The Amazing History and Facts Of The 1960s Batmobile

Mar 22, 2017 09:45 PM EDT | JP Olvido

One of many iconic pop culture vehicles is the Batmobile from the live-action Batman TV series which first aired in 1966. Not a lot know that this iconic vehicle holds a lot of history and amazing facts that will blow the minds of Batman fans and classic car enthusiasts alike.

Amazing facts about the iconic 1960s Batmobile. The iconic vehicle of the Dark Knight is not just a TV series prop. What many do not know is that it is an actual car customized for the show and featured prominently along with Adam West's Batman and Burt Ward's Robin.

The superhero vehicle is actually a non-functioning 1955 Ford Lincoln Future concept car. It was worked on by renowned car customizer George Barris which he bought for only US$1 although the concept car actually costs US$250,000.

Producers of the show and Barris entered into a contract that required the superhero vehicle to have a list of outrageous features such as a bing-bong warning bell, bat-light flasher, bat-ray projector, a radar-like screen, and an emergency bat-turn. It also sported a phone and a fire extinguisher.

Barris had only three weeks and US$15,000 to turn the Lincoln Futura into a working Batmobile and he successfully did so by adding in a Ford Galaxie chassis. The end result cost Barris US$30,000.

The iconic car was originally painted a dull gray with white stripes. However, the color scheme was found to be boring and so it was repainted with the color scheme that it now has.

The ownership of the vehicle was retained by Barris and leased it to the show. He made three fiberglass copies for fan events, close-ups, stunts, and crashes.

The jet engine on the rear is actually a five-gallon paint can and its oil slick sprayers actually lawn sprinklers. The parachutes that shoot out of the back of the car to help slow it down actually worked.

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