This vehicle was built in Turin, Italy and cost $250,000 but was never put into production. Perhaps you were intrigued by the Bat Cycle we featured recently but wanted a This car deserved much better. They hand-fabricated the roll top dashboard and slatted grill from aluminum stock formed using an in-house water jet and hours of manual polishing. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The car's official public debut was on January 8, 1955 at the Chicago Auto Show;[4] it had been shown to the press at the city's Congress Hotel on January 5. The adventure continues here at Undiscovered Classics. I dont think it was really a Bob Butts mold, only because those molds were of the batmobile and then used to remake the Futura, Also the hood scope is to prominent in the front, looking at old picture you see it smoothed over more. Tire Meets Road is a car blog focusing on car news and useful information you won't find anywhere else. The Batmobile you see before you is an extraordinarily detailed replica, captured on pixels by a TTAC reader in Franklin, TN. The other 2 tires were low. Bear in mind this was sort of a 1-man operation so there really wasnt much in the way of record keeping at the time. According to a video shared by Model Citizens CC SoCal earlier last week (Aug. 8, 2018) a very convincing replica of the 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept car was spotted parked behind a Wine and Beer Garden in Temecula, California. The Bob Butts fiberglass body had a working engine and drivetrain that just needed to be cleaned up. For those who may not be aware, the 1955 Lincoln Futura was a Lincoln-based concept built in Italy by world renown Pininfarina in Italy. More of the Predictor features made it to production on Ford products than features from the Futura. [citation needed], The Lincoln Futura was also included in the Vegas Pack DLC of Mafia II as the "Jefferson Futura". This is where my Futura interest comes into focus. Here is the Futura in all its glory back in the Fifties. Vehicle fuel gauge should be analog and large enough to read and 'linear' in its progression and I don't think most of mine are. WebThe Lincoln Futura was a concept car designed by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company. Some folks have even whispered the Batmobile should be restored back to the Futura. There is a YouTube video available of the chase. My strengths focus on anything uncommon in the car industry, the California car scene, and anything aftermarket performance. Sorrynot for sale. Im not sure where he got the info on the paint color because all the press releases that I read from the 50s state that the car was pearl white before being painted red for the movie It started with a kiss. So on with todays story and take it away Chris , The Butts/Woodside 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept Replica(s) Not One But Two! Just a couple of months ago it was parked at the 2018Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. Is the above video down? WebThe City of Fawn Creek is located in the State of Kansas. The idea for the Futura came from designer Bill Schmidt who got the idea for the car while diving from his encounter with a shark. https://goo.gl/photos/3miC3tEedaFkwnX68. The original 1966 Batmobile sold for $4.62 million to Batman fan, Rick Champagne and set a record for TV and movie cars.. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. It was built by Ghia entirely by hand in Italy at a cost of $250,000 and displayed on the auto show circuit in 1955. I dont really know how I heard about it, but when you own a Batmobile replica, word about other replicas gets around. I took the Futura for its first test spin around the block and found to my surprise the suspension felt really looseas in worn. And finally, when I couldnt BUY the Butts Futura at the time I discovered it in that Chicago Museum all those years ago, I commenced the build of a very accurate 55 Lincoln Futura Replica body in the hope of realizing this car at SOME point in my own FUTURE. Radio-TV. Buffalo Courier-Express, March 3, 1955. This Futura in the video is a hack job. For a guy who wants to be a perfectionist your memory of the show sucks. WHAT FUN!!! A decade later, as legend has it, Ford sold the show car to legendary Hollywood designer George Barris for one measly dollar. Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Street Muscle, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! Mazda CX-5 Gets Power Boost: 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, Canada Adopts CAFE 2025-Based Fuel Economy Standards, Electric Cars: Ford Claims A Big Share Of A Small Slice, Used Car of the Day: 1988 Ford Thunderbird. He even re-adhered some loose trim where it belonged and when I was summoned out for final inspection, the car was just stunningly MORE beautiful for his attentive handiwork. Of course all the chrome was ditched, bat-themed details added and then painted signature black with orange trim. How could THEY have missed the chance to make money off of my offer? )I got the hair-brained idea that maybe, just MAYBE I might be in a position to buy the Butts Futura Replica from young Brandon if he was open to a sale? I did too! WebGotham Garage's version puts out around 400 hp from a GM LS V8 engine. Find directions to Fawn Creek, browse local businesses, landmarks, get current traffic estimates, road conditions, and more. Enjoyed the story and the cars. The colorful crew at Gotham Garage overhauls an eclectic collection of cars and trucks, trading up to a showstopper they can sell for big bucks. Its original color was a pearlescent white, created by one of the first pearlescent color treatments. I promptly listed the car at a necessary price and could never have imagined my good fortune when none other than