Here is a picture that just showed on my FB page of the 55 Futura pre Batmobile that I don't ever recall seeing before.
The Futura was pearl white when it was first introduced to the public as a concept vehicle. Here are a few photos of it taken in 1955 when it was on display at my fathers family Lincoln Mercury dealership. My father with the Futura
You look at the cars in the pictures, the ones in the background, and you have to admire what the designers were thinking (or smoking). It looks "other worldly" compared to the times. And then I have to ask myself "where is that type of creativity today?" Not in Hollywood or Detroit!
It always amazed me that George Barris got away with claiming to have "created" the Batmobile!! A paint job, some phony adornments and.... voila` ..... the Batmobile!! What a scam!
Apparently I cut the text out of the picture somehow and I cannot find it again but it read something about being delivered to Barris at this time.
that is a renwall visible ch***is model kit, It has the visible V8 engine, working manual trans and working rear axle
Not sure I’ve ever looked at em both side by side before… A lot more differences that I would have guessed- but you can definitely see the connections between the two.
A young builder did a 'tribute' of the Munsters' coach, out of Poliform 'gl*** '27 bodies. Simple rectang tube ch***is, Speedway axle, very similar to the original, but NOT a 'clone'. Took it to Goodguys in Pleasanton, George Barris was there. George walked up and told Eric that UNLESS he dismantled the car, he might get sued for Plagiarism! Funny thing, there's a Batmobile manufacturer producing Batmobiles nearing a dozen (!) There was a Pierson Bros. lawsuit (by them) against a 1/8 scale model mfr. of the Bonneville '34 Coupe. Lawyers...
Yeah, Ask Barris how that worked out for him, when he put a "Barris Kustoms" badge on the " Monkeemobile " that Dean Jeffries built !!!!
Looking at the Futura, the Batmobile is not much of a fantasy. The Ford engineers really nailed it!! Never saw the picture of it in dark paint as the Futura before.
The Jalopy Journal
