating years.
Yeah that's dave dee dozy beaky mick & tich . Google image it . There's loads of pics from that session.
Zx80 on the shelf in the background : the very first computer I ever used
Glad you noticed it. It's my pride and joy - and also the first computer I ever used.
TRS 80 Colour Computer over here.
@@aaronleverton4221 Me, too. Still have a CoCo 2. Had the ZX-81's US equivalent, the Timex Sinclair TS1000. Sadly, it was a malfunctioning piece of junk that the CoCo replaced.
The original Batmobile sold via Barrett Jackson auctions for $4.2 million. I was watching the B/J auction and saw it happen live. It eventually started a bidding war that lasted almost 10 minutes. It was amazing.
As far as I’m concerned that one will always be the Batmobile.
That's what he said. You just converted it from pounds 🤣
Im guessing your over 75
Seen them in Glasgow in the 1960s when they came to our school and remember them driving down the hill
The color on the original Lincoln Futura was...according to Gotham Garage who made a replica from the original mold...was Seafoam Green. It was a very light color of green.
George Barris did work for knight Rider
when Batman show went off the air it totally devastated me and my cousin
Am old enough to remember the show and I still think the show and car were far better than of the cars and movies since.
My favorite of all the Batmobiles. A close 2nd is the Keaton mobile
Exactly! Just like Batman. Adam West is the best with Michael Keaton a close second. All others are just imposters.
It's amazing how little is documented about the striking chrome tubes that jut out behind the canopy and this video is typically neglectful in ignoring them like there not there.
I believe they where an anti theft device that shot fireworks or rockets to draw attention to the batmobile if it was in trouble.
Possibility used once in the entire series so a very obscure but such a curious and unique feature of the car.
Whomever designed, created and built this engineering marvel is an absolute brilliant and extremely talented genius. This phenomenal work of art should really and truly be in the next Batman movie instead of the vehicle they been using! 👏 👏 👏
Best looking car ever
Yep the 1966 original Batmobile is the sweetest machine ever. Their are some really great diecast models out there you can buy. I just got one and I really like it. There is several sizes to choose from.
the Batmobile and the Monkeemobile... best cars ever
Cool video. I suppose you will have to do the 007 Aston??
Weirdly enough I didn't think of that, but maybe!
The Ford Futura was a neat concept car! I used to live in So Cal, and saw the matte black Batmobile in a kind of museum. Place was closed but it was visible thru a window. Also saw Tim Burtons / M. Keaton Batmobile at a car show, and the one used by Christian Bale on a trailer! George Barris had some wild ideas! The Munster coach (& Grandpa's Drag-ula!) Are still kind of cool!
I saw a 1966-type Batmobile in Ashland, Kentucky, in about 1967 or 1968 during some kind of a car show. I never much cared for the TV show but it was interesting to see the car (or a replica) that was used in a TV series.
My favourite Batmobile; great video.
Me, I have the Corgy Toys Model of the car. I remember it had cost me a lot of begging to my mother to get it but it still is great with the flames comming out of it´s exhaust system.
The advertisement for that model car, in the movie BATMAN (1966) z.B.
This 1961 model here was close to the one of my childhood dreams. ::)+
It is highly interesting that this car design is used up to this day FOR REAL !! I did not know this.
To me as an old BATMAN-FAN from childhood on this article here clearly is jucy !
I recall seeing a replica at the auto show in Buffalo ,NY IN 86 ,it was the one without the rear canopies .The car was a total letdown , the interior did not look like the original at all . The original had the Futura's steering wheel that was cut in half ,Adam West complained it was too difficult to handle , so they replaced the steering wheel with an Edsel steering wheel .I wonder what happened to the dragster ?
Holy concept car customization!
One of my most treasured possessions is my Corgi Batmobile...........
The original lincoln Futura appeared in a Debbie Reynolds flim called "it started with a kiss" after the film the car sat in storage, Barris bought the car way before the Batman TV series. It sat on George's property a few years before being turned into the Batmoblie
It was parked outside all night long on Riverside Dr., Toluca Lake/North Hollywood at Barris Custom City. It was there in about 1960-63.
I sat in a Batmobile at FanExpoCanada in Toronto in 2016 - banged my head on the back windshield getting into it. Cost $20 Canadian ($16 US at the time) and was well the experience.
Ohhhh thank god you have this video, I knew there was felt on some of these batmobiles, my sisters dad worked on the original his name was gale black. I thought I was going crazy for a bit there by thinking it wasn’t fuzzy when I touched it at the shop in 1980, there was also the Incredible Hulk truck and the coyote from hardcastle and mc cormick before it even hit the tv show, I have a picture somewhere of me standing next to it when it was primer red white black…..
