Although originally priced at $250,000, Ford Motor Company sold the Lincoln Futura to Barris for $1. Thanks, John. Here's a copy. Who Bought Gotham Garage Futura? Gothams is not a replica, its an approximation with a newer Corvette drivetrain. Perhaps on an exceedingly slow day during the pandemic, I received a nice e-mail from Geoffrey Hacker of Undiscovered Classics asking if Id be willing to share the story of my acquisition of the infamous Butts 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept 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. The final decision on that: no. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Gotham Garage reportedly only built two of them before the hammer came down. I got a few photos of its condition and was very happy for the experience. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. After finishing the car the Futura was eventually sold at the Grand National Roadster Show at the Pomona Fairplex for approximately $90,000. ONE shot to buy the Futura and I think I just blew it. It has also been displayed in the Cayman Motor Museum on Grand Cayman Island. To The Batmobile. Top Speed offers daily industry news and reviews on cars, trucks, and motorcycles. He HAD to know the story and I shared the details with him. Based on pictures from when the Futura was shown in the 1950s, he reskinned an existing Batmobile replica back into a Lincoln Futura replica. And in a way, it did come from the future. 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. [8], The Futura was a success as a show car, garnering favorable publicity for Ford. [citation needed]. And save for 2 or 3 class acts who do great fiberglass work, I can assure you 90% of "that element" are losers. He has, https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_273928-Lincoln-Futura-1955.html. and they sold for 170K foolish beyond comprhension. Check out the wild video for yourself below! Despite the original cost of $250,000, Ford Motor Company sold the Lincoln Futura to Barris for one dollar. Either way, it's the sort of car that you simply cannot buy, and that's a real pity. But since its street legal, the cutter blades and auto jack are sadly non-functional. This car is as close to Speed Racers ride as you can get. Why be a bummer person a nay sayer! The Story of how Hollywood King of Kustoms George Barris modified the Futura into the infamous #1 TV Batmobile has long been chronicled and hailed as one of the most important cars in history. Awesome show love the work..recreated a awesome car that lives on. Also like the car above, the Mach 5 is based on the C4 Corvette. . The Detailer took a lot of photos for his personal detailing portfolio, and I gave him a handsome tip. Be happy you mustve enjoyed it or why waste your time watching it!!!CONGRATULATIONS! I said something to the effect of Well, I know what youre asking and you know what I offered. Mark Towle, the owner of Gotham Garage, claims the cars speak and tell him what they want to be: a T-Bucket dreams of becoming a C-Cab Fire Truck, a Chevy Impala longs for a massive tunnel ram sticking through its hood. If youre REALLY old enough to know, you may even recall that this Butts Futura Replica made a brief appearance in the first (original) 80s Viper TV Show where it was involved in a good-guy/bad-guy chase scene which is also discoverable online here: https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_273928-Lincoln-Futura-1955.html. Its original color was pearlescent white, one of the first pearlescent color treatments, using ground pearl to achieve the effect. In the episode "Wheels of Fire" (S01E08), the car's creator stole it after it was recovered by construction workers. 1. There are builders. There's a media report out today (CNN) about a Tesla which came to a sudden stop in a San Francisco tunnel on 11/24/22. cars did not require that you depress the clutch to start the car. As you might anticipate, as an Ohio resident who didnt live too far from Fairfield, I reached out to the dealership and discovered the Futura was actually owned by the owners son Brandon who was, to my surprise, a teenager at the time. Also gone is the factory suspension, that was in no way ready to handle the weight or torque of this motor. While Barris' original Batmobile started life as the Future concept car, this replica from Batrodz LLC is based on a 1979 Lincoln . [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. Please send a picture to [email protected]. Some of the plastic trim that adorned the car was peeling away and some parts looked as tho they were about to fall off. Think 1966 TV Batmobile reverse-engineered into 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept Replica and you got it. The deal was struck and the Butts Futura was now owned by a guy who shared my vision of keeping them together. Barris went on to build three fiberglass replicas using the frames and running gear from 1966 Ford Galaxie cars for the show circuit. !YOU ROCK!!!!!! And of course it would be a blast to drive it too. Now Open! At the time of my call, Im not sure he remembered who I was until I mentioned my former replica. John Valentine, i believe the corvette engine and drivetrain was for the splitting image car, not the futura. If you dont pop the hood (because its sitting on a modern chassis and drivetrain), seeing this car is like going back to the Futura. Since Jeff Dunham was a huge car history buff, I was quick to share my photos with him and, like I was when I first saw it, he was likewise intrigued. 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. When I showed up, I was deflated to discover the Futura replica had fallen into a state of disrepair-an unfortunate common problem for outdated kit cars. The first 2 or 3 guys that I could even FIND mid-winter passed on it citing they dont want to be responsible for any potential damage to this rare car. Everybodys got to say something.Im with the person who said maybe it will inspire someone. Used Car of the Day: 2018 Smart ForTwo Brabus, Buick Unveils Ultium-Based Electra E5 EV for China, Honda Used VR to Design the Prologue and Pilot TrailSport, Junkyard Find: 1967 Cadillac Calais Coupe, Mary Barra Named to Top 5 of Forbes Most Powerful Women List, Porsche Opens EFuel Production Facility in Chile, Elon Musk Tweet Leads to Investigation of Tesla, 2024 E-Ray Brings Electrification, AWD to Chevrolet Corvette UPDATED, Volkswagen to Debut New EV Next Month at CES 2023, 2023 Nissan Titan PRO-4X Review - Parting Thoughts, Used Car of the Day: 2019 Volkswagen Alltrack SEL, Cary's Garage: Bringing an Engine Back From the Dead. The fact is I NEVER thought Id EVER part with that replica if you knew the struggle I went thru to acquire it in kit form and build it, but then the need arose and just like that life circumstance quickly re-directed my priorities for the greater good and the car was gone. Comparing it to this image of the Gotham Batmobile shows a few discrepancies, most notably in the reflectors and the shape of the spear on the nose. Its entirely possible that theres another Batmobile builder out there whos had the sense to stay under Warner Bros radar, perhaps only working with known people in the crazy-replica-movie-car community. This is shown in the photo below. Outsmarted 38m The Gotham Garage crew tries to convert a 1964 Ford Thunderbird into a bonafide "rocket car" while giving a smart car the monster-truck treatment. Inside, a blood red, modern interior makes the truck a stunner inside and out. So how does one satisfy the desire for a car that is unobtainable? It was released as a model kit and a toy, and, in a much more subdued form, its headlight and tailfin motifs would appear on production Lincolns for 1956 and 1957, such as the Lincoln Premiere and Lincoln Capri. The driver said it was in autonomous mode. Thanks again to Chris Woodside for sharing his article today on the Futura. 1. Think this is an AE86? With over 21,000,000 VW Beetles made between 1938 and 2003, you can imagine that a lot of them have been modified over the years. RELATED: This Insane 1930 Model A Hot Rod Hits Auction. To some extent that describes all of Stellantis.As long as Elkann is the chairman I'd be shocked if Alfa, Fiat, or, Maserati are really in danger of being killed off though. Green Is the New Black 40m Not that the Batmobile it became isn't. 4/18 Sick: Old Crow Special Via Facebook This exterior fiberglass red finish was faded, but appeared to otherwise be in really exceptional condition considering its age. But peace, love and flower power will be the furthest things from your mind when confronted by the FrankNBus. Thank you so much! Check the photos and tell me what you think. Although Mark and his salesman, Shawn Pilot, initially put forward an asking price of $315,000, they haggled for a bit before settling on $285,000. 28, 2022 5:39 AM ET by Sebastian Cenizo Classic Cars / 7 Comments We bet this will grab more attention than any Lambo. How could THEY have missed the chance to make money off of my offer? [citation needed], Barris retained ownership of the car after its conversion to the Batmobile, leasing it to the TV studio for filming. A major pileup ensued, with multiple people injured including a 2 year-old. In fact, the current custodian of this car, Mark Towle of Gotham Garage, showed up in the comments in response to a comment left by the grandson of Roy Brown, the Futuras chief designer. 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. They built and drove 66 and 89 Batmobiles and even got sued by Warner bros. 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