1955 Lincoln Futura Concept Car



INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Year built	1954
Responsible for concept, design & name	William M. Schmidt, Manager of the Lincoln Styling Department
Schmidt's design inspirations	A Manta Ray and a Mako Shark
In charge of of body development	John Najjar
In charge of engineering	Martin Regitko
Supervised the design work	Roy Brown
Designer in charge of clay models	Ken Spencer
Interior design	Stan E. Thorwaldsen
Plexiglass designer	Ron A. Perry
Fabricated by	Ghia Body Works in Turin, Italy
Wheelbase	126 in.
Length	227 in.
Width	84.6 in.
Height	52.8 in.
Debut date	January 8, 1955 at the Chicago Auto Show. View the Ford Press Release
Cost to build	$250,000
Serial Number	X-1500-7365G
Featured in the 1959 movie	It Started with a Kiss starring Debbie Reynolds & Glenn Ford
POWERTRAIN & CHASSIS
Engine type	Overhead valve V-8 with a 4 barrel carburetor
Drivetrain layout	Front Engine, RWD
Body construction	Steel
Horsepower	330 H.P.
Transmission	Turbo Drive Automatic Transmission
Suspension	Standard Lincoln ball-joint front suspension
Tires	15x8 Firestone gum-dipped tubeless
Exhaust	Dual rear
INTERIOR DETAILS
Dash features	A compass is mounted on the cowl in front of the driver along with five different colored indicator lights to indicate what gear the car is in. Red for Park, Blue for Reverse, White for Neutral, Green for Drive, and Yellow for Low. A clock is mounted in front of the passenger
Instrument panel	Five compartments with flexible roll-down metal doors. Brake release button on lower dash area
	#1- Heater & A/C controls
	#2- Lighting switches
	#3- Accessories including dummy wiper knob
	#4- AM Radio
	#5- Glove compartment
Steering wheel	Black with chrome squares on the back surface, with a "jet pod" on either side to operate the turn signals
Steering column binnacle	Warning lights for fuel (green with a full tank, amber colored with a half tank and red when the supply is low), battery, temperature and high-beam indicator. The lower part of the binnacle contains the speedometer, tachometer and odometer.
Pedestal armrest features	Chrome transmission push buttons (Square for reverse and park, and round for neutral and the forward gears), an ash tray and space for a telephone
Horn	Activated by a pedal on the floor
Fresh air vent	Located at the top center of the windshield and activated using a lever
Door panels	Built-in armrests, chrome accents and a light on each panel. Interior handles were levers with chrome balls on the ends
Rear package tray area	Two clear plastic funnels for the A/C system
Seat details in '55	2 Padded bucket seats trimmed with blue-white leather bolsters and pleated black leather inserts. Four-way power
Seat details in '59	2 Padded bucket seats trimmed with red bolsters and pleated black leather inserts. Four-way power
Carpet	Deep-pile black carpet
EXTERIOR DETAILS
Original color in '55	Pearlescent Frost-Blue white
Color repainted in '59	Red
Canopy composition	Plexiglass with chrome trim
Hood features	Hinged at the front with the hood release lever inside the car
Gas Filler door	Located behind the license plate
Vents on the front of the rear fins	Cooled rear brakes & provided air for the A/C system
Rear deck lid louvers	Exhaust chevrons for the air conditioning system
Aerial mounted on the rear deck	Circular radio aerial combined with an "audio approach" microphone.
Door handles	Chrome handles flush with the top of the doors
License plates	Michigan plate in 1955 BP3533; New York plate in 1959 2D7876 (prop); CN7608


	Before it was the Batmobile it was the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car. The Batmobile-to-be was the brainchild of Lincoln Mercury's postwar chief stylist, Bill Schmidt. Inspired by a scuba-diving encounter with a shark, Schmidt sketched a low, long, wide, and flat vision of the future with a predatory full width grille, ominously hooded headlights, and killer tail fins. Built by Ghia in 1955, the $250,000 dream car was dubbed the Lincoln Futura. It took just three months to ready the concept car for its debut at the Chicago Auto Show in January 1955. From there, the futuristic Lincoln was driven to a show in Detroit. On March 3rd, just before the NY Auto Show, with Benson Ford at the experimental steering wheel and Schmidt in the passenger seat, the Futura cruised from the United Nation's building through Central Park to the Tavern on the Green (restaurant) for a photo session. The Futura went on The Ed Sullivan Show, which Lincoln sponsored, then to a guest shot on Dave Garroway's TV Show.



	Unfortunately, the excesses of the Futura seemed woefully at odds with the design ethics of the Sixties. And so it happened that the unwanted car ended up in the possession of George Barris. In 1965, Barris was commissioned to build the Batmobile for ABC's upcoming Batman TV series. But because the show was about to go into production, he had only three weeks to build it. He quickly realized it didn't take much work to modify the Futura for the part. While retaining the chassis and the basic shape of the car, Barris overhauled the nose and tail with numerous bat like shapes and references. Barris in '66 would assemble 3 more Batmobiles using bodies based on the prototype mold and built on a production car chassis.

There are no end of surprises in the Futura, which was designed in Dearborn and put into final form by Ghia of Italy, who worked from plaster body casts and detailed blueprints furnished by Ford Motor Company and Lincoln-Mercury engineering. Probably the most novel touch was the official announcement that the car "can and will be driven...as a laboratory on wheels...subjected to all the hazards and conditions of road testing."

Experimental cars shown to the public which can move under their own power are rare. This one should provide extraordinary data. The 19-foot body is mounted on a 126-inch wheelbase, is seven feet wide, and has flowing lines almost devoid of exterior ornamentation.

Since the Futura is only 52.8 inches high, the advanced version of Lincoln's current ohv V-8 has some modifications in equipment. Carburetor and air cleaner have been modified, while cooling is accomplished by dual fans and a reserve cooling tank atop the engine. The Turbo-Drive automatic transmission is operated by pushbuttons.

Among the most unique features is an audio approach microphone on the flat rear deck. It picks up and amplifies the sound or horn signal from any car approaching from the rear.

Motor Life, April, 1955

These photos courtesy of





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1/8th scale Lincoln Futura model at the Henry Ford Museum

Replica Lincoln Futura built by Bob Butts in the 90's