Batmobile 1966 (Batman car model)
QSA Item ID 1814358
View this and other original records at the Queensland State Archives:
In late 1965 20th Century Fox Television and William Dozier's Greenway Productions contracted renowned Hollywood car customizer Dean Jeffries to design and build a "Batmobile" for their upcoming Batman TV series. He started customizing a 1959 Cadillac, but when the studio wanted the program on the air in January 1966, and therefore filming sooner than he could provide the car, Jeffries was paid off, and the project went to George Barris.
What became the iconic Batmobile used in the 1966–1968 live action television show and its film adaptation was a customized vehicle that originated as a one-off 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car,[52] created by Ford Motor Company lead stylists Bill Schmidt, Doug Poole Sr., and John Najjar and their design team at the Lincoln Styling Department.
In 1954, the Futura prototype was built entirely by hand by the Ghia Body Works in Turin, Italy, at a reported cost of US$250,000—the equivalent of approximately US$2.5 million in 2021.[55] It made its debut in pearlescent Frost-Blue white paint on January 8, 1955, at the Chicago Auto Show.[56] In 1959, sporting a fresh red paint job, the Futura was featured in the film It Started with a Kiss, starring Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford.
Barris was trying to get Hollywood's attention with the Futura, which he had purchased from Ford for the nominal sum of $1.00 and "other valuable consideration",[57] but aside from its film appearance, the Futura had been languishing in his Hollywood shop for several years. With only three weeks to finish the Batmobile (although in recent years Jeffries says that his car was dropped because he was told it was needed in "a week and a half",[58] he was quoted in 1988 as saying "three weeks"[59] as well), Barris decided that, rather than building a car from scratch, it would be relatively easy to transform the distinctive Futura into the famous crime-fighting vehicle. Design work was conducted by Herb Grasse, working as an associate designer for Barris.
Barris hired Bill Cushenbery to do the metal modifications to the car and its conversion into the Batmobile was completed in just three weeks, at a reported cost of US$30,000. They used the primer-painted, white-striped car in October 1965, for a network presentation reel. Shortly afterward, the car was painted gloss black with "fluorescent cerise" stripes. Barris retained ownership of the car, estimated to be worth $125,000 in 1966 dollars,[60] leasing it to 20th Century Fox and Greenway Productions for use in the series.
When filming for the series began, several problems arose due to the car's age: it overheated, the battery died, and the expensive Mickey Thompson tires repeatedly failed. By mid-season, the engine and transmission were replaced with those of a Ford Galaxie. The most frequent visual influence of this car is that later Batmobiles usually have a rear rocket thruster that fires as the car starts up.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batmobile#Batman_(1960s_film/television_series)
The Batmobile from the 1966–1968 live action television show and its film adaptation began life as a Ford concept car called the Lincoln Futura, built over a decade earlier in 1955. The body of the Futura was fabricated by Ghia of Italy, whose artisans hammered the car's panels over logs and tree stumps carved as forms to create the sleek manta ray-like car. In 1959, the Futura was featured sporting a fresh red paint job in the film It Started With A Kiss, starring Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford. In 1965, ABC-TV chose famed Hollywood customizer George Barris to design a "Batmobile" for their soon-to-go-into-production Batman show. Dean Jeffries worked on the design and initial fabrication for the Batmobile, using a 1959 Cadillac, but when the studio wanted the car faster than he could provide, he turned it back to George Barris. With only three weeks to finish, Barris decided that rather than build a car from scratch, it would be best to transform the Lincoln Futura (bought from Ford for $1.00) into the famous crime fighting vehicle of TV's caped crusader. Barris hired Bill Cushenberry to do the metal modifications to the car. When filming for the series began, several problems arose due to the age of the car: it overheated, the battery went dead, and the expensive Mickey Thompson tires kept blowing. By mid season, the engine and transmission were replaced with a Ford Galaxie. The most frequent visual influence of this car is that later Batmobiles usually have a rear rocket thruster that usually fires as the car makes a fast start.
Gadgets
The extra-large bat-trunk in the Batmobile holds various crime-fighting equipment and has plenty of space to fit eight people comfortably. The windshield is bulletproof. And of course, the Batmobile is not without its helpful gadgets:
Bat-glove Compartment
Infrared Bat-dust (glows in light and in dark, but only visible when viewed through the Batmobile specially tinted windshield)
Emergency Bat-turn Lever (releases the Batmobile parachute that enables quick turns)
Bat-deflector (diverts a criminal tracking signal, leading them to a miniature Batcave in the middle of nowhere)
Bat-ray (can do many things, such as open van doors)
Super-powered Bat-magnet (for opening steel doors from a distance)
Odor Sensitometer Radar Circuit (puts a certain scent on the radar screen)
Ultrasonic Recorder (also records regular sounds)
Batmobile Parachute Pickup Service Signal (calls aforementioned service to pick the Batmobile parachute off the city street)
Emergency Bat-trunk Lock
Bat-zooka (can fire explosive blasts, or is used to fire bat-ropes to tops of very tall buildings)
Anti Mechanical Bat-ray (renders mechanical apparati useless)
Battering Ram (also known as the Bat-ram, used for knocking down reinforced doors)
Library Paste Bat-dissolving Switch
Bat-safety Belt
Bat-radarscope
Bat-alert Buzzer (in all Bruce's cars, indicates when the Batphone in the Batcave is ringing)
Bat-scope (TV screen that can be used to monitor someone's movements)
Anti-theft Activator (can be disguised as the Start button, fires fireworks from the car)
Anti-fire Activator (fills Batmobile with extinguishing foam)
Bat-ray Projector (fires Blu-ray from headlights that shut down a car's ignition)
Hidden Bat-laser Beam
Homing Receiver Scope
Inflatable Batmobile (kept in Batmobile for use as a decoy)
Batphone
Batman and Robin seats
This Batmobile original gadgets included the nose-mounted chain slicer, lasers, rockets, an on-board telephone, radar, dash monitor, on-board computer, and police beacon. If needed, the Batmobile is capable of a quick 180° "bat-turn" thanks to two rear-mounted 10' parachutes, and it is equipped with a smoke emitter and a nail spreader to discourage pursuit. Some changes were made during the run of the series, including different license plates, a change in steering wheel, and the addition of extra gadgets such as the rear-facing camera and battering ram.
batman.fandom.com/wiki/Batmobile_(Dozierverse)
Batmobile 1966 (Batman car model)
QSA Item ID 1814358
View this and other original records at the Queensland State Archives:
In late 1965 20th Century Fox Television and William Dozier's Greenway Productions contracted renowned Hollywood car customizer Dean Jeffries to design and build a "Batmobile" for their upcoming Batman TV series. He started customizing a 1959 Cadillac, but when the studio wanted the program on the air in January 1966, and therefore filming sooner than he could provide the car, Jeffries was paid off, and the project went to George Barris.
What became the iconic Batmobile used in the 1966–1968 live action television show and its film adaptation was a customized vehicle that originated as a one-off 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car,[52] created by Ford Motor Company lead stylists Bill Schmidt, Doug Poole Sr., and John Najjar and their design team at the Lincoln Styling Department.
In 1954, the Futura prototype was built entirely by hand by the Ghia Body Works in Turin, Italy, at a reported cost of US$250,000—the equivalent of approximately US$2.5 million in 2021.[55] It made its debut in pearlescent Frost-Blue white paint on January 8, 1955, at the Chicago Auto Show.[56] In 1959, sporting a fresh red paint job, the Futura was featured in the film It Started with a Kiss, starring Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford.
Barris was trying to get Hollywood's attention with the Futura, which he had purchased from Ford for the nominal sum of $1.00 and "other valuable consideration",[57] but aside from its film appearance, the Futura had been languishing in his Hollywood shop for several years. With only three weeks to finish the Batmobile (although in recent years Jeffries says that his car was dropped because he was told it was needed in "a week and a half",[58] he was quoted in 1988 as saying "three weeks"[59] as well), Barris decided that, rather than building a car from scratch, it would be relatively easy to transform the distinctive Futura into the famous crime-fighting vehicle. Design work was conducted by Herb Grasse, working as an associate designer for Barris.
Barris hired Bill Cushenbery to do the metal modifications to the car and its conversion into the Batmobile was completed in just three weeks, at a reported cost of US$30,000. They used the primer-painted, white-striped car in October 1965, for a network presentation reel. Shortly afterward, the car was painted gloss black with "fluorescent cerise" stripes. Barris retained ownership of the car, estimated to be worth $125,000 in 1966 dollars,[60] leasing it to 20th Century Fox and Greenway Productions for use in the series.
When filming for the series began, several problems arose due to the car's age: it overheated, the battery died, and the expensive Mickey Thompson tires repeatedly failed. By mid-season, the engine and transmission were replaced with those of a Ford Galaxie. The most frequent visual influence of this car is that later Batmobiles usually have a rear rocket thruster that fires as the car starts up.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batmobile#Batman_(1960s_film/television_series)
The Batmobile from the 1966–1968 live action television show and its film adaptation began life as a Ford concept car called the Lincoln Futura, built over a decade earlier in 1955. The body of the Futura was fabricated by Ghia of Italy, whose artisans hammered the car's panels over logs and tree stumps carved as forms to create the sleek manta ray-like car. In 1959, the Futura was featured sporting a fresh red paint job in the film It Started With A Kiss, starring Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford. In 1965, ABC-TV chose famed Hollywood customizer George Barris to design a "Batmobile" for their soon-to-go-into-production Batman show. Dean Jeffries worked on the design and initial fabrication for the Batmobile, using a 1959 Cadillac, but when the studio wanted the car faster than he could provide, he turned it back to George Barris. With only three weeks to finish, Barris decided that rather than build a car from scratch, it would be best to transform the Lincoln Futura (bought from Ford for $1.00) into the famous crime fighting vehicle of TV's caped crusader. Barris hired Bill Cushenberry to do the metal modifications to the car. When filming for the series began, several problems arose due to the age of the car: it overheated, the battery went dead, and the expensive Mickey Thompson tires kept blowing. By mid season, the engine and transmission were replaced with a Ford Galaxie. The most frequent visual influence of this car is that later Batmobiles usually have a rear rocket thruster that usually fires as the car makes a fast start.
Gadgets
The extra-large bat-trunk in the Batmobile holds various crime-fighting equipment and has plenty of space to fit eight people comfortably. The windshield is bulletproof. And of course, the Batmobile is not without its helpful gadgets:
Bat-glove Compartment
Infrared Bat-dust (glows in light and in dark, but only visible when viewed through the Batmobile specially tinted windshield)
Emergency Bat-turn Lever (releases the Batmobile parachute that enables quick turns)
Bat-deflector (diverts a criminal tracking signal, leading them to a miniature Batcave in the middle of nowhere)
Bat-ray (can do many things, such as open van doors)
Super-powered Bat-magnet (for opening steel doors from a distance)
Odor Sensitometer Radar Circuit (puts a certain scent on the radar screen)
Ultrasonic Recorder (also records regular sounds)
Batmobile Parachute Pickup Service Signal (calls aforementioned service to pick the Batmobile parachute off the city street)
Emergency Bat-trunk Lock
Bat-zooka (can fire explosive blasts, or is used to fire bat-ropes to tops of very tall buildings)
Anti Mechanical Bat-ray (renders mechanical apparati useless)
Battering Ram (also known as the Bat-ram, used for knocking down reinforced doors)
Library Paste Bat-dissolving Switch
Bat-safety Belt
Bat-radarscope
Bat-alert Buzzer (in all Bruce's cars, indicates when the Batphone in the Batcave is ringing)
Bat-scope (TV screen that can be used to monitor someone's movements)
Anti-theft Activator (can be disguised as the Start button, fires fireworks from the car)
Anti-fire Activator (fills Batmobile with extinguishing foam)
Bat-ray Projector (fires Blu-ray from headlights that shut down a car's ignition)
Hidden Bat-laser Beam
Homing Receiver Scope
Inflatable Batmobile (kept in Batmobile for use as a decoy)
Batphone
Batman and Robin seats
This Batmobile original gadgets included the nose-mounted chain slicer, lasers, rockets, an on-board telephone, radar, dash monitor, on-board computer, and police beacon. If needed, the Batmobile is capable of a quick 180° "bat-turn" thanks to two rear-mounted 10' parachutes, and it is equipped with a smoke emitter and a nail spreader to discourage pursuit. Some changes were made during the run of the series, including different license plates, a change in steering wheel, and the addition of extra gadgets such as the rear-facing camera and battering ram.
batman.fandom.com/wiki/Batmobile_(Dozierverse)