1955 Lincoln Futura Concept Car, page 2

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	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 1954, 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

"It's a car, not a rocket ship, you're looking at the revolutionary new Futura, built by the Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motors and displayed at the Chicago Auto Show. Twin plexiglas canopies cover the passenger compartment of the experimental auto, which in almost 19 feet long, seven feet wide, and 52.8 inches high. The Futura will be used as a laboratory on wheels to gather engineering data and test public reaction to styling innovations. It's ultra modern body was built in Italy."