Though it’s not a combination of a slick motorcycle and gargantuan, rocket powered beast, the original ’66 Batmobile does require you to wear the cheesy costume if you plan on driving it. Or if you simply want to showcase this great piece of cinematic history amongst your car collection, it will be up for grabs at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ, on January 19, 2013.
Built by legendary car customizer George Barris, legend has it that this car was put together in just 15 days, though there wasn’t any actual record of the car being put together at that short amount of time.
After being given $15,000 (which was quite a lot in ’66) and the short time frame, like any realist would do, Barris used a Lincoln Futura, which he bought for $1 about a decade earlier, and repainted it black. Since CGI effects were considered a thing of the future, Barris had to fit all the ridiculous crime-fighting gadgets to the car. The gadgets included: the Batphone, the Emergency Bat-turn Lever, the Batray, the Bat Beam and best of all, the Bat-tering Ram. It even comes with a working parachute from a drag racer.
Fancy gadgets and paint jobs aside, this car is a 390 cubic-inch V-8 powered Lincoln->ke48 Futura. When the engine was in the Futura, it featured 330 horsepower, but the current output was not released. With a "bubble" roof and some futuristic design cues, the original 1950’s Futura concept gave the public insight on what future automobiles would look like. Looks like they got that concept totally wrong from where we’re standing today.
While most people sell their cars at half its original price, George Barris will be making a big fortune when he sells his black old Lincoln Futura at Scottsdale. Good work, Mr Barris...
We’ll update this review with the final selling price once the auction closes.
1966 Batmobile
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