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

 

 

Courtesy of John Haig

 

Photo courtesy of Ken Bowman

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.

Rare picture of the Futura
September 1952 drawing of the Futura
1955 Lincoln Futura
Lincoln Futura 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. Color picture
Photo courtesy of Ken Bowman Futura front view
Side shot of the Futura A unique side angle
Great detailed shot
Ignition switch on the dash Futura topview Futura rear A 1955 Thompson Products Ad  

Futura Agreement

Compass and HVAC controls Interior Cruising Central Park in NYC A 1967 picture of the Futura's center canopy hanging from the ceiling in Barris' shop Dash Lights
Photo taken around 1963-1965 Photo taken around 1963-1965 Scribe lines on the wheel wells The modifications have begun The modifications have begun

 

These photos courtesy of

The Futura in clay Clay Clay rear
Clay side Clay Futura Clay side
Clay model of the dash and steering wheel The canopy frame for the clay car In color
Futura Dash area Dash
Lincoln Futura Interior Interior

These images are not for commercial use or sale

          

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

      Debbie and Glenn

Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford in the Lincoln Futura from the 1959 MGM film "It Started with a Kiss" directed by George Marshall.

 

Click here to watch the Futura transform into the Batmobile!!

Model Model Photo courtesy of Kyle Raetz Photo courtesy of Kyle Raetz Courtesy of Kyle Raetz

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

 

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

Courtesy of Ken Bowman Courtesy of Ken Bowman Courtesy of Ken Bowman
Courtesy of Ken Bowman

Replica Batmobile & Futura

Photo courtesy of Dick Dean Photo courtesy of Dick Dean

 

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