comedian ventriloquist Jeff Dunham acquired my former replica thru a third-party. Custom badges add yet more detail to an already impressive build. Some years later, life threw a curve ball to my family, so my wife, son and I made a sudden move for family to Tennessee. John Valentine, i believe the corvette engine and drivetrain was for the splitting image car, not the futura. The details are fuzzy, but I THINK I recall telling Brandon that I knew what he paid for it, and made him an offer reflecting a good sized profit if he was open to selling his replica? WebGotham Garage's version puts out around 400 hp from a GM LS V8 engine. I will say thisEVEN FOR THOSE FEW SLIGHTS, IT WAS STILL JAW-DROPPINGLY GORGEOUS for its merits. There is one around now thanks to Gotham Garage from the netflix show that came out recently called rust to riches i believe cant remember exactly looked really cool. 28, 2022 5:39 AM ET by Sebastian Cenizo Classic Cars / 7 Comments We bet this will grab more attention than any Lambo. General Motors Death Watch 9: A Man, A Plan, General Motors Death Watch 23: The Price of Everything, American Know-how, Made In China: GM Opens New Tech Center In Shanghai, 400,000 New Jobs Or 90,000 Unemployed? How is this possible?? I suspect this information is discoverable for those wanting more specifics. Let me know what you think. [9], The red-painted car is also seen in Ford's 1961 promotional film The Secret Door. The brush strokes of white paint brush on faux wood paneling in coe was horrendous and if u look close there were no gauges in the COE..ALSO the seat covers on splitting image had huge wrinkles and the cockpit shoild have been on needle bearings and flush to keep out rain.Horrible worksmanship..but constance tits and ass are amazingThe gm valvetrain in a ford is called a cross dresserbad as a foxbody with an LSx and 400gm tranny.. At some point following the movie, this underutilized concept car sat deteriorating on a studio back-lot. I wasnt keen on the idea of transporting this old kit car in the dead of winter on an open trailer subjecting vintage fiberglass to the rigors of harsh cold winter air, but I didnt have any other option, so a friend and I made the 6 hour trip one frosty morning, loaded it carefully, and returned to Tennessee later the same day unscathed! Jerk . I cant divulge those details here, but it was much higher than I felt I could reasonably affordand I shared the story of what brought my family to Tennessee etc. The Lincoln Futura was a one-off concept car. Wed wager that Towle started with a Fiberglass Freaks body and then modified it by closing up the wheel wells, truncating the fins per original and then adding a healthy dollop of the period correct FoMoCo custom touches. He HAD to know the story and I shared the details with him. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. But, to pull off a convincing replica like this one isnt all that bad, really. Imagine my complete surprise when he told me that he decided to HAND-RUB this car for its rarity and although it would take longer, it would be the best route to bring back this finish in a careful fashion. Think this is an AE86? There is one around now thanks to Gotham Garage from the netflix show that came out recently called rust to riches i believe cant remember exactly looked really cool. Hyundai in general has really designed some nice looking vehicles. Meet the 1951 Lancer by Eric Irwin, The 1969 Banjo GT Sports Car An Ohio Bred Original. [5] While being displayed elsewhere in the U.S. that spring, the Futura was seen by the country's television audience on Today ("The Today Show") on March 3, 1955. Gotham Garage recreated this piece of automotive history using a fiberglass body cast from the original mold and pretty much nothing else. I just finished watching rust to riches the netflix series about Gotham Garage. [6] However, our local Packard dealer in Helena, MT gave me a Packard Booklet that included pictures of the Packard Predictor. The 1994 NBC TV series Viper featured a red replica of the 1955 Lincoln Futura called "The Baxley." I haven't had good luck with propane tank gauges, so we just keep extra tanks on hand. The Lincoln Futura was a one-off concept car. I can recall thinking How is it a teenager ends up with this incredible replica??. Im not sure of the year, but Im guessing it was late 80s or early 90s that this was accomplished. Seriously they did what they had to do to get the 55 futurea. How astonishing is that, that a video posted on Facebook would net the original design blueprints of the 1955 Lincoln Futura. Honda actually made an AWD Acura Integra with a SOHC D-series engine, Honda Clarity FCV owner shares appalling factory paint defect. Once the payment arrangements were made and he confirmed receipt at his end, Brandon said he would accommodate me whenever I can get the car recognizing it was the dead of winter with snow and cold in Ohio at the time. But after reviewing pictures of the Gotham Garage Batmobiles, Im not sure its one of them. The original sold for over $4 mill why do you think you couldnt get $170k for a replica ? The colorful crew at Gotham Garage overhauls an eclectic collection of cars and trucks, trading up to a showstopper they can sell for big bucks. As a self-described car guy I was starting to wonder what life might be like in just any old car that likely wouldnt garner the attention of my former Batmobile replica and all the miles of smiles it engendered during my ownership of it. Oh and the original color was white, with real pearl finish, not green, although popular at the time, that isnt the color for the original. Gas mileage better than all of them. Some of the plastic trim that adorned the car was peeling away and some parts looked as tho they were about to fall off. Not that the Batmobile it became isn't. Almost 5 hours later it was getting dark and he wanted to stop for the day and return the following morning which I was all to happy to accommodate. Literally every one of those Futura replicas, except the first example for Fantasy Cars Ranch in El Cajon, CA was turned into a Gotham Garage recreated this piece of automotive history using a fiberglass body cast from the original mold and pretty much nothing else. The original fiberglass copy shell of the Futura made by Bob Butts was later found by Gotham Garage owner Mark Towle and his friend and actor Shawn Pilot and rebuilt as an original copy of the Lincoln Futura together with his team (Constance Nunes, Tony Quinones, Michael "Caveman" Pyle) in their shop in Temecula, California, as seen in the Netflix series Car Masters: Rust to Riches. Towle is so darn good with his builds, he might have built the thing from scratch. As a footnote to this Futura history, Marty Martino is a well known SUPER TALENTED car customizer in his own right who has ALSO been working steadfastly on a Futura replica that will also debut in the somewhat near future. Barrris bought it for $1.00. This one here was lovingly recreated by Gotham Garage, and for the short while it lived as a Futura, it was downright sick. We bet this will grab more attention than any Lambo. The following year, it appeared in multiple auto shows, where it made waves. WebThe Gotham Garage crew tries to convert a 1964 Ford Thunderbird into a bonafide "rocket car" while giving a smart car the monster-truck treatment. Check out the wild video for yourself below! Ive owned over 60 plus classics and antiques, cant make everything better or perfect when youre short on time and have a family waiting at home for you. A decade later, as legend has it, Ford sold the show car to legendary Hollywood designer George Barris for one measly dollar. He assured me the price would not be any higher than the $500.00 quoted considering the work involved in the dead of winter. Use your pause button on the ever-so-short shots of the car (lest you get a good look at the terrible workmanship), and look at that mess of a car.Then look at, for example, Hibernia Restorations completed vintage automobiles, and decide which one of the 2 type of shops should have completed the historically important Futura(Mark said it was an extremely rare and accurate fiberglass body, maybe one of one in existence with the correct dimensions; if this is not true-it is a reality show after all-then I guess it really doesnt really matter that they did such a poor job, but it is irritating that they try to pass themselves off as so utterly competent).Also, to the dude (Paulo) who wrote this piece, Im sure youre a good guy, but you need to have someone proofread for you; some of your paragraphs are just unreadable. Manage Settings WebBad news: 1) Original door was the incorrect size which delayed installation several weeks 2) Installers arrived unscheduled and without notice at least twice 3) Installer left all of the trash in our barn 4) Installer did not ask permission to use equipment in They worked on this less than 3 weeks. Please send a picture to fastest356@gmail.com. Does anyone know what wheels they used on the Futura? [11] Originally the auto stylist Dean Jeffries was contracted to build the car for the show in late 1965, but when the studio wanted the car sooner than he could deliver, the project was given to Barris. They built and drove 66 and 89 Batmobiles and even got sued by Warner bros. Im sure the story was nicely made up for the show as I personally spoke with a rep for the company 10 years ago and they were. I learned to drive in Dads Packard, but have not had the good fortune to acquire a Packard of my own. I JUST BOUGHT THE BUTTS FUTURA!! Is a half-finished 1973 Lincoln based homage to a 1966 TV program car that was made from a 1955 Lincoln concept car thats located in a garage considered a barn find? This vehicle was built in Turin, Italy and cost $250,000 but was never put into production. Check out the wild video for yourself below! I remember asking him what kind of buffer are he was using because this is beautiful! He digs all flavors of automobiles, from classic cars to modern EVs. It was dust-covered. Whats not so well known is that George Barris side kick and customizer/body tech was a guy by the name of Bob Butts who had a likewise interesting career with old cars historically, and, for this story, is largely responsible for molding the TV Batmobile to re-create the 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept Car in fiberglass. You can reach me at aldenjewell@yahoo.com, Kenneth. There is a reason why we are interested in that concept vehicle because I am the grandson of Roy Brown the chief designer to that vehiclethat was made back in 1955 even though that is a copy of the 1955 Ford Futura concept car there are some things he could not copy exactly. Awesome show love the work..recreated a awesome car that lives on. In fact he told me, My Dad said its my car and I can sell it if I want to. What I didnt expect was that he ALSO shared the vision of having the Futura along side the TV Batmobile again historically and felt it was important to history that an aging George Barris be reunited with these 2 cars that he was very much responsible for. They build that steering wheel because there are pics of that steering wheel being made but they did not used it on the prototype for the World Fair. Chrome was ditched, bat-themed details added and then painted signature black with orange trim custom newsletter the! 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That lives on automobiles, from Classic Cars / 7 Comments we bet this will grab more than. Italy and cost $ 250,000 but was never put into production you think you couldnt get 170k.