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hello everyone ive just got my car from the post its the batmobile from the 1966 tv show its made by hotwheel elite they have done a really cool job but whats now that ive got the FIRST one out of 1600 how mad is that

congrats mr ford that bat mobile brings back fond
memorys and you have the first one out of the
1600 that will become a major collectors car.

I'm anxious to see this one up close...

I worked for/with Barris over a few years, spent some time around the Batmobile. I'll be interested to see the interior especially. GB had added a lot of, well, okay, CRAP to the interior of the car over a decade or so, neon color, useless items and big stupid labels on everything.

This was all his interpretation of what car show viewers wanted to see, and much of it was pretty dumb. If Mattel did it right and kept the car to the condition and content of its' TV appearance, I'm in. If it's a later version, maybe not.

hi rick ill do i nice photo for u could u tell what kind of car did they use to make it (its been killing me for years )

Hey, Guys -

We did a review of the Elite a couple weeks ago, if you're interested:

Barris Batmobile on "Playing With Cars"

i wish i had a room like that its a shame we in the uk dont have a TV channel like that how cool is that batmoblie and i got the first one out of 16000

MR FORD Wrote:hi rick ill do i nice photo for u could u tell what kind of car did they use to make it (its been killing me for years )

The Batmobile was built in a very short time- a matter of weeks- by the crew of Barris Kustom of North Hollywood, in time for the pilot episode of the series. Dean Jeffries, another longtime custom car builder with a shop near the movie studios, had gotten the contract to build the car from a 1959 Cadillac... he had started the car already... when the studio changed their order, shortening the time available for the build. Since Jeffries works in metal and is NOT to be rushed, and his concept was a complex one, he bowed out of the contract.

Barris, a couple of miles away, had in his storage yard an old Ford 'dream car' from the mid-to-late 50s, the Lincoln Futura. Barris had done lots of consulting and custom car work for Ford in those years and had kept the Futura in California after it was used in a Glen Ford movie in the late 50s.

He heard about the TV project and made calls to Ford about buying the Futura for the project, but they said they would rather have the car crushed to prevent any street use and future liabilities. Then Barris hit them with his charges for the years the car had been at his shop 'in storage'. The fee would be, he said, $1 a day. The car had been there for several years, so the fee added up! Ford considered the car practically worthless, and countered with, 'Would you like the car instead of the money?' Barris accepted.

Most of thre construction was done in Dick Dean's shop not far from Barris'. The car had to be stripped, mods had to be made to the body, all the toys had to be installed, and the car had to 'start, run, and drive' every time. 'Wasn't gonna happen' unless the entire car... electrical system, brakes, steering, everything!... was gone through and refurbished. That was accomplished while the new interior was being assembled and the car painted and prepped.

It was a close call, but the car was delivered close to its' required 'call time'. Rough use by the tv crew brought the car back to Barris a few times, and during the show's summer hiatus after the first half-season, the ('55 Lincoln?) frame and engine were replaced with a new 1967 Ford Galaxie chassis and powertrain including a floor shift for the C4 auitomatic transmission. Fiberglass molds were also made so that duplicates could be constructed for car shows. Barris had sold the cars' 'personal appearances' for huge money and 'clones' were acceptable! The duplicate cars were rarely if ever were used on the TV show. One car was set up as a drag car...

After the series ended (it only lasted two years!) the cars... including #1... still toured all over the world. The original has been 'restored' many times, but its' condition suffered somewhat while spending most of its time in the 'front garage' at George's shop in North Hollywood.

I believe the original was finally sold to the Petersen Museum in L.A. a couple of years ago. Bob Petersen was a huge fan of the car, and George had promised Bob the car if it was ever sold. The museum takes exceptionally good care of it. There are numerous 'clones' in circulation. The newest, best and most realistic were built by Jay Ohrberg and the late Bob Butts through the 1980s.

Cool story... Both of the huge original bumpers for the Futura were cast from bronze in Italy where the car was originally constructed. During Batmobile construction they were tossed onto the roof of George's shop. They stayed there for well over a decade until they were sold for scrap sometime in the late 70s.

There are countless stories about the Batmobile and I am sure that George would have his issues with my account. My information came from George's longtime painter, my friend, the late Roy Johnson, aka 'Tubbs', He was a thirty-year Barris employee til his death in the early 90s. Adam West, (Batman forever to many of us!), also spoke fondly of the car. I drove it about 20 feet once, returning it to Barris' garage after repairing some of the striping. That was very cool

Rick Rothermel, Anaheim, Ca.

Note: I worked occasionally with George on several projects through the 80s. While I respect his early work and his professional accomplishments, he and I are not friends, and we have not spoken since 1992...

WOW thanks rick i really wanted to know what car they used for years and now i know i googled the name and saw a pic of it and not alot has change apart from the colour and a few pices i like the look of the car thanks again rick oh what did you think of my pics