batman.html

The Batmobile started out as a 1955 Lincoln Futura which
George Barris bought from Ford in 1965 for a $1.

The Batmobile was completed in just 3 weeks, at a reported
cost of $30,000.
They used the primer-painted, white-striped car in October,
1965, for a network presentation reel.

Shortly afterward, the car was painted gloss black with
"fluorescent cerise" stripes.
Barris retained ownership of the car, estimated to be
worth $125,000 in 1966 dollars, leasing it to 20th
Century Fox and Greenway Productions for use in the series.

When filming for the series began, several problems arose
due to the car's age, it overheated, the battery died, and the
expensive Mickey Thompson tires repeatedly failed, so he
used 15" Firestone tires.
By mid season, the engine and transmission were replaced
with those of a Ford Galaxie.

Specs:
Curb weight: 4500 lbs
Length: 226 in.
Width: 90 in.
Height: 48 in.
Fins: 84 in
Engine: Ford V-8 390

1969 Dodge Charger -
( General Lee )

The engine is a 440 c.i. Magnum V-8 rated at 375hp with a top
speed of 135 MPH, 0-60 in 5.4 sec.
225 c.i., 383 c.i. and 426 c.i. Hemis were also used.
It has a Chrysler Torqueflite A-727 Heavy Duty Automatic
transmission and B.F. Goodrich T/A radial tires.

The Dukes of Hazard show used more than 300 Chargers
were used during the production of the series due to
all the jumps.

1st Unit cars were standard Charger R/Ts prepared for close-up
shots and still photography with the actors.

The 2nd Unit cars were the workhorses that did the jumps,
2 wheel driving, 180 degree turns and other stunts.

The turns were done thanks to over inflated tires and
a rigged handbrake.

The jumps were done in special cars that had extra weight added
to the rear, had reinforced bodies and were equipped with
NASCAR style fuel cells to prevent leaks and
possible accidents.

The Munster's Koach:

Designed and built by George Barris, creator of the Batmobile.

The Koach was made from 3 Model T bodies and is 18 feet long.
The 133" frame was made by hand.

It has a four speed manual transmission and a power rear end.
The brass radiator and fenders were hand formed.
In 1964, the cost to build the first one was $18,000.00.

It had "blood red" velvet interior. It took 500 hours to hand form
the ornate rolled steel scrollwork.
It had Gloss Black Pearl paint.
The front end had a dropped axle, split radius rods and T springs.

The studio gave George Barris 21 days to complete the car.
Powered by a 289 Ford Cobra engine from a 1966 Mustang GT.
Built with Jahns high compression pistons, ten chrome plated
Stromberg carburetors, an Isky cam, and had a set of
Bobby Barr racing headers.

1963 Volkswagen Beetle
( Herbie )

In 2015, Herbie sold for $126,500.00 at a Barrett Jackson
auction.

Included with the car was a copy of a 1972 title listing Walt Disney
Productions as the owner, but the best clue to the car’s
authenticity and identity was found behind the back seat.
There, a bracket was once used to secure an oil pump, used
for comic effect to squirt oil on a traffic director’s foot at
the beginning of 'Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo'.

The car has had a full mechanical service.
It is very fun and powerful, with an 1835cc engine and
dual Kadron Solex carburetors.
This Herbie, identified by Disney as "5916," was the "oil squirting"
car.
When found, it still had its original bracket
for the oil pump.

Knight Rider ( K.I.T.T. )

KITT, short for the "Knight Industries Two Thousand"

KITT is a modified 1982 Pontiac Trans Am,
(also created by George Barris)
had a V8, 5.0 liter, 145-horsepower enigine with an automatic
transmission.

In the show's universe, the car cost an estimated $11,400,000
to make, and the imaginary specs the car had, clearly show that.

It included special features such as a front mounted scanner
bar that allowed KITT to 'see'.

The engine in KITT was a special "Knight Industries turbojet
with modified afterburners," and the transmission was an
"8 speed microprocessor turbo drive with autopilot"
(drove himself).

KITT could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in an astounding
0.2 seconds with power boosters, while braking from
70 to 0 mph only took 14 feet.

KITT's voice was played by actor William Daniels.

In the TV show, Knight Rider, KITT was a bulletproof tool
of justice piloted by Michael Knight, the role that blessed the
world with David Hasselhoff.

KITT was loaded with advanced crime fighting features,
such as auto-pilot, a turbo boost which essentially acted
as a jump button, and a pursuit mode, which gave
KITT the ability to reach 300 mph.

1976 Ford Gran Torino -
( Starsky and Hutch )

Starsky & Hutch was a TV series that aired from 1975 to 1979
on ABC.

The series followed two detectives, named David Michael Starsky
and Kenneth Richard “Hutch” Hutchinson, as they hunted
criminals on the neon-lit streets of Bay City, a fictional
city in Southern California.

Their radio handle was "ZEBRA-3" and their street car was
an eye catching tomato red, with a wide white stripe and
was nicknamed the “Striped Tomato,"

Between 1975 and 1979 about 10 Ford Gran Torinos were used
on the set of Starsky & Hutch.

The cars were modified for stunt purposes with air suspension,
five slot mag wheels and oversized tires sometimes even
mounting a camera on the roof of the Torino.

Starsky actor, Paul Glaser drove the car for regular driving
scenes, but stunt scenes and car chases were always
done by a stunt driver.

Stunt cars, camera cars, tow cars, dolly cars, and cars used
for "beauty" shots varied in model year from 1974 to 1976
Ford Torinos, since the body style of the Gran Torino
was unchanged.

In 1976 Ford introduced a very limited edition of 1,000 Starsky
and Hutch replicas of the Gran Torino.

The lead characters of Starsky & Hutch were actually based
on real life officers named Lou Telano and John Sepe.

Telano and Sepe operated on the streets of New York City
in the 1960's and 1970's, and were known for their
unorthodox undercover work and inventive ways of
gathering data on their suspects.

For more famous cars such as:
The Ghostbusters Car, The Bandit Car,
'Back to the Future' DeLorean,
Christine, Etc.