gazza Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 The Batmobile from the 1966–1968 live action television show and its film adaptation began life as a Ford concept car called the Lincoln Futura, built over a decade earlier in 1955. The body of the Futura was fabricated by Ghia of Italy, whose artisans hammered the car's panels over logs and tree stumps carved as forms to create the sleek manta ray-like car. In 1959, the Futura was featured sporting a fresh red paint job in the film It Started With A Kiss, starring Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford. In 1965, ABC-TV chose famed Hollywood customizer George Barris to design a "Batmobile" for their soon-to-go-into-production Batman show. Dean Jeffries worked on the design and initial fabrication for the Batmobile, using a 1959 Cadillac, but when the studio wanted the car faster than he could provide, he turned it back to George Barris. With only three weeks to finish, Barris decided that rather than build a car from scratch, it would be best to transform the Lincoln Futura (bought from Ford for $1.00) into the famous crime fighting vehicle of TV's caped crusader. Barris hired Bill Cushenberry to do the metal modifications to the car. When filming for the series began, several problems arose due to the age of the car: it overheated, the battery went dead, and the expensive Mickey Thompson tires kept blowing. By mid season, the engine and transmission were replaced with a Ford Galaxie. The most frequent visual influence of this car is that later Batmobiles usually have a rear rocket thruster that usually fires as the car makes a fast start. Gadgets The extra-large bat-trunk in the Batmobile holds various crime-fighting equipment and has plenty of space to fit eight people comfortably. The windshield is bulletproof. And of course, the Batmobile is not without its helpful gadgets: Bat-glove Compartment Infrared Bat-dust (glows in light and in dark, but only visible when viewed through the Batmobile specially tinted windshield) Emergency Bat-turn Lever (releases the Batmobile parachute that enables quick turns) Bat-deflector (diverts a criminal tracking signal, leading them to a miniature Batcave in the middle of nowhere) Bat-ray (can do many things, such as open van doors) Super-powered Bat-magnet (for opening steel doors from a distance) Odor Sensitometer Radar Circuit (puts a certain scent on the radar screen) Ultrasonic Recorder (also records regular sounds) Batmobile Parachute Pickup Service Signal (calls aforementioned service to pick the Batmobile parachute off the city street) Emergency Bat-trunk Lock Bat-zooka (can fire explosive blasts, or is used to fire bat-ropes to tops of very tall buildings) Anti Mechanical Bat-ray (renders mechanical apparati useless) Battering Ram (also known as the Bat-ram, used for knocking down reinforced doors) Library Paste Bat-dissolving Switch Bat-safety Belt Bat-radarscope Bat-alert Buzzer (in all Bruce's cars, indicates when the Batphone in the Batcave is ringing) Bat-scope (TV screen that can be used to monitor someone's movements) Anti-theft Activator (can be disguised as the Start button, fires fireworks from the car) Anti-fire Activator (fills Batmobile with extinguishing foam) Bat-ray Projector (fires Blu-ray from headlights that shut down a car's ignition) Hidden Bat-laser Beam Homing Receiver Scope Inflatable Batmobile (kept in Batmobile for use as a decoy) Batphone Batman and Robin seats This Batmobile original gadgets included the nose-mounted chain slicer, lasers, rockets, an on-board telephone, radar, dash monitor, on-board computer, and police beacon. If needed, the Batmobile is capable of a quick 180° "bat-turn" thanks to two rear-mounted 10' parachutes, and it is equipped with a smoke emitter and a nail spreader to discourage pursuit. Some changes were made during the run of the series, including different license plates, a change in steering wheel, and the addition of extra gadgets such as the rear-facing camera and battering ram. Technical specifications Curb weight: 5500 lb Wheelbase: 129 in Length: 230 in Width: 90 in Height: 48 in Fins: 84 in Engine: 390 in³, V-8 (atomic turbine) Transmission: B&M Hydro Automatic (2nd transmission) The original was sold for $4.2 million US 1 Quote Quickly read this post before it is deleted or i turn grey again Gary http://www.facebook.com/Rallyproxy2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza Posted August 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2021 1 Quote Quickly read this post before it is deleted or i turn grey again Gary http://www.facebook.com/Rallyproxy2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinno Posted August 13, 2021 Report Share Posted August 13, 2021 I didn’t order one so missed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtpanorama Posted August 14, 2021 Report Share Posted August 14, 2021 21 hours ago, Vinno said: I didn’t order one so missed out. Check Armchair Racer. Quote Corporate greed is driving inflation. Cash, use it or lose it. No Digital Currency, No Digital ID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mobbzee Posted August 14, 2021 Report Share Posted August 14, 2021 On 8/13/2021 at 4:14 PM, Vinno said: I didn’t order one so missed out. Just did a search it’s available at multiple places… Armchair racer being one Quote http://www.auslot.com/forums/index.php?/topic/12014-mt-panorama-track/ ...My Track Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza Posted August 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2021 Re released or i should say that Armchair has received the rest of their ordered stock. Quote Quickly read this post before it is deleted or i turn grey again Gary http://www.facebook.com/Rallyproxy2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinno Posted August 15, 2021 Report Share Posted August 15, 2021 19 hours ago, Mobbzee said: Just did a search it’s available at multiple places… Armchair racer being one Thanks I will follow up as I asked them for one a while ago and I thought I missed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaynus Posted August 16, 2021 Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 Interesting to compare the size of the Scalextric car to the Polar Lights plastic kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaynus Posted August 16, 2021 Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 Well there you go... while 1st appearing to be smaller, the 1989 version is actually wider. The 89 car scaled to track width constraints I suppose, not length, which is a shame, but understandable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaynus Posted August 16, 2021 Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 3 generations (well, sort of) of Batmobile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza Posted August 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2021 1 hour ago, Shaynus said: Well there you go... while 1st appearing to be smaller, the 1989 version is actually wider. The 89 car scaled to track width constraints I suppose, not length, which is a shame, but understandable Specs for the actual 1-1 1989 car Length ............. 6620 mm Width ............. 2400 mm Height ............. 1300 mm Wheelbace ...... 3580 mm Quote Quickly read this post before it is deleted or i turn grey again Gary http://www.facebook.com/Rallyproxy2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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