As a child I built the Revell (if I remember) kit of this car. Later I used to gas up at the Arco station near Barris's shop off Lankershim in North Hollywood. I would walk over to his shop and look in to see what was being worked on. This car and Bob Hope's golf cart with his exaggerated nose would be on display. When they announced the coming TV series of Batman I told my friends that car painted black would make a great Batmobile. And danged if that's what they did.
Revell never made a Batmobile model kit. You probably had the 1/32 scale Aurora kit, which wasn't very accurate but was the only Batmobile model available at the time.
@@scotpens I never said I made the Batmobile. I said I made the futuristic Lincoln kit that Barris made. He turned it into the Batmobile for the TV series.
@@ivanleterror9158 Sorry, I didn't read your entire post. Yes, Revell made the Lincoln Futura back in 1956 and re-issued it in the 1990s. It was a simple kit with a multi-piece body and no engine or chassis detail.
@@scotpens And I can't believe that today's kits are cheap snap together (at least some) to avoid kids using glue. Some of them use it today as their drug of choice. (new world)
George Barris was a genius and a wizard.
It still looks cooler than the modern batmobiles .
When I was under it fixing the header the rear cut outs were capped off. It had straight pipes that lead to the "rocket booster " I fitted that back up and they tested it in the alley behind the shop one night. There is nothing behind the cockpit just open area you could see where they had extended the frame at the rear box area.
My best friend and I got to sit in that car back in the 70s
For years there was a Batmobile replica exhibited in Fort Perch Rock in New Brighton on the Wirral in the UK.
I think and hope the Monkeemobile feature will be coming soon.
We'll see. I'll probably put it up for a vote in the future.
Yes I was also thinking of it, it was weirdly well designed for a show that didn’t really need a custom car
@John Barber thats why we still talking bout them *
In 1966 as a teenager, I was working in the publicity department of the Lewis's group of department stores in the UK. I worked in our office, which was part of the Selfridges building, our London store. We had a Cheverolet based replica of the Batmobile that went around the country visiting our stores for promotion purposes. I hinted I would like it when the company no longer needed it as I understood it was going to be sold off cheap but nothing came of that. Having watched this video, it may be we didn't even own it? Maybe it was leased from the builder? I don't know as it was financed by the advertising department, which was in our Liverpool store.
What an interesting and informative video! Thank you for sharing!
Ahhh , such an "Iconic" movie car , only George Barris could have come up with such a great legend of the TV & movie screens ; I wish that I could own 1 of these magic creations in full size but I suppose that I'll have to just look after my model ( toy ) version - an original Corgi toy from the late 70's.
I had the Corgi Batmobile and Batboat with trailer when I was around 9-10.
Thanks for your research and production.
BTW, Jerry Van Dyke's mother was a 1928 model, not 1929...but she probably won't see the video anyway 😉
Great design from the off.
I remember seeing that car 40 years ago at a car show. About fell out when I saw the 312-400 Ford engine family. Figured it would be a little later than late 50’s stuff. Later learned about the tiny budget constraints and understood.
312-400 Ford engine family? No such thing
Cubic inch group. They made something like a 252, 272, 312 and a 400 that was used in an Edsel. That group of engines had there heyday in the mid to late 1950’s. That what I was talking about.
They had lifters the size of your pinkie finger and the distributor was in the rear.
Really odd duck compared to the 1964-1985 stuff.
@dougtaylor7724 I think you're referring to the Y-Block, they came in 239, 256, 272, 292, and 312 variations. The first year Edsel had either a 361, which was an FE motor, or a 410, which was a MEL motor, it depended on the model. The pinky finger lifter you mentioned, is a mushroom type solid lifter, used in the Y-Block, which is also a rear mounted distributor engine.
My Panelbeating teacher Dick Crawford was involved in the building of the original batmobile .
I saw one on the 210 (Los Angeles) a couple of years ago. I wonder how many batmobiles are out there.
Iconic.. beautiful machine.
there were originally 5 fiberglass copies made by Randy Wright , or at least he made the molds and bodies for the Replica Copy Bat Mobiles
I saw this car in person at the Memorial Gardens,. The e city hockey arena I Sault Ste Marie. Onterio my friend & I heard about the car show being there & this car was the featured car, I begged my dad to take us to it.
I saw one of the 'fuzzy' ones at the California state fair once upon a time
Interesting and well presented, thanks.
I'm not a car guy. Fancy cars do absolutely nothing for me.
That said, I think the number one thing I'd like to have before I die is a Batmobile.
I'm 65, I loved the TV show as a kid, the props used are one of the few inanimate objects that make me giddy.
Owning a Batmobile I think, would make me silly happy. 🦇🦇🦇