THE ORIGINAL #1 BATMOBILE: On offer at the Barrett-Jackson Collection Showroom, awaiting its next Bat Cave

July 22, 2015
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

and Roger C. Johnson

The original #1 Batmobile from the 1960s TV show is being offered privately for sale at the Barrett-Jackson Collection Showroom.

The original 1966 Batmobile, one of the most recognized and popular pieces of entertainment history worldwide, sold for $4.62 million and set a record for TV and movie cars when it crossed block at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction in 2013. Now offered privately for sale at the Barrett-Jackson Collection Showroom, independent automotive journalist Roger C. Johnson takes a look at just what makes this unique piece of Americana so special.

The Batmobile is much more than a flashy mode of transportation for crime-fighting superheroes. Some of the most intriguing elements of this machine are its fantastic gadgets ‒ just the things every crime-crusher needs. They are proof positive that a fiction writer’s imagination knows no technological bounds.

For the TV series, the #1 Batmobile flaunts a nose-mounted aluminum Cable Cutter, which permitted a method of entry far more sophisticated than simply breaking and, well, you know. A Bat-Ray Projector allowed Batman’s image to be projected far and wide, to the utter chagrin of criminals everywhere.

Since the #1 Batmobile is one of the most conspicuous vehicles in the world, an Anti-Theft Device was deemed mandatory. A Detect-a-Scope and a Bat Eye Switch are included and probably use the same electronic circuits as modern-day smartphones. A Police Band Cut-In Switch was supposedly designed by a college dropout who now works for NASA, interfering with radio wave traffic between galaxies. The car’s Automatic Tire Inflation Systems are further examples of real technologies yet to come ‒ 007 used a similar version on his more contemporary Aston Martin.

But there’s even more in the form of a Batphone and an Emergency Bat-Turn Lever. Direction changes of 180 degrees are possible thanks to two 10-foot diameter parachutes. Be aware that most of the technologies that run these systems, along with the operating manuals, have been locked away in Commissioner Gordon’s personal safe and are unavailable to the buyer for national security reasons. Although some items, like that mobile phone gadget and anti-theft device, were mysteriously leaked to the general population. KAPOW!

All this makes TV’s #1 Batmobile completely different from any other car ever produced. It evolved from the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept vehicle, which means neither version has any idea what an assembly line even looked like. This Lincoln creation was hand-built in Turin, Italy, by Ghia craftsmen. The Italians followed the design parameters set forth by Lincoln corporate stylists Bill Schmidt and John Nejjar, both of whom were instrumental in Ford/Lincoln designs dating back to 1940. What you see in the Futura is jet-age exuberance taken to the extreme.

Unlike many industry concept cars, the 1955 Lincoln Futura was a fully running and functioning vehicle featuring a big block Ford V8 with experimental factory components. It blew away the audiences at the Motoramas of the day, yet was eventually cast aside as just another of yesterday’s fantasies, despite the $250,000 investment by Ford. That’s $2.2 million in today’s money. Right about this time, one of the world’s most influential car customizers, George Barris, acquired this creation for a song and had the foresight to keep it safe for future generations.

When Hollywood’s TV people approached Barris to supply a car suitable for Batman and Robin’s quest of hunting down criminals and protecting the populous at the same time, the challenge was eagerly accepted by the king of car customizers. Besides, Barris knew the Futura slumbering behind his shop would more than satisfy those big-time TV producers after he tweaked the design just a bit.

Naturally, the prevailing rocket-oriented mindset of the general population would continue to impact the car’s evolution at Barris’ facility. The master metal-shaping is the product of Bill Cushenberry, who Barris recruited specifically for this challenge. It is a futuristic view from the mid-1950s, taken even further during the ’60s, and still adored by all of us a half-century later.

Many high-end collectable cars are so rare most people have never seen them before, and therefore can’t really appreciate the history behind their value and beauty. However, possibly the most desirable and collectable car of all is one that every man, woman or child in the free world can easily identify without the slightest hesitation. The original Batmobile will always be one of those cars.

– written for Barrett-Jackson by Roger C. Johnson

The #1 Batmobile is offered privately for sale exclusively at the Barrett-Jackson Collection Showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, call 480-306-8210 or visit BarrettJacksonCollectionShowroom.com/BatMobile